Asian Games Japan men's team: 10 players competing in the SV League this season
Of the 12 players on Japan's men's Asian Games squad in Aichi-Nagoya, 10 belong to SV League clubs in 2026-27. Tatsunori Otsuka plays abroad and Kento Asano is a university student.
Here are profiles and last season's figures for the 10 league players, including captain Yudai Arai.
Hiroshima Thunders | Yudai Arai | OH
188 cm. From Niigata; attended Joetsu Sogo Gijutsu High School and Tokai University. Japan's captain played 43 matches last season, scoring 450 points, with a 48.2% attack success rate and 25 aces.
Hiroshima Thunders | Keigo Nishimoto | MB
189 cm. From Hiroshima; attended Onomichi High School and Fukuyama Heisei University. Won the top blocker award and a regular season Best Six place in the 2024-25 SV League. Last season: 43 matches, a 57.7% attack success rate and 75 block points.
JTEKT STINGS Aichi | Yudai Kawahigashi | S
175 cm. From Kagoshima; attended Kagoshima Commercial High School and Nippon Sport Science University. Helped Japan win the 2026 Asian Championship and qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics. Last season: 41 matches, 153 sets and 15 block points.
JTEKT STINGS Aichi | Keihan Takahashi | OP
194 cm. From Chiba; attended Narashino High School and Hosei University. Played for JTEKT STINGS while at university, then spent two seasons with Paris Volley in France before returning this season.
JTEKT STINGS Aichi | Kazuyuki Takahashi | L
170 cm. From Tokyo; attended Sundai Gakuen High School and Juntendo University. Last season: 43 matches, 165 sets, 759 serve receptions and a 44.1% reception success rate.
Osaka Bluteon | Masato Kai | OH
200 cm. From Miyazaki; attended Nichinan Shintoku High School and Senshu University. Played at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Last season: 29 matches, 200 points, a 53.3% attack success rate and 20 aces.
Osaka Bluteon | Hiroto Nishiyama | OP
193 cm. From Kanagawa; attended Tokai University Sagami High School. Last season: 36 matches, 110 points and a 52.0% attack success rate.
Osaka Bluteon | Keitaro Nishikawa | MB
195 cm. From Osaka; attended Seifu High School and the University of Tsukuba. Last season: 28 matches, 118 points and a 56.4% attack success rate.
Suntory Sunbirds Osaka | Ryo Shimokawa | S
178 cm. From Kagoshima; attended Shonan High School and Asia University. Played five matches and nine sets last season.
Tokyo Great Bears | Rikuto Goto | OH
187 cm. From Ehime; attended Nitta High School and Kindai University. Last season: 42 matches and 450 points, including 385 attack points and 47 block points.
Japan men's match schedule
September 27 (Sun), 19:20: Japan vs Uzbekistan
September 28 (Mon), 19:20: Japan vs Kazakhstan
September 29 (Tue), 19:20: Japan vs Pakistan
From the preliminary round to the quarterfinal on October 1, semifinal on October 2 and final on October 3, all matches take place at Okazaki Central General Park Gymnasium, the home arena of JTEKT STINGS Aichi.
For Yudai Kawahigashi and Keihan Takahashi, who returned to JTEKT this season, these will be national team matches on a familiar court. Cheer for Japan as captain Yudai Arai leads the team in Okazaki.