| Japan JPN | |
|---|---|
| IWRF Ranking | 3 |
| JoinedIWRF | 1997; 29 years ago (1997) |
| IWRF Zone | IWRF Asia-Oceania |
| National Federation | Japan Wheelchair Rugby Federation |
| Paralympic Games | |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Medals |  Gold:2024 Bronze:2016,2020 |
| World Championships | |
| Appearances | 4 |
| Medals |  Gold:2018 Bronze:2010 ,2022 |
| IWRF Asia-Oceania Championship | |
| Appearances | 9 |
| Medals |  Gold:2015,2023,2025 Silver:2011,2013,2017,2019 Bronze:2001,2003,2005,2009 |
TheJapan national wheelchair rugby team (日本全国車椅子ラグビーチーム) representsJapan in internationalwheelchair rugby. Japan is the third most successful team in the Asia-Oceania region, finishing outside the medal places only once in eight appearances at theIWRF Asia-Oceania Championship. Japan have won the tournament once, in 2015 and are also the2014 Asian Para Games champions. They have reached sixSummer Paralympics, winning the gold medal at the2024 Games in Paris.
TheJapan Wheelchair Rugby Federation (formerly the Japan Quad Rugby Federation) was established in April 1997, in response to the introduction of wheelchair rugby at the1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta.[1] A wheelchair rugby club structure was already in existence and a national team was quickly formed, with a tour to Australia undertaken by the end of the year.[1] In 2001 Japan sent their national team to the inauguralIWRF Asia-Oceania Championship and have been a constant fixture at the event ever since. In the first five Asia-Oceania Games, Japan was normally the third placed team, behind the dominance ofAustralia andNew Zealand.
In 2004 Japan qualified for their first Summer Paralympics. Although initially unsuccessful, with only two wins over China in the first 11 games of their first two Paralympics, the team showed improvement in the buildup to the 2012 Games in London. The team's first breakthrough came at the2011 IWRF Asia-Oceania Championship, where they finished second for the first time, beating New Zealand into third place. They followed this by finishing second in their group at the 2012 Paralympics by beating both Britain and France. Japan finished fourth at the Games just outside the medal positions. Wheelchair rugby was introduced at the2014 Asian Para Games, which Japan won, beating South Korea in the final. The next year Japan won their first IWRF Asia-Oceania Championship, beating Australia 56–51 in the gold medal play off, finishing the year ranked as the 3rd best team in the world.
Japan have appeared in threeSummer Paralympics,2004 in Athens,2008 in Beijing and2012 in London. They have qualified for the2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio when they won the 2015IWRF Asia-Oceania Championship.[2]
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The 2004 Paralympics in Beijing was the second Games to host a wheelchair rugby event, after its introduction in theprevious Games in Sydney. Japan became the first Asian nation to qualify for the Wheelchair rugby tournament. Japan were placed in Group A, along withAustralia,New Zealand and theUnited States. They lost all three-round matches, though their match against Australia was close affair, finishing 48–47 to the Australians. In the medal round they were paired againstGreat Britain and a loss saw an end to their medal chances. They finished the 2004 tournament in last place. They returned four years later, qualifying due to their world ranking. They again found themselves in Group A, facing Canada, the United States and hosts China. They recorded their first Paralympic win with victory over China, but due to loses to both Canada and the States, they finished in the bottom half of the overall table, finishing seventh overall.
In the 2012 Games in London Japan qualified through the group stage for the first time in their history, beating both France and hosts Great Britain in the qualifying round. In the medal round they lost against eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals, and in the bronze medal play-off match they were beaten by the United States to finish in fourth place.[3]
| Paralympic Games results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
 2004 | 8th | 6 | 0 | 6 |
 2008 | 7th | 5 | 2 | 3 |
 2012 | 4th | 5 | 2 | 3 |
 2016 | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 2 |
 2020 | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 1 |
 2024 | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 31 | 16 | 15 | |
Japan first entered theWorld Wheelchair Rugby Championships in 2002 where they finished eighth from a field of 12. The team returned for the next games in 2006 inChristchurch, New Zealand, where they finished fifth. The 2010 Championships, inVancouver, was the team's best to date. They qualified through their group and succeeded into the medal stages. Although losing their semi-final encounter, they were able to beatSweden in the bronze medal match to finish third overall. At the2014 IWRF World Championship Japan finished second in their group during the qualifying stages but were beaten by Australia in the semi-final.[4] The team were then faced the United States for the bronze medal encounter, but lost 62–56 to finish in fourth place.[5]
| Men | |
|---|---|
| Women | |
| Mixed | |
Internationalwheelchair rugby | ||
|---|---|---|
| Americas |  | |
| Asia-Oceania | ||
| Europe | ||
