Hiroshima Thunders

JT Thunders (JTサンダーズ, JT Sandāzu) is a men's volleyball team based in Hiroshima city, Hiroshima, Japan. It plays in V.Premier League. The owner of the club is Japan Tobacco.

JT Thunders Hiroshima

Founded	1931
Ground	Nekota Kinen Taiikukan Hiroshima city, Hiroshima, Japan
Head Coach	Javier Weber
Captain	Taishi Onodera
League	V.League Division 1
2022–23	7th place
Website	Club home page

History

The club was founded in 1931 as a club of the Ministry of Finance Japan Hiroshima Monopoly Bureau.^[1]

In 1985, the team was renamed as Japan Tabaco and changed into JT as in 1989. In 2019, team name changed into JT Thunders Hiroshima.^[2]

Honours

Japan Volleyball League/V.League/V.Premier League

• Champion (×1): 2014–15^[3]
• Runners-up (×8): 1973, 1978, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2013–14 and 2018–19

Kurowashiki All Japan Volleyball Tournament

• Champions (×2): 2001 and 2004
• Runners-up (×5): 1969, 1977, 1978, 2010 and 2014

Emperor's Cup

• Champion (×3): 2007, 2015, 2018
• Runner-up (×1): 2009

Current roster

The following is team roster of Season 2023–2024^[4]

No.	Name	Date of birth	Height	Position
1	Takuya Yasunaga	(1990-03-27) March 27, 1990 (age 35)	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)	Middle blocker
2	Aaron Russell	(1993-06-04) June 4, 1993 (age 32)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Outside hitter
3	Makoto Nishimura	(1998-10-07) October 7, 1998 (age 26)	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)	Outside hitter
4	Hiromasa Miwa	(1999-12-17) December 17, 1999 (age 25)	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	Middle blocker
5	Shinichiro Inoue (c)	(1994-12-21) December 21, 1994 (age 30)	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)	Outside hitter
6	Issei Maeda	(1991-09-22) September 22, 1991 (age 33)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Setter
7	Yudai Arai	(1998-06-27) June 27, 1998 (age 27)	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
8	Koshi Takechi	(1996-01-01) January 1, 1996 (age 29)	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)	Outside hitter
9	Kaisei Hirai	(1999-02-07) February 7, 1999 (age 26)	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	Middle blocker
10	Wataru Inoue	(1994-07-05) July 5, 1994 (age 31)	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)	Lebero
11	Junya Sakashita	(1998-06-14) June 14, 1998 (age 27)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Outside hitter
14	Ataru Kumakura	(1995-12-17) December 17, 1995 (age 29)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
15	Taishi Karakawa	(1992-08-12) August 12, 1992 (age 32)	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)	Lebero
16	Chihiro Nishi	(1997-11-08) November 8, 1997 (age 27)	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	Middle blocker
17	Masaki Kaneko	(1997-10-23) October 23, 1997 (age 27)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Setter
18	Shohei Yamamoto	(1991-03-21) March 21, 1991 (age 34)	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
19	Jiang Chuan	(1994-08-09) August 9, 1994 (age 30)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Opposite hitter
20	Daiki Abe	(2000-02-16) February 16, 2000 (age 25)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Setter
21	Shuto Kawaguchi	(2000-08-09) August 9, 2000 (age 24)	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)	Middle blocker
Head coach: Raúl Lozano

Former roster

Team roster – Season 2022/23
No.	Name	Date of birth	Height	Position
1	Takuya Yasunaga	(1990-03-27) March 27, 1990 (age 35)	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)	Middle blocker
2	Taishi Onodera (c)	(1996-02-07) February 7, 1996 (age 29)	2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)	Middle blocker
3	Makoto Nishimura	(1998-10-07) October 7, 1998 (age 26)	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)	Outside hitter
4	Kenta Nakajima	(1991-08-25) August 25, 1991 (age 33)	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	Middle blocker
5	Shinichiro Inoue	(1994-12-21) December 21, 1994 (age 30)	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)	Outside hitter
6	Aaron Russell	(1993-06-04) June 4, 1993 (age 32)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Outside hitter
7	Yudai Arai	(1998-06-27) June 27, 1998 (age 27)	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
8	Koshi Takechi	(1996-01-01) January 1, 1996 (age 29)	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)	Outside hitter
9	Kaisei Hirai	(1999-02-07) February 7, 1999 (age 26)	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	Middle blocker
10	Wataru Inoue	(1994-07-05) July 5, 1994 (age 31)	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)	Libero
11	Junya Sakashita	(1998-06-14) June 14, 1998 (age 27)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Outside hitter
12	Shinpei Goda	(1992-09-23) September 23, 1992 (age 32)	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)	Setter
14	Ataru Kumakura	(1995-12-17) December 17, 1995 (age 29)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
15	Taishi Karakawa	(1992-08-12) August 12, 1992 (age 32)	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)	Libero
16	Chihiro Nishi	(1997-11-08) November 8, 1997 (age 27)	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	Middle blocker
17	Masaki Kaneko	(1997-10-23) October 23, 1997 (age 27)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Setter
18	Shohei Yamamoto	(1991-03-21) March 21, 1991 (age 34)	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
19	Jiang Chuan	(1994-08-09) August 9, 1994 (age 30)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Opposite hitter
20	Daiki Abe	(2000-02-16) February 16, 2000 (age 25)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Setter
21	Shuto Kawaguchi In	(2000-08-09) August 9, 2000 (age 24)	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)	Middle blocker
Head coach: Raúl Lozano

League results

  Champion     Runner-up

League		Position	Teams	Matches	Win	Lose
V.League	1st (1994–95)	5th	8	21	10	11
	2nd (1995–96)	3rd	8	21	13	8
	3rd (1996–97)	Runner-up	8	21	14	7
	4th (1997–98)	8th	8	21	3	18
	5th (1998–99)	7th	10	18	6	12
	6th (1999-00)	5th	10	18	10	8
	7th (2000–01)	Runner-up	10	18	13	5
	8th (2001–02)	5th	10	18	11	7
	9th (2002–03)	Runner-up	8	21	15	6
	10th (2003–04)	Runner-up	8	21	13	8
	11th (2004–05)	3rd	8	28	17	11
	12th (2005–06)	4th	8	28	16	12
V・Premier	2006-07	5th	8	28	14	14
	2007-08	6th	8	28	12	16
	2008-09	5th	8	28	14	14
	2009-10	6th	8	28	14	14
	2010-11	5th	8	24	12	12
	2011-12	7th	8	21	7	14
	2012-13	6th	8	28	9	19
	2013-14	Runner-up	8	28	18	10
	2014-15	Champion	8	27	20	7
	2015–16	5th	8	26	12	14
	2016–17	7th	8	21	7	14
	2017–18	3rd	8	29	17	12
V.League Division 1
	2018–19	Runner-up	10	32	21	11
	2019–20	4th	10	28	21	7
	2020–21	6th	10	36	17	19
	2022–23	7th	10	36	16	20

Notable foreign players

• Igor Shulepov 1999-2000
• Ilya Savelev 2001-2004
• Gabriel Gardner 2005-2006
• Maksym Panteleymonenko 2007-2008
• Ernardo Gómez 2008-2012
• Igor Omrcen 2012-2014
• Leandro Vissotto 2014-2015
• Dražen Luburić 2016-2017
• Thomas Edgar 2017–2022
• Liu Libin 2018-2019
• Chen Chien-Chen 2019–2022