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The men’s basketball semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games took place on September 18, with Team Japan defeating China — whose players average over 2 meters in height — 97-78. It’s Japan’s first trip to the final in 64 years, since the 1962 Jakarta Games, and the win also locks in Japan’s first medal in 12 years. Fielding a youth-focused roster without regulars Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, Japan overwhelmed China by draining 12 three-pointers and relying on speed and mobility. On 5ch forums, users traded takes on the reasons behind Japan’s strength, the backgrounds of the national team players, and the tournament schedule.
Sports Nippon [September 18, 2026, 20:57]
Team Japan’s men’s basketball squad at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games faced China in the semifinal on the 18th, cruising to a 97-78 win while sinking a combined 12 three-pointers. It’s Japan’s first trip to the final in 64 years, since the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games in Indonesia, where Japan took the silver medal.
Rather than fielding “Team A” regulars like Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, Japan went into this tournament with up-and-coming players expected to shine in the future. Their opponent this time was China, boasting an average height of 2 meters. Against that towering wall, Japan countered with three-point shooting as its “long-range weapon.” In the first quarter, Kanekon Ren sank two three-pointers as part of five total, giving Japan a 28-15 lead. In the second quarter, Kanekon added just one more, but Japan used its mobility to disrupt China’s rhythm, extending the lead to 49-30 by halftime.
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
and Japan just beat them at it
He's mixed-race and still only 180cm…?
All-time championship wins🏆
1st 🇨🇳China (8 titles)
2nd 🇵🇭Philippines (5 titles)
3rd 🇰🇷South Korea (4 titles)
4th 🇮🇱Israel (2 titles)
Others 🇯🇵Japan (0 titles)
I always pictured Filipino players as short, but they're actually strong
The Philippines is a powerhouse in Asia
LOL that's brutal
Even worse than China
Back in the day, even Japan's first string couldn't touch China's second string
China's actually weakened lately — they've even lost multiple times to South Korea in World Cup qualifiers
baseball, rugby, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, badminton
The one sport Japan's hopeless at internationally:
kicking a ball around (soccer)
Rugby's actually weak
Japan's only strong within Asia
"Winning at baseball internationally" — what does that even mean?
Japan's lost to teams like Venezuela
Meanwhile soccer's ranked 21st out of 210 countries and regions
Basketball's on a losing streak at the Olympics — hasn't won a single game
Rugby only made it past the group stage at a World Cup Japan itself hosted
And at the Olympics [sevens], where only Japanese players are eligible, Japan finished last
Volleyball went 1-3 at the Olympics, then got swept by Turkey and Canada at the World Championship and missed the next round
Soccer's actually the ball sport with the best results overall
In the group-stage game against South Korea, Japan was actually leading through the 2nd quarter
South Korean men get military service exemption for winning any sport at a major event — do the women get any perk?
What's going on with this schedule?
The Olympic Council of Asia running this is even more slapdash than the real Olympics
The number of participants has ballooned like crazy too
For track and field, they sold tickets and then changed the schedule afterward — people were furious
The commentators kept saying China's average height was 2 meters, though
I figured I'd watch the second half after getting home, but I checked Sofascore and was shocked to see a 20-point gap already
Basically their first string
South Korea, who Japan faces in the final, is bringing a serious lineup
They lost their opening game, but I've got a feeling Japan can beat them
None of the World Cup qualifier squad should be on this roster
Are they not taking this seriously?
World Cup qualifiers matter more than the Asian Games, since winning here doesn't lead anywhere further
That's disrespectful to Nagoya.
Probably couldn't get a gym slot
Even the Olympics have events that start before the opening ceremony
Like the figure skating team event at the Winter Games
Background and Discussion Points
A notable feature of Team Japan’s roster was that it left out A-team regulars like Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, building instead around next-generation prospects. Against a Chinese team averaging over 2 meters in height, Japan’s approach of pushing through with three-pointers and mobility echoes basketball’s traditional style of using speed to offset a size disadvantage. In the thread, opinions split between those who chalked up the lopsided win to “China’s national team weakening” and those who saw it as “the fruit of Japan’s development efforts,” with comparisons also drawn to the player compositions of other national teams like the Philippines and South Korea. Some also expressed surprise that the semifinal was scheduled the day before the opening ceremony, but in large multi-sport events, it’s not unusual for competition to start before the opening ceremony due to venue scheduling constraints — the Winter Olympics figure skating team event is a similar example.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Asian Games] Men’s Basketball Reaches Final for First Time in 64 Years! Medal Confirmed After 12 Years, Overwhelms China with 3-Pointers & Mobility.”
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