Dragon Rising: Japanese Men’s Volleyball a Dominant Force in 2026 Nations League Play
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Team Japan Ruling the Net
The annual Volleyball Nations League tournament is underway, taking place in venues around the world from June 10 through August 2. Pool play rounds have been held in nine countries over three weeks of play, with 18 national teams facing off in groups of 6 each; the final pool rounds run from July 15 through 19 in Serbia, the United States, and Japan.
Osaka plays host to pool 9, which includes a powerful Japanese team, known as Ryūjin Nippon. The squad, whose name means “dragon god,” went undefeated in the previous two rounds of play, racking up an 8–0 record. FIVB, the International Volleyball Federation, ranks Japan fourth in the world as of July 16, but during this year’s tournament Ryūjin have taken down powerhouses like Poland (ranked first) and the United States (fourth at the time they played).
As of July 16, the VNL statistics rank Japan ace Takahashi Ran third among all players in the 2026 tournament for points scored (185), points from attacks (157), and service points (15). (© Kyōdō)
On July 15 Japan took on second-ranked Italy to kick off pool 9 play in the tournament’s third week. Ryūjin took it to full sets and defeated the Italians, maintaining a perfect 9–0 record in this year’s games and becoming the first team to secure qualification for the final round, to take place in Ningbo, China, from July 29 to August 2. The team’s fans will be eager to see whether the squad can continue its unbeaten run behind the powerful serves and attacks by standout players like Takahashi Ran, Ishikawa Yūki, and Nishida Yūji.
Below we introduce the members of the Japanese national men’s volleyball team as of the third week of play in the tournament.
Ryūjin Nippon 2026 Members
In all there are 36 members registered on the national squad. The following 16 (including 2 reserve players) are those officially tapped to play in the July 15–19 Osaka round of the Volleyball Nations League tournament.
Manager
Laurent Tillie
Date of birth: December 1, 1963
Managing history: After playing professionally from 1980 to 2001, was head coach at AS Cannes in 2001–2012. Coached the national squads for the Czech Republic (2005–6) and his native France (2012–21), which he led to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, before coming to Japan to coach the Panasonic Panthers (now Osaka Bluteon) in 2020–24. Chosen to manage the Japanese national team in 2024.
Setters
Fukatsu Hideomi
Date of birth: June 1, 1990
Height: 181 cm
Club: Wolfdogs Nagoya
Eiro Motoki
Date of birth: June 8, 1996
Height: 192 cm
Club: Hiroshima Thunders
Opposites
Nishida Yūji
Date of birth: January 30, 2000
Height: 186 cm
Club: Osaka Bluteon
Miyaura Kento
Date of birth: February 22, 1999
Height: 190 cm
Club: Wolfdogs Nagoya
Outside Hitters
Ōtsuka Tatsunori
Date of birth: November 5, 2000
Height: 195 cm
Club: Powervolley Milano (Italy)
Tomita Shōma
Date of birth: June 20, 1997
Height: 190 cm
Club: Osaka Bluteon
Takahashi Ran
Date of birth: September 2, 2001
Height: 188 cm
Club: Bogdanka LUK Lublin (Poland)
Ishikawa Yūki (captain)
Date of birth: December 11, 1995
Height: 192 cm
Club: Ziraat Bankkart Ankara (Turkey)
Kai Masato
Date of birth: September 25, 2003
Height: 200 cm
Club: Osaka Bluteon
Middle Blockers
Yamauchi Akihiro
Date of birth: November 30, 1993
Height: 204 cm
Club: Osaka Bluteon
Nishimoto Keigo
Date of birth: October 27, 1998
Height: 188 cm
Club: Hiroshima Thunders
Larry Ik Evbade-Dan
Date of birth: August 18, 2000
Height: 195 cm
Club: Osaka Bluteon
Liberos
Ogawa Tomohiro
Date of birth: July 4, 1996
Height: 176 cm
Club: Bogdanka LUK Lublin (Poland)
Yamamoto Tomohiro
Date of birth: November 5, 1994
Height: 171 cm
Club: Osaka Bluteon
Reserves
Middle Blockers
Onodera Taishi
Date of birth: February 27, 1996
Height: 202 cm
Club: Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Nishikawa Keitarō
Date of birth: April 14, 2000
Height: 195 cm
Club: Osaka Bluteon
Data Sources
(Originally written in English. Banner photo: Ryūjin Nippon take a group photo after their full-sets victory over Italy in Osaka on July 15, 2026. © Kyōdō.)