Big names absent in Japanese team for the Grand Slam Tokyo

At last weekend's Kodokan Cup, Japan’s judo elite was notably missing key stars such as Naohisa Takato and Joshiro Maruyama, both sidelined due to injuries. This prestigious tournament provided a stage for emerging talent while allowing the newly appointed performance committee, now led by Toshihiko Yamada – formerly of Tokai University – to finalize Japan's lineup for the upcoming Tokyo Grand Slam on December 7-8.

In a surprising shift, Japan's team for this event will not include its brightest stars or the selections that competed in Paris, including Olympic champions Natsumi Tsunoda (-48kg) and Uta Abe.

The men's team will similarly be missing its leading names, as double Olympic champions Hifumi Abe and Takanori Nagase will also sit out the event. Nevertheless, the Tokyo Grand Slam roster features three prominent Olympians making their comeback: Ryuju Nagayama (bronze, -60kg), Soichi Hashimoto (bronze, -73kg), and Sanshiro Murao (silver, -90kg). These seasoned athletes are expected to bring a wealth of experience to the team, despite the absence of many top-tier names.

This shift in selection strategy by the Japanese performance committee reflects a commitment to fostering new talent and providing seasoned competitors with targeted rest ahead of the Olympic cycle, while still aiming for a strong showing at Tokyo’s premier judo event.

Womens team

KOGA Wakana
YOSHIOKA Hikari
KONDO Mizuki
MIYAKI Kano

-52kg
OMORI Kisumi
TAKEUCHI Rin
FUJISHIRO Kokoro
SHIRAISHI Hibiki

-57kg
TAMAOKI Momo
FUCHIDA Megumi
ADACHI Mika
ONO Moa

-63kg
HORIKAWA Megumi
KAJU Haruka
DANNO Megu
AONO Minami

-70kg
TANAKA Shiho
TERADA Utana
HONDA Mayu
MAEDA Rin

-78kg
HAMADA Shori
UMEKI Mami
IKEDA Kurena
SUGIMURA Mizuki

+78kg
TOMITA Wakaba
ARAI Mao
TAKAHASHI Ruri
SAGAWA Maya

Mens team

-60kg
NAGAYAMA Ryuju
NAKAMURA Taiki
FUKUDA Daigo
SEKIMOTO Kenta

-66kg
TANAKA Ryoma
TAKEOKA Takeshi
ONO Hitana
FUJISAKA Taiko

-73kg
HASHIMOTO Soichi
ISHIHARA Tatsuki
TANAKA Ryuga
UCHIMURA Shusuke

-81kg
OINO Yuhei
FUJIWARA Sotaro
HOJO Yoshito
AMANO Kaito

-90kg
MURAO Sanshiro
TAJIMA Goki
KAWABATA Komei
TOKUMOCHI Hidetoshi

-100kg
ARAI Dota
GREEN Kaito
MIKI Nozomu
KUMASAKA Mitsutaka

+100kg
OTA Hyuga
NAKAMURA Yuta
NAKANO Kanta
KIMOTO Takuto