Ice hockey in Japan

Ice hockey in Japan
Exhibition game Amur Khabarovsk vs. Japanese national team on August 23, 2012. Face-off at the beginning of the game. Amur forwards Juha-Pekka Hytönen (at right) and Jakub Petružálek.
Country	Japan
Governing body	Japan Ice Hockey Federation
National team(s)	Men's national team; Women's national team
National competitions
Asia League Ice Hockey
International competitions
IIHF World Championships Winter Olympics World Cup

Ice hockey is a minor sport that is gaining popularity in Japan.^[1][2][3] Baseball and football (soccer) have dominated Japanese sports for decades, but ice hockey has been less popular in Japan since its founding in the 1920s.^[4] It is governed by the Japan Ice Hockey Federation.

National and International Competitions

Japan Ice Hockey League

Main article: Japan Ice Hockey League

The Japan Ice Hockey League (JIHL) was the national league in the country from 1966-2004, when it folded in favor of the international Asia League. Only Japanese teams were allowed to compete, and there were only six teams at any time in the league.^[5]

All Japan Ice Hockey Championship

Main article: All Japan Ice hockey Championship

Since 1933, a cup competition, the All Japan Ice hockey Championship has been held, in which four teams compete. It has been held annually since the 1930s and is one of the oldest sporting competitions in the country. A women’s counterpart has been held since 1982.^[6]

International Competitions

Japan has men’s, women’s and junior national teams. The Japan women's national team qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi^{[7][8][9][10][11]} and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

References

1. "'Samurai' Boost Japanese Hockey". Wsj.com. 1998-02-11. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
2. "CWHL's Japanese skaters driven by passion for Olympic hockey podium". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
3. Bob Birge (2013-03-25). "Former Oiler Terai adjusting to hockey and life in Japan". The Hour. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
4. "Former NHLers find hockey adventure in Japan". NHL.com. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
5. "JIHL league archives". www.jihf.or.jp. Archived from the original on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
6. "Eurohockey All Japan". www.eurohockey.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
7. "Women's ice hockey team "Smile Japan" chase Olympic dream - Olympic News". Olympic.org. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
8. Samer Kalaf (2013-12-18). "Japan's Women's Hockey Team Is The Lovable Underdog Of The Olympics". Deadspin.com. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
9. Meadows, Mark (2009-04-01). "Ice hockey-Japan's 'Bunnies' boiled by economic crisis". Blogs.reuters.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
10. Watanabe, Tadashi. "Women's ice hockey team banking on Sochi". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
11. "Japan's ice hockey women chase Olympic dream". Al Jazeera English. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2016-10-18.