Handball - Team Japan

General
Japan have competed at every Asian Games handball tournament since losing the final to the People's Republic of China in 1982, which was the first edition of the Games to feature the sport. They finished runners-up behind the Republic of Korea in the round robin tournaments at the 1990 and 1994 Games, and have bronze medals from 1986, 1998, and 2010. At the 2018 Games in Indonesia they lost the bronze medal game 24-23 to the Republic of Korea.

The Japanese team's two titles at the Asian championship came in 1977 and 1979. They finished third at the 2020 edition of the tournament, after a semifinal loss to the Republic of Korea was followed by victory over Bahrain in the bronze medal match. COVID-19 cases within the team meant they missed out on the 2022 Asian Championship, which served as the Asian qualification event for the 2023 World Championship.

Japan took part in four Olympic Games from 1972 to 1988 before returning for their fifth appearance as host nation of the 2020 Games. They recorded one win during the group stage in Tokyo, a 31-30 victory over Portugal, and finished ranked 11th out of 12 teams.

Japan have competed regularly at the world championship since 1961, with a 10th-place finish in 1970 their best result. At the 2021 edition they progressed through the preliminary round thanks to a win over Angola and a draw against Croatia, but defeats in the main round against Argentina and Denmark ended their tournament. They were ranked 19th overall.