Softball - Team Japan

General
Japan are the reigning Asian Games and Olympic champions. After finishing as runners-up at the first three Asian Games tournaments from 1990 to 1998, they have won gold at all five editions of the Games since then. They were declared winners without playing the gold medal match in 2002 due to bad weather curtailing the tournament, and in the four finals that followed from 2006 to 2018 they did not concede a single run. They won two finals [in 2006 and 2018] against Chinese Taipei 7-0 via the mercy rule.

In 2023 the Japanese team continued their continental dominance by winning their sixth consecutive Asian championship title, defeating the People's Republic of China in the final for the second edition of the tournament in a row.

At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Japanese team lost their first encounter with the United States of America during the group stage, but bounced back to beat the US heavyweights 2-0 in the final to claim their second Olympic gold. They had also defeated the US team in the final in Beijing in 2008.

Japan and the United States of America have also regularly contested the final of the world championship. At the 2022 World Games [which served as the world championship], the Japanese team lost 3-2 to make it three consecutive defeats to the US team in the world championship final. Japan last won the world championship title in 2014, when they overcame the United States of America 4-1.