Ice hockey in Japan

From 1966 to 2004, Japan's top domestic competition was the Japan Ice Hockey League (JIHL), which exclusively featured Japanese teams and was limited to six clubs at any one time. The league was eventually replaced by the Asia League to include international teams and foster broader competition.^[5]

Japan also hosts the All Japan Ice hockey Championship, a national cup tournament that dates back to 1933, making it one of the oldest and most enduring sports competitions in the country. Organized annually by the Japan Ice Hockey Federation, the championship brings together four top-level teams to compete for national honors, showcasing some of the best talent in Japanese ice hockey. Its long history reflects the sport's deep-rooted, albeit niche, presence in Japan’s sporting culture. In recognition of the growing participation of women in the sport, a women's edition of the championship was introduced in 1982 and has been held every year since.^[6]

The country fields men's, women's, and junior national teams. Notably, the women's national team qualified for both the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi^{[7][8][9][10][11]} and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, reflecting the growing development of the sport in Japan.^[12]