Handball - Team Japan

General
Having qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games as hosts, the Japanese team are making only their second Olympic appearance in Tokyo. They debuted at the 1976 Games in Montreal, where they were ranked fifth out of six teams.

Japan enter the Tokyo Games after finishing in 10th place at the 2019 World Championship, where they were also hosts. The result was the team's highest finish at the tournament since 1975 and saw them advance to the main round having compiled a three-win, two-loss record in the preliminary phase. They recorded one victory and four defeats in the main round and did not qualify for the semifinals.

The Japanese team have been historically strong at continental level. They have finished on the podium at the Asian championship on 14 occasions since 1987, and were champions in 2004. They also won a medal at six of the eight editions of the Asian Games between 1990 and 2018, but are yet to secure gold at the tournament. Japan won a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and finished as runners-up at the 2018 Asian Championship.