TOKYO (Japan) – Japan were drawn to Group B of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers on June 8. They are joined by China, Chinese Taipei, and Malaysia in the group as teams battling for qualification to the Asia Cup 2021.

"I believe it is not an easy draw for us," said Japan Basketball Association (JBA) President, Yuko Mitsuya.

Japan are one of the most improved teams in the Asian region, but will be going up against some stiff competition at next stage that is the Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers. They might be familiar with some foes more than others, but preparation will be key for any team Japan goes up against whether it is China, Chinese Taipei, or Malaysia.

"China is one of the biggest powerhouses in Asia and their ranking is far ahead of us," Mitsuya said. "They surely are the toughest opponents to meet.

"Chinese Taipei, since I got involved in basketball, we have lost them most of the times; In the EABA Championship, the World Cup Qualifier and the Asian Games. They will never be an easy team to beat.

"I have never seen the Malaysian team before and we don’t have a lot of information on them. As basketball in Southeast Asia has been rising, I want our team to have good scouting on them and be ready," added Mitsuya.

The road to qualifying through to the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 is not going to be an easy one for Japan. Even after considering the advances they have made to get better and better, Japan still acknowledges that there will always be room for improvement.

“Yes our group is hard but every other group is hard,” claimed the President. “Our B. Leaguers have been improving. Players like Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe have opened up the door to the world. We have qualified to the FIBA World Cup and also to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"Japan national team has been on the rise in Asia but still the world is big. Our players don’t have enough experience in the world and we don’t know how far we can go."

Nonetheless, Japan are highly optimistic about the future with their personnel. The upcoming FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers will serve as the first step towards a large goal for Japan and will be a good barometer to gauge where they stand.

“We have Coach Lamas who knows how to play and win [at the world level]. I am looking forward to see how our team and players will emerge after the games against the world powerhouses like USA, Czech Republic, and Turkey in the FIBA World Cup in China.

“To see how much they have achieved and developed, I believe the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers starting this November will be a good opportunity to scale. Also as an ex-athlete, I am looking forward to see how far our players can go against  big opponent like China. Of course, as President, we must have our team win,” the former national team athlete expressed.

“This FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier is the very first step toward 2023 FIBA World Cup. We have a spot as a hosting country but still, 2023 FIBA World Cup is not a goal,” Mitsuya concluded. “The 2024 Olympics will be waiting ahead and we will need to qualify on our own. We will take FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier as a very important starting point and prepare our best towards it.”

FIBA