Milano Cortina 2026: Get to Know Team Japan

The Para ice hockey competition at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games promises to deliver fast-paced action, emotional storylines, and world-class competition as the world’s best teams gather from 7 to 15 March. With the medals to be decided on the final day of the Games, the tournament is set to be one of the marquee events of the Paralympic programme.

All games will be played at the newly built Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, a state-of-the-art venue designed to showcase the speed and physicality of the sport. The compact schedule and single-venue format will create an intense atmosphere, with multiple high-stakes matchups unfolding across nine days of competition.

The eight qualified teams will be divided into two preliminary-round groups of four. Each team will play three round-robin games within its group, with the top two advancing to the semifinals. The remaining teams will move into classification games to determine fifth through eighth place. With little margin for error in a short tournament, every shift — and every point — will matter.

Here’s a look at No. 7-seeded Japan. 

Background 

Japan enters Milano Cortina aiming to reestablish itself among the world’s elite in Para ice hockey after missing out on the Beijing 2022 Games. Since making its Paralympic Winter Games debut in the sport in 1998 on its home ice in Nagano, Japan has long been recognised for its speed, structure, and tactical discipline.

The programe’s defining moment came at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, where Japan captured the silver medal — the nation’s first and only Paralympic podium finish in the sport. That breakthrough performance cemented Japan’s reputation as a technically skilled and resilient team capable of challenging traditional powers. In recent cycles, Japan has focused on integrating younger players while maintaining its trademark team-first identity.

At Milano Cortina 2026, for the first time the roster will also include a female player, Akari Fukunishi, who was one of the stars of the first edition of the Women’s World Championships last year in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia.

Known for precise puck movement, quick transitions, and relentless work ethic, the team relies on cohesion and conditioning to stay competitive against deeper rosters.

🏆 Best Forward Award:
Japan’s #10 Itsuki Ito#ParaIceHockey | #Astana2025 pic.twitter.com/Xfb0MijKFy

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) September 11, 2025

Roster Breakdown

Forwards: Itsuki Ito, Mikio Kaneko, Yusei Kawahara, Masaharu Kumagai, Eiji Misawa, Amu Morisaki, Shunsuke Nakamura, Kazuyoshi Niets, Shosei Skai, Mamoru Yoshikawa

Defenders: Aakari Fukunishi, Yudai Ishikawa, Masahiro Matsushita, Norihiko Nasu, Yoshihiro Shioya, Satoru Sudo

Goaltenders: Wataru Horie, Manabu Okabe

Paralympic Winter Games History 

2018: 8th place
2010: Silver medal
2006: 5th place
2002: 5th place
1998: 5th place

Athlete to Watch

Itsuki Ito started playing ice hockey in elementary school and immediately switched to Para ice hockey in fourth grade after being paralyzed from the waist down. Just 20 years old, he’s Japan’s top scoring threat; he tallied 15 goals and 11 assists at the World Championships B-Pool last year and was named Best Forward at the Paralympic Qualification Tournament. 

Matchup to Watch

Japan vs. Canada on Sunday, 9 March: A matchup with perennial powerhouse Canada offers Japan a measuring stick early in the tournament. A strong performance against one of the sport’s traditional medal contenders could provide critical momentum in the preliminary round and signal Japan’s intent to challenge for a return to the semifinals.