Why Japan matters to cricket’s global growth

Japan may be no great shakes in cricket, but it is strategically an important region for the game and, in turn, for the International Cricket Council (ICC). Over the years, it has hosted the Olympics (2021), the World Aquatics Championship (2021), the World Athletics Championships and now it is all set to stage the Asian Games. The ICC, no wonder, is showing extra interest in the growth of the game in the country, so that it can leverage Japan’s hosting capabilities.

“So part of our longer-term strategic planning with Japan is how do we work with them to build up their capabilities to host larger ICC events, and potentially one day, you know, years down the track, there might be an opportunity to host or co-host a Youth World Cup or something as part of a bigger plan,” William Glenwright, ICC’s GM - Development, tells Cricbuzz.

The ICC is chuffed that the Indian team is engaging with Japan bilaterally, agreeing to play a T20I against the 41st ranked side in the world. “India's tour of Japan is so important, because not only does it build, obviously, the capability of the cricket team, but it builds the broader capabilities of the organisation around meeting the demands that come with hosting world champions. And it's important that the administrators of Japan Cricket Association (JCA) be exposed to that, because if we aspire to bring major ICC events to Japan, then they need to have that capability,” the ICC official explains.

“Having a full member and the world champions playing any associate member is hugely important to us from a cricket perspective. And then there's the other element of that, which is – what does it mean for the country of Japan and cricket's significance in Japan? And that's the ripple effect of a fixture like this, because it reflects a growing confidence in the game and in the full members' belief in the abilities of our associate members to host full members in major international cricket.”

Over the last few years, Japan’s participation in international cricket has been growing. The men played seven games in 2022 (won five, lost two), eight in 2023 (won four, lost four), 25 in 2024 (won 18, lost six, one abandoned), 11 in 2025 (won six, lost five) and, so far in 2026, 10 matches (won eight, lost two). During this period, they have recorded victories over Kuwait (ranked 23rd), Bahrain (27th) and Papua New Guinea (22nd).

The Japanese women played four matches in 2022 (won none, lost four), 16 in 2023 (won four, lost 12), 14 in 2024 (won 10, lost four), 11 in 2025 (won seven, lost four) and, so far in 2026, five matches (won three, lost two).

For the first time, the ICC live-streamed select matches on YouTube and Facebook in key emerging markets. It registered more than 1.1 million views across the platforms in Japan. Of the non-English language feeds live-streamed on YouTube, which recorded 201,000 views across the two key territories — Japan and Indonesia — the Japanese feeds accounted for 58 per cent (118,000 views), with the remaining 42 per cent split between Hindi and Urdu. Of the non-English language feeds live-streamed on Facebook, which recorded 252,000 views across the two territories, the Japanese feeds contributed 70 per cent of the total views.

The stats and data above show that the Japanese teams are fast catching up with the game. Mai Yanagida, the captain of Japan’s women’s cricket team, agrees. “Yeah, Japan is not a cricket nation like India, but I think over the last few years, or 10 years, I think the awareness of cricketers and the popularity of cricketers has increased. So hopefully there'll be a lot of crowd and people will watch us play. And hopefully, yeah, we'll compete with one of the top nations,” Yanagida tells Cricbuzz in an exclusive interaction.

The Japanese women will open their Asian Games campaign against India on Friday morning (IST). Mai’s team followed the Indian women in the recent Asia Cup and have also been avid watchers of the WPL. The Japan captain says the team is looking forward to the clash.

“Facing India is just unreal. And it's very exciting. Of course, we've never played against them before. They are one of the top nations. We were watching the Asia Cup, we were following them. They just won the tournament. I know that all the players are top-class players. It can be intimidating. But it's more like an excitement to watch them and see them play and share the field with them,” Main says.

The Asian Games are providing the ICC with an opportunity, and Glenwright outlines why they are important to the ICC’s development plans. “For a number of reasons,” he says. “Firstly, because the Olympic Games is limited in size, as it is for all sports, the Asian Games or the regional games allow more of our members to participate in a multi-sport event. And secondly, that unlocks all sorts of funding from governments, from Olympic committees and from sponsors, in addition to the increased competitive opportunities that it provides.”

He continues, “On account of the Asian Games, we now have, or Japan Cricket now has, a second international cricket ground available to them. So there's one in Sano, and there's now one in Nagoya. So that means we have two international-standard facilities in Japan, which means all of a sudden, the capability and potential for Japan to host major ICC events, where by and large you need at least two international facilities, changes now, and it brings Japan into the equation.

Asian Games come under the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and there have been adverse reports about the ground. But the ICC official says concerns have been addressed. “The ground itself, we have no concerns with. We held a World Cup qualifier there earlier this year. The reports are that the pitch and the outfield are excellent. We wouldn't have held a World Cup qualifier there if we weren't confident in it. I know there have been some concerns expressed by the Asian Cricket Council, who manage the Asian Games, around athletes’ enclosures, like the changing rooms, the media areas, and the like.

“I believe they are being addressed. And the last update that we had is that they were being addressed. But in terms of the pitch itself and the outfield, the cricket facility, we're very confident that it's going to be a great facility that reflects the importance of this event and the members participating in it.”

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