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Japan
LocationMapJapan
Flag and abbrev. Flag of Japan JPN
Continent Asia
Population 127,380,000 (as of 2009)
National team Japanese National Team
National federation Japan Ice Hockey Federation
IIHF ranking 21st
Top league Asia League
Current champion Nippon Paper Cranes*

Japan is a country in East Asia with a population of about 127,000,000. Its capital and largest city is Tokyo.

Organisation[]

Ice hockey in Japan is not promotion and relegation-based. The top level is the professonal Asia League, born in 2003 out of the remaining four teams of the now defunct Japan Ice Hockey League who decided to take an international turn by allowing in Anyang Halla Winia from the defunct Korean Ice Hockey League. Below the Asia League lie two leagues, the J-Ice North League and the J-Ice West League. The two of them are amateur leagues, respectively for the best non-professional teams from Hokkaido and the western part of the country (the island of Kyushu and the western part of the main island, Honshu).

Below the J-Ice leagues, the various regional ice hockey federations take care to organize various competitions for their members. These usually include University and High School leagues and championships, as well as senior, elders and women's hockey championships. Those clubs involved in these activities can still participate in various national tournaments: the All-Japan Championship, the Japan Intercollegiate Games and the All-Japan Women's Championship, for instance.

Japanese hockey scheme
Elite Asia League
Second J-Ice North League J-Ice West League

University Level[]

Chubu University Ice Hockey League (Flag of Japan )
Hokkadio University Ice Hockey League (Flag of Japan )
Kansai University Ice Hockey League (Flag of Japan )
Kanto University Ice Hockey League (Flag of Japan )

History of hockey in Japan[]

Ice hockey was brought to Japan by the English at the beginning of the 20th century. Soon hockey became popular, particularly in the northern regions of Japan. The Japan Ice Hockey Federation was founded in 1929, and it joined the International Ice Hockey Federation a year later.

The same year, in 1930, Japan took part in the World Championships as the first Asian country, losing to England 0-3.

Teiji Honma

Teiji Honma of Japan was the first goaltender to wear a mask at the Olympic games

Japan also participated in the 1936 Olympics finishing with an 0-2 record. The 1936 Olympics marked the first use of a mask by a goaltender at the Olympic Games and possibly the first use in international hockey when Teiji Honma used a baseball catchers style mask to protect his glasses.


International[]

Japan

Info

Rinks

Players

Referees

939

Population

127,420,000

Indoor

125

Total

21,027

Male

--

Capital

Tokyo

Outdoor

114

Male

12,335

Female

--

IIHF Since

January 26 1930

Junior

6,951

Female

1,741


Ice hockey was brought to Japan during the early 1990s. Soon hockey became popular, particularly in the northern regions of Japan. The Japan Ice Hockey Federation was founded in 1929, and it joined the International Ice Hockey Federation a year later.


Japan has competed in Olympics eight times. At World Championships, Japan played in the lower divisions until 1998 as it was promoted to Pool A as the best Far East team in the 1997 World Championships.


The Japanese U20, U18, Womens, and Womens U18 teams have also participated in world championships.

Some great Japanese players, past and present[]

Main Cities[]

National Teams[]

See also[]


Flag of Japan
This article is part of the Japanese hockey portal.


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