Handball - Team Japan

General
Japan have won a medal at all but two of the eight Asian Games women's handball tournaments, but the team are yet to claim gold. They finished runners-up in 2010 in Guangzhou and in 2014 in Incheon, losing the gold medal match to the host nation on both occasions. In 2018 the Japanese finished top of their group with four wins from four against Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, China. They lost their semifinal 32-31 to the People's Republic of China but bounced back to beat Thailand again for bronze.

Japan also have a strong record at the Asian championship with 16 medals in 19 appearances since 1987, including one gold from the 2004 edition in Hiroshima. The team finished runners-up at the five editions of the tournament between 2015 and 2022, losing the final to the Republic of Korea on each occasion. They came closest to turning the tables on their Korean rivals in the final of the 2022 tournament, where they took the match into extra-time before eventually losing 34-29.

The Japanese team have featured at two Olympic Games, beginning in Montreal in 1976 where they finished fifth out of six teams. Japan next appeared as hosts of the 2020 Games where they managed a single victory against Montenegro, but it was not enough to prevent them finishing ranked last out of 12 teams in Tokyo. They have been regular participants at the world championship since 1962 and finished 10th at the 2019 edition, which was their best result since another 10th-place finish at the 1975 tournament.