The 2025 Daihatsu Japan Open, a prestigious Super 750 event on the BWF World Tour, concluded today with a stark and unprecedented outcome: for the first time since the World Tour era began in 2018, not a single Japanese representative managed to reach the finals across any of the five disciplines. This marks a significant moment for Japanese badminton, which has consistently seen its top players contend for titles on home soil.
Since 2018, Japanese shuttlers have been a dominant force at their home tournament, captivating local fans with their exceptional performances and regularly gracing the final stage. The roll call of Japanese finalists in previous years paints a vivid picture of their consistent success:
- 2018: Kento Momota (Men’s Singles Champion) and Yuki Fukushima / Sayaka Hirota (Women’s Doubles Champions)
- 2019: Kento Momota (Men’s Singles Champion) and Akane Yamaguchi (Women’s Singles Champion)
- 2020: Cancelled
- 2021: Cancelled
- 2022: Kenta Nishimoto (Men’s Singles Champion)
- 2023: Yuta Watanabe / Arisa Higashino (Mixed Doubles Champions)
- 2024: Akane Yamaguchi (Women’s Singles Champion)
This year, however, the home crowd was left without a local hero to cheer for in the decisive matches. While promising talents like Kodai Naraoka and Akane Yamaguchi made it to the semifinals in their respective singles categories, they ultimately fell short. Naraoka, after a challenging run, succumbed to France’s Christo Popov in a grueling three-game semifinal, while Yamaguchi was defeated by China’s Wang Zhiyi in her semifinal clash. In the doubles categories, Japanese pairs also faced tough competition, with the last remaining Japanese representatives, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, losing in a thrilling women’s doubles semifinal.
The absence of Japanese players in the finals will undoubtedly spark discussions and analysis within the national badminton federation and among fans. It raises questions about the current state of Japanese badminton and the challenges of maintaining peak performance in an increasingly competitive global landscape.
While the 2025 Japan Open showcased incredible badminton from international stars, for the passionate Japanese faithful, it will be remembered as the year their consistent presence in the finals streak came to an unexpected halt, ushering in a new, unprecedented chapter in the tournament’s World Tour history.