Tottori Johoku High School guard Genji Fukumoto had a pair of excellent all-around performances in the NBA Rising Stars Invitational Japan qualifiers. His play was emblematic of the youthful talent on display during two days of competition in Tokyo.
On Monday, March 30, Fukumoto sparked his team with 24 points, 10 assists and four steals at Ota City General Gymnasium in a 61-50 victory over Fukuoka Daiichi High School.
As a result, Johoku High earned a spot in the four-team boys tournament final against Kyoto’s Higashiyama High School on Tuesday. (Higashiyama topped Ibaraki Prefecture’s Tsuchiura Nihon University High School 80-60 in Monday’s other match.)
In the final, Fukumoto delivered another tone-setting performance with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists in the Tottori Prefecture school’s 82-59 rout of Higashiyama.
Trailing 39-33 at halftime, Johoku High outscored its opponent 39-8 in the game-changing third quarter. Big man Philemon Talmon was a dominant force against Higashiyama at both ends of the floor, contributing 17 points, 19 rebounds (including eight offensive boards) and four blocked shots.
With the win, Johoku High secured a trip to the next stage of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational: the Asia-Pacific region tourney in June in Singapore.
The Satisfaction of Victory
“I’m happy, really happy,” Fukumoto said in a postgame hero interview.
Fukumoto also commented on his changed role with the team.
“Last year, my teammates scored, so I focused on passing,” he said. “This year, we can’t win unless I score, so I focus on scoring.”
In 2025, Singapore staged the first-ever NBA regional high school tournament in Asia, which featuring schools from 11 countries and territories.
Teams that represented Japan in the boys and girls competitions over the final two days of March qualified for the NBA Rising Stars Invitational got there by being the top-four finishers in the Winter Cup tournaments held in December 2025.
Looking ahead, Fukumoto expressed optimism about Johoku High’s team.
“We’ll keep improving, keep winning, and keep pushing forward,” Fukumoto said with confidence.
A Clash of Fukuoka Squads
Also Tuesday, Fukuoka’s Seika Girls’ High School edged Tokai University Fukuoka Senior High School 44-42 in the girls tournament final.
In the back-and-forth game, Tokai, which opened the first quarter with an 11-0 scoring run, led 22-20 at halftime.
Entering the fourth quarter, the score was tied 34-34.
After a missed shot, an offensive rebound and a putback produced the final scoring sequence for Seika in its narrow victory.
Seika guard Chinatsu Uchiyae, who had a match-high seven assists, said she was “very glad” to achieve victory. With a smile, Uchiyae told reporters that her team’s energy, group effort and confidence were key factors in the second half.
First-year student Aisya Ezine Buba, a 189-cm center, provided 18 points and 22 rebounds, while Seika teammate Yuma Takechi had a 10-point effort, including a pair of 3-pointers.
“I’m glad I could [show] my strength ― 3s,” Takechi said after the down-to-the-wire game.
“We’ll win in Singapore and come back champions,” she added with a smile.
Also participating in the Japan qualifiers were Kyoto Seika Gakuen Senior High School and Tokyo’s Yakumo Academy Senior High School.
NBA Japan Chief Grateful for SoftBank’s Support
Kazufumi Watanabe, head of NBA Japan, issued a statement thanking SoftBank Corp for its patronage of basketball.
“SoftBank has played a vital role in the development and promotion of basketball in Japan for nearly a decade, including its support for the inaugural NBA Rising Stars Invitational held last summer,” Watanabe said.
The NBA Japan chief added, “We look forward to continuing our partnership with SoftBank and showcasing the achievements of the next generation of stars in Japanese basketball for many years to come.”
Retired NBA Standout Horry Gives Advice for Success
In conjunction with the Rising Stars Invitational, the NBA Basketball School held training clinics on March 30 and 31 in Tokyo’s Ota Ward.
Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry was one of the instructors, providing pointers on shooting, rebounding, passing and other aspects of the game.
Horry, who retired in 2008, shared his observations on the participants. And he offered general advice for high-school players.
“There were many players with high skill levels,” Horry said, according to Japanese-language website BasketCount. “However, while hard work is a given, teamwork is truly essential. Even if individual skills are high, the team cannot move forward unless the players coming off the bench support and complement each other. Except for individual sports like tennis, teamwork is indispensable for success.”
RELATED:
Ex-Akita Coach Maeda to Lead Taiwan Women’s Team
Kenzo Maeda, a former head coach of the B.League‘s Akita Northern Happinets, has been named Taiwan’s new women’s national team bench boss.
The Akita Sakigake Shimpo newspaper’s website reported Maeda’s new coaching gig on Friday night, April 3.
Maeda was dismissed by the struggling Happinets in December 2025. He had led the team since 2019.
Baseball
Swallows Enjoying a Strong Start This Season Under New Manager Ikeyama
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows ran their season-opening win streak to five games with a 2-1 home victory over the Hiroshima Carp on Thursday, April 2.
At Jingu Stadium, Ryui Ito slapped a two-run walk-off single off Carp reliever Daisuke Morimura in the ninth inning as the Swallows triumphed in dramatic fashion.
Jose Osuna hit a one-out single in the ninth. The next batter, Shu Masuda, followed with a walk. Two batters later, Ito delivered the game-winning hit.
The Swallows opened the 2026 NPB season with a three-game sweep on the road against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Then they trounced the Carp on Tuesday, winning 8-3.
After Wednesday’s game was postponed due to rain, new manager Takahiro Ikeyama’s squad edged the Carp the next day.
Heading into the weekend of April 3-5, the Swallows were the last remaining unbeaten team among 12 teams.
On Friday, the Chunichi Dragons beat the Swallows 1-0, handing them their first loss of 2026. Chunichi’s Yuya Yanagi tossed a three-hit shutout.
Ikeyama replaced Shingo Takatsu as Yakult dugout boss following the 2025 campaign.
The Swallows had a 57-79-7 record in Takatsu’s final season at the helm.
RELATED:
Mets’ Senga Fans 9 in Season Debut
New York Mets starter Kodai Senga pitched six innings against the St Louis Cardinals in his first start of the 2026 MLB season on Tuesday, March 31. Senga, who allowed four hits and two runs, was tagged with the loss as the Cardinals blanked the Mets 3-0.
Now in his fourth MLB season, Senga struck out nine and walked three in his season debut.
In the third inning, Ivan Herrera smacked a two-run double off Senga to break a scoreless tie, making the Mets hurler pay for a hanging slider up in the strike zone.
Despite the loss, Senga had an enjoyable outing on Tuesday in St Louis. He described it as a “great start,” according to SportsNet New York (SNY).
For Senga, the game within the game between the pitcher and the batter fires him up.
Speaking to SNY, he said: “Being out there, I can start to deduce, ‘What is this hitter thinking? What are they looking for? [And] what’s something that they’re not looking for?’ ”
He added, “Being out there and able to do that, it’s a good feeling. I’m excited.”
Tennis
Osaka Struggles to Juggle Motherhood, Career
For a player who reached the top in her chosen sport, Naomi Osaka has also experienced major disappointment in recent years with a number of early exits in tournaments.
In her most recent tournament appearance, Osaka lost her first match of the Miami Open on March 21. Australia’s Talia Gibson beat the former world No 1 in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, in the round of 64.
A four-time Grand Slam singles winner, Osaka may be reaching a crossroads in her career.
“For me, like I said last year, I’m not going to stay on tour if I’m losing in the first round,” Osaka was quoted as saying by The Guardian, a British newspaper. “I’d rather just be a great mom and be there for my daughter. Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.”
In an introspective mood after her frustrating loss to Jackson, Osaka said being a pro athlete and a parent can present dueling challenges at times.
“I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult,” Osaka said, according to The Guardian.
After announcing she’d skip the Charleston Open (March 29-April 5), Osaka outlined her upcoming plans for the clay-court season.
“I hope I can play Madrid, Rome and then obviously the French Open,” Osaka said.
Soccer
JFA Parts Ways with Nadeshiko Manager Nielsen
Although he led the Japan women’s national team to a first-place finish at the Women’s Asian Cup on March 21, the Japan Football Association decided to not renew manager Nils Nielsen’s contract.
An announcement was made on Thursday, April 2.
The 54-year-old Nielsen, who was born in Greenland, was criticized by Norio Sasaki, the Japan women’s national team director, for his coaching approach.
“His coaching was a little too lax, a little too soft,” Sasaki said, according to Agence France-Presse.
“A more rigorous approach and rigorous training are necessary,” added Sasaki, who guided Nadeshiko Japan to the 2011 Women’s World Cup crown.
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, the JFA president, also said that the women’s national team needed a new leader.
“Thinking about winning major international tournaments and weighing various factors, we came to this conclusion,” Miyamoto was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.
Nielsen took over as Japan manager in December 2024. In February 2025, he led the squad to a 2-1 triumph over the United States in the four-nation SheBelieves Cup final.
Nadeshiko Japan assistant coach Michihisa Kano will serve as interim manager. His first major task will be preparing the team for a trio of international friendlies against the United States. Matches are scheduled for April 11 (in San Jose, California), April 14 (in Seattle) and April 17 (in Commerce City, Colorado).
Horse Racing
Jockey Take Extends Milestone Streak to 40 Years
Yutaka Take guided Admire Terra to a three-length triumph in the 79th Hanshin Daishoten on March 22. The 5-year-old colt was clocked in 3 minutes, 2.0 seconds at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, rewriting the Grade 2 race record by 0.4 seconds.
For Take, his partnership with Admire Terra marked his 40th consecutive year with a graded stakes win.
It was Take’s ninth Hanshin Daishoten win. Prior to March 22, his most recent victory in this event was in 2007 aboard Eye Popper.
Take, who turned 57 on March 15, has earned the Japan Racing Association’s leading jockey award 18 times during his legendary career.
RELATED:
Quotes of the Week
“We want to keep building on what we’ve developed so far, while addressing the issues that arise each match and continuing to grow as a team.”
―Forward/midfielder Kaishu Sano, on the Samurai Blue‘s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His comments were made after Japan defeated England 1-0 on March 31 in a friendly at Wembley Stadium in London.
RELATED:
“It wasn’t easy. We had many tough games. Still, the team prepared thoroughly, and once we reached the finals, I felt their growth so much that I didn’t think we could lose. I want to thank the players for their efforts. Being able to witness this scene in Tomakomai is the best feeling.”
―Katsuya Ogawa, head coach of Asia League Ice Hockey’s Red Eagles Hokkaido, on his team’s title-clinching win on April 2 in Tomakomai, Hokkaido Prefecture, Sports Hochi reported. In Game 3 of the best-of-five championship series, the Red Eagles beat South Korean opponent Anyang Halla 4-3 in overtime to win the title. Forward Sota Isogai scored in OT.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
[mailpoet_form id=”3″]