Yuji Iizuka has been coaching the Japanese women's senior national team for several years between 2007 and now with interruptions.
photo: Robert Hradil / HHOF-IIHF Images
Japan’s women’s national team had a tough go of it in their opener against the Americans on Thursday afternoon. They managed only six shots all game and lost badly, 10-0, to a determined U.S. squad looking to make a statement in their opener.
But for coach Yuji Iizuka, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds, and in the past it has been worse. “We have a new team now and have mostly young players,” the coach said after the game. “They need more experience. But given the circumstances, today’s game was just one step.”
The growth of hockey in Japan has not been explosive, and to those who follow the top teams only, it has not even made much of a blip on the radar. But make no mistake; hockey in Japan is far more advanced today than it was a generation ago.
“Here we are in the top pool of the senior tournament,” Iizuka continued. “Ten years ago, I never could have imagined this. The program has developed so much in the last several years, and we’ve reached many targets we have set for ourselves, like making the Olympics or the top division here.”
The IIHF tried to help at one time, but success was not to be found. Coming out of the Nagano Olympics, the Men's World Championships included a Far East qualifier. That was always Japan, so they played in the top pool every year from 1998 to 2004. But in 36 games, they had zero wins and just four ties. The qualifier was abandoned, and Japan's men haven’t made it back to the top division since.
But on the women’s side, success has been greater and more noticeable. The country has played in the last three Olympics, and this past February in Beijing they won three out of four preliminary round games and finished 6th. But that was more an ending than a beginning for Iizuka. “Many of the players who played at the Olympics retired after playing at the Games, so I needed to select new players to begin a new Olympic cycle,” he explained.
But for coach Yuji Iizuka, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds, and in the past it has been worse. “We have a new team now and have mostly young players,” the coach said after the game. “They need more experience. But given the circumstances, today’s game was just one step.”
The growth of hockey in Japan has not been explosive, and to those who follow the top teams only, it has not even made much of a blip on the radar. But make no mistake; hockey in Japan is far more advanced today than it was a generation ago.
“Here we are in the top pool of the senior tournament,” Iizuka continued. “Ten years ago, I never could have imagined this. The program has developed so much in the last several years, and we’ve reached many targets we have set for ourselves, like making the Olympics or the top division here.”
The IIHF tried to help at one time, but success was not to be found. Coming out of the Nagano Olympics, the Men's World Championships included a Far East qualifier. That was always Japan, so they played in the top pool every year from 1998 to 2004. But in 36 games, they had zero wins and just four ties. The qualifier was abandoned, and Japan's men haven’t made it back to the top division since.
But on the women’s side, success has been greater and more noticeable. The country has played in the last three Olympics, and this past February in Beijing they won three out of four preliminary round games and finished 6th. But that was more an ending than a beginning for Iizuka. “Many of the players who played at the Olympics retired after playing at the Games, so I needed to select new players to begin a new Olympic cycle,” he explained.
Japanese head coach Yuji Iizura during the first 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship game against the United States.
photo: Matt Zambonin / HHOF-IIHF Images
And that is why we have the Japan team we have here in Herning. Iizuka has eleven new faces from the Games, many youngsters from the U18 program. This is good to see, in terms of the progression within the program, but it will take time for these young women to gain the experience and develop their skills needed to be competitive at the senior level.
To wit, Japan has 13 players on this team born in the 2000s. The U.S. has five and Canada just one. “Hockey is not a major sport in our country, so we can’t compete with big countries in North America and Europe. We don’t have a lot of players in Japan,” Iizuka explained.
Iizuka came by his job naturally. He grew up on the northern island of Hokkaido, the major hockey region of Japan, and started skating when he was six. He and his brother took to the ice like so many of his compatriots took to other sports, and Yuji became a professional, playing with Oji Seishi for several years in the 1990s. He first started coaching at the national level with the women’s senior and under-18 team in 2007. He soon gained his first top-level experiences and led the team to the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
“I was a player and played on the top team in Japan, so it was natural that I would go into coaching after retiring,” he said. “I had the experience, and the national team needed a new coach, so I moved to the top level.”
But not for long. In 2018, he returned to the U18 team when it was back in Division I-A, and like a master conductor, he once again coached the team to victory and a spot in the top pool. That year, 2019, he also assumed duties as head coach of the senior team and has been there ever since.
“Our intention is to create a team that can score,” he said matter-of-factly. “That is the objective in hockey, to score more goals than the other team. But it takes time.”
It’s early, and there is clearly talent on the Japanese team, but Iizuka is playing the long game with his young players. Their main objective will be to win the 5th-6th place game on the final day of the tournament, remain in the top group for 2023, and go from there. That would be a successful tournament for Iizuka here, but it would be one step, the first of many, he hopes.
To wit, Japan has 13 players on this team born in the 2000s. The U.S. has five and Canada just one. “Hockey is not a major sport in our country, so we can’t compete with big countries in North America and Europe. We don’t have a lot of players in Japan,” Iizuka explained.
Iizuka came by his job naturally. He grew up on the northern island of Hokkaido, the major hockey region of Japan, and started skating when he was six. He and his brother took to the ice like so many of his compatriots took to other sports, and Yuji became a professional, playing with Oji Seishi for several years in the 1990s. He first started coaching at the national level with the women’s senior and under-18 team in 2007. He soon gained his first top-level experiences and led the team to the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
“I was a player and played on the top team in Japan, so it was natural that I would go into coaching after retiring,” he said. “I had the experience, and the national team needed a new coach, so I moved to the top level.”
But not for long. In 2018, he returned to the U18 team when it was back in Division I-A, and like a master conductor, he once again coached the team to victory and a spot in the top pool. That year, 2019, he also assumed duties as head coach of the senior team and has been there ever since.
“Our intention is to create a team that can score,” he said matter-of-factly. “That is the objective in hockey, to score more goals than the other team. But it takes time.”
It’s early, and there is clearly talent on the Japanese team, but Iizuka is playing the long game with his young players. Their main objective will be to win the 5th-6th place game on the final day of the tournament, remain in the top group for 2023, and go from there. That would be a successful tournament for Iizuka here, but it would be one step, the first of many, he hopes.