Japan come to Rotterdam as the team everyone else is measured against. They won the Olympic team title in Paris in 2024 and the last world team title, in Antwerp in 2023. Their squad includes the last two Olympic all-around champions, Shinnosuke Oka and Daiki Hashimoto.
Squad
- Shinnosuke Oka – Olympic all-around champion 2024
- Daiki Hashimoto – world all-around champion 2025
- Shohei Kawakami
- Ryosuke Doi
- Fusuke Maeda
- Nao Ojima – reserve
Qualification: a strong start
Japan competed in the last subdivision of the first day and went straight to the top of the team ranking on 254.529, more than three points clear of Great Britain. Oka led the all-around on 85.098 and Hashimoto was second on 84.632. Shohei Kawakami was fourth on 83.699 but cannot reach the all-around final, because only two gymnasts per nation are allowed. Kawakami also topped the horizontal bar ranking with 14.600.
It was not a perfect day. Hashimoto fell on a Cassina on high bar and Fusuke Maeda missed his final release on the same apparatus, so neither will be in the high bar final. That Japan still led comfortably says a lot about their depth.
What to watch in the team final
In a final, three gymnasts compete on each apparatus and all three scores count. Japan's strength is that they have no obvious weak apparatus, which means they rarely have to risk an uncertain routine. Their main rival should be China, who compete in qualification on Sunday and won the 2026 Asian Games team title ahead of Japan.
LA28 stakes
A top-three finish among eligible nations in the team final on Tuesday 20 October would qualify Japan for the 2028 Olympics. Read more in our LA28 qualification guide.
