Japan women's national ice hockey team

The Japanese women's national ice hockey team (Japanese: アイスホッケー女子日本代表, Hepburn: Aisuhokkē Joshi Nippon Daihyō) represents Japan at the International Ice Hockey Federation's Women's World Championships, the Winter Olympics, and at other international ice hockey tournaments. The women's national team is governed by the Japan Ice Hockey Federation.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Japan had 2,587 registered female players in 2017 and 1,439 as of 2020.^[7][8]

Japan

Nickname(s)	Smile Japan スマイルジャパン
Association	Japan Ice Hockey Federation
Head coach	Yuji Iizuka
Assistants	Kanae Aoki Yujiro Nakajimaya
Captain	Shiori Koike
Most games	Shiori Koike (129)
Top scorer	Hanae Kubo (65)
Most points	Hanae Kubo (130)
IIHF code	JPN
Ranking
Current IIHF	8 1 (21 April 2025)[1]
Highest IIHF	6 (first in 2019)
Lowest IIHF	11 (first in 2011)
First international
Japan  5–2  Netherlands (North York or Mississauga, Canada; 21 April 1987)
Biggest win
Japan  46–0  Hong Kong (Sapporo, Japan; 21 February 2017)
Biggest defeat
Canada  18–0  Japan (Ottawa, Canada; 22 March 1990) Canada  18–0  Japan (Richmond, Canada; 5 April 1996)
Olympics
Appearances	4 (first in 1998)
World Championships
Appearances	21 (first in 1990)
Best result	5th (2022)
Asian Winter Games
Appearances	6 (first in 1996)
Best result	Gold (2017)
Challenge Cup of Asia
Appearances	3 (first in 2010)
Best result	Gold (2011, 2012)
International record (W–L–T)
169–156–6

The nickname of Japan women's team is "Smile Japan" (Japanese: スマイルジャパン, Hepburn: Sumairu Japan).^[9]

Tournament record

Olympic Games

• 1998 – Finished in 6th place
• 2014 – Finished in 7th place
• 2018 – Finished in 6th place
• 2022 – Finished in 6th place
• 2026 – Qualified

World Championship

• 1990 – Finished in 8th place
• 1999 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
• 2000 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I).
• 2001 – Finished in 10th place (2nd in Division I).
• 2003 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
• 2004 – Finished in 9th place (Relegated to Division I)
• 2005 – Finished in 10th place (2nd in Division I)
• 2007 – Finished in 10th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
• 2008 – Finished in 7th place
• 2009 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I)
• 2011 – Withdrew from the tournament due to an earthquake^[10]
• 2012 – Finished in 11th place (3rd in Division IA)
• 2013 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Division IA, Promoted to Top Division)
• 2015 – Finished in 7th place
• 2016 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I)
• 2017 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Division IA, Promoted to Top Division)
• 2019 – Finished in 8th place
• 2020 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic^[11]
• 2021 – Finished in 6th place
• 2022 – Finished in 5th place
• 2023 – Finished in 7th place
• 2024 – Finished in 8th place
• 2025 – Finished in 7th place

Asian Games

• 1996 – Finished in 2nd place
• 1999 – Finished in 2nd place
• 2003 – Finished in 2nd place
• 2007 – Finished in 2nd place
• 2011 – Finished in 2nd place
• 2017 – Finished in 1st place
• 2025 – Finished in 1st place

IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia

• 2010 – Finished in 2nd place
• 2011 – Finished in 1st place
• 2012 – Finished in 1st place
• 2025 – Finished in 1st place

Pacific Rim Championship

• 1995 – Finished in 4th place
• 1996 – Finished in 4th place

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship.^[12][13]

Head coach: Yuji Iizuka

No.	Pos.	Name	Height	Weight	Birthdate	Team
2	D	Shiori Koike – C	1.59 m (5 ft 3 in)	55 kg (121 lb)	(1993-03-21) 21 March 1993 (age 32)	DK Peregrine
3	D	Aoi Shiga	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)	60 kg (130 lb)	(1999-07-04) 4 July 1999 (age 26)	Toyota Cygnus
4	D	Ayaka Hitosato – A	1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)	59 kg (130 lb)	(1994-08-22) 22 August 1994 (age 31)	Linköping HC
5	D	Shiori Yamashita	1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)	52 kg (115 lb)	(2002-04-28) 28 April 2002 (age 23)	Seibu Princess Rabbits
6	D	Kohane Sato	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)	62 kg (137 lb)	(2006-03-16) 16 March 2006 (age 19)	Daishin
7	D	Kanami Seki	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)	67 kg (148 lb)	(2000-06-23) 23 June 2000 (age 25)	Seibu Princess Rabbits
8	D	Akane Hosoyamada – A	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)	62 kg (137 lb)	(1992-03-09) 9 March 1992 (age 33)	DK Peregrine
10	F	Hikaru Yamashita	1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)	53 kg (117 lb)	(2000-09-23) 23 September 2000 (age 24)	Seibu Princess Rabbits
11	F	Akane Shiga	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)	63 kg (139 lb)	(2001-03-03) 3 March 2001 (age 24)	Luleå HF
13	F	Yumeka Wajima	1.56 m (5 ft 1 in)	48 kg (106 lb)	(2002-10-19) 19 October 2002 (age 22)	DK Peregrine
15	F	Rui Ukita	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)	70 kg (150 lb)	(1996-06-06) 6 June 1996 (age 29)	Daishin
16	F	Yoshino Enomoto	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)	56 kg (123 lb)	(1998-09-22) 22 September 1998 (age 26)	Seibu Princess Rabbits
17	F	Wakana Kurosu	1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)	63 kg (139 lb)	(2000-06-03) 3 June 2000 (age 25)	DK Peregrine
18	F	Suzuka Maeda	1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)	54 kg (119 lb)	(1996-10-16) 16 October 1996 (age 28)	DK Peregrine
19	F	Makoto Ito	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)	70 kg (150 lb)	(2004-05-02) 2 May 2004 (age 21)	Toyota Cygnus
20	G	Miyuu Masuhara	1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)	53 kg (117 lb)	(2001-10-04) 4 October 2001 (age 23)	DK Peregrine
24	F	Mei Miura	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)	67 kg (148 lb)	(1998-11-16) 16 November 1998 (age 26)	Toyota Cygnus
27	F	Remi Koyama	1.47 m (4 ft 10 in)	53 kg (117 lb)	(2000-07-17) 17 July 2000 (age 25)	Seibu Princess Rabbits
30	G	Haruka Kuromaru	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)	52 kg (115 lb)	(2007-03-29) 29 March 2007 (age 18)	CrystalBlades
31	G	Riko Kawaguchi	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)	71 kg (157 lb)	(2004-09-19) 19 September 2004 (age 20)	Daishin
40	F	Rio Noro	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)	58 kg (128 lb)	(2004-05-15) 15 May 2004 (age 21)	Daishin
41	F	Riri Noro	1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)	56 kg (123 lb)	(2004-05-15) 15 May 2004 (age 21)	Daishin
91	F	Umeka Odaira	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)	52 kg (115 lb)	(2008-12-12) 12 December 2008 (age 16)	Daishin

Notable former players

• Nonaka Emi
• Masako Sato
• Rie Sato
• Adachi Yurie

Coaches

• 1990 World Championship – Noriko Fukuda
• 1995 to 1998 – Wally Kozak (coach-mentor)^[14][15]
• 1998 Winter Olympics – Toru Itabashi (head coach), Tsutomu Kawabuchi^[16][17]
• 1999 World Championship B – Takayuki Hatanda
• 2000 World Championship – Takayuki Hatanda
• 2001 World Championship D1 – Takayuki Hatanda
• 2003 World Championship D1 – Masayuki Takahashi
• 2004 World Championship – Kenji Nobuta (head coach), Tsutomu Kawabuchi (assistant coach, team manager)^[16][17]
• 2005 World Championship D1 – Kenji Nobuta
• 2007 World Championship D1 – Kohichi Satoh
• 2008 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
• 2009 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
• 2012 World Championship D1A – Yuji Iizuka
• 2013 World Championship D1A – Yuji Iizuka
• 2014 Winter Olympics – Yuji Iizuka
• 2015 World Championship – Yoshifumi Fujisawa
• 2016 World Championship – Yoshifumi Fujisawa
• 2017 World Championship D1A – Takeshi Yamanaka
• 2018 Winter Olympics – Takeshi Yamanaka
• 2019 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
• 2021 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
• 2022 Winter Olympics – Yuji Iizuka
• 2022 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
• 2023 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka

Source: IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020^[18]

All-time record against other nations

Last match update: 10 March 2022^[19]

Key

	Positive balance (more Wins)
	Neutral balance (Wins = Losses)
	Negative balance (more Losses)

Team	GP	W	T	L	GF	GA
Czech Republic	27	22	0	5	79	46
France	19	17	1	1	72	20
South Korea	11	11	0	0	139	2
Denmark	12	11	0	1	48	13
Austria	10	10	0	0	42	9
Norway	9	7	0	2	31	17
North Korea	7	6	0	1	35	12
Latvia	6	5	0	1	27	7
Hungary	5	4	0	1	15	8
Slovakia	6	4	0	2	23	11
Kazakhstan	11	6	0	5	31	20
Hong Kong	1	1	0	0	46	0
Thailand	1	1	0	0	37	0
Germany	33	15	2	16	68	68
China	38	18	0	20	96	122
Canada	6	0	0	6	0	82
United States	10	0	0	10	2	110
Sweden	18	4	0	14	24	82
Switzerland	28	6	3	19	47	70
Finland	16	1	0	15	13	67
Russia	21	2	0	19	31	71
Total	295	151	6	138	906	837

See also

• Japan men's national ice hockey team
• Japan women's national under-18 ice hockey team