TOKYO (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023) - Japan will be one of the hosts for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, and that has got a couple of their national team stars quite excited.

On December 9, FIBA announced that Japan, along with the Philippines and Indonesia, were awarding the hosting rights for the World Cup six years from now, beating a formidable candidature put forward by the Americas tandem of Argentina and Uruguay.

It marks the second time that Japan is a World Cup host this millennium after they staged the 2006 edition across the cities of Hamamatsu, Hiroshima, Sapporo, Sendai and Saitama.

"I'M SO EXCITED TO KNOW THAT WE WILL BE ONE OF THE HOSTS FOR THE FIBA BASKETBALL WORLD CUP 2023" - Yuki Togashi

This time around, Japan will host eight of the 32 two teams in the World Cup, with Okinawa named as the country's host city. Games will be played at the Okinawa Arena, which can seat as many as 10,000 fans.

One Akatsuki Five stalwart who is pumped up about the hosting is no less than star playmaker Yuki Togashi, who will be 30 years old when the World Cup 2023 comes along.

"I'm so excited to know that we will be one of the hosts for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023," he said. "Basketball is very popular in Okinawa, and I am sure the teams will experience the huge enthusiasm there. I will keep working hard and get a lot of experience by then, so that I can make it to play in World Cup."

Japan are surely going to make quite an impression in 2023 because, aside from Togashi, there is a host of other up-and-coming talents are projected to be among the national team's leaders.

These include Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, both of whom are making waves in the NCAA's Division 1 ranks in the USA, while teenage stars Yudai Nishida and Chikara Tanaka are also pegged as favorites to star for Japan six years from now.

Another is high-flying wingman Yudai Baba, who was the youngest player on the Japanese squad this year at the FIBA Asia Cup and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers.

Of course, another name to watch out for is their current top-scorer Makoto Hiejima, who will be a grizzled 33-year-old veteran when the World Cup is hosted in Okinawa.

The prolific 6ft 3in (1.90m) shooter could not contain himself when asked about Japan's hosting the landmark event.

"I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO WIN THE CURRENT ASIAN QUALIFIERS AND MAKE IT TO THE 2019 WORLD CUP SO THAT WE CAN BUILD A GOOD PATHWAY TOWARD 2023" - Hiejima

"I am so thrilled to hear the news that FIBA World Cup 2023 will be held in Japan," he exclaimed. "As a member of the Japanese national team, I would definitely like to win the current Asian Qualifiers and make it to the 2019 World Cup so that we can build a good pathway toward 2023."

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 is revolutionary in that it marks the first time that three countries will be co-hosting, and Japan will definitely make sure it will be an event to remember.

FIBA