TOKYO (Japan) - Yuta Watanabe has been an integral part of AKATSUKI Japan for more than a decade. He has played nearly 30 games for the national team in major FIBA competitions including two World Cups, two Olympic Games, and two Asia Cups.
However, since the adoption of the new qualification for the World Cup and Continental Cups that feature home and away games, Watanabe has only been able to play in two Qualifiers games back in 2018.
This year and moving onwards, as he has signed on to play with the Chiba Jets in the Japanese B.League, Watanabe is looking forward to the chance to play a bigger role in helping the national team qualify for FIBA's flagship events - as his fellow countrymen who play in the B.League have done so in the past.
I think I'll come to understand just how tough it was for those playing in the B.League to get through the Qualifiers, and I want to play with gratitude for them.
"The only reason players like myself and those playing in the US could return to Japan for major events like the World Cup and the Olympics is because the B.League players have been representing Japan and competing both domestically and internationally through a challenging schedule, even during their season," said Watanabe in Japanese in his Chiba Jets signing press conference a few months ago.
"Now that I'm going to be playing in the B.League, I want to give my all whenever I'm called up, to meet expectations. I think I'll come to understand just how tough it was for those playing in the B.League to get through the Qualifiers, and I want to play with gratitude for them."
The 30-year-old forward was among one of the 23 players named to the training camp roster for Window 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, as announced by the Japan Basketball Association (JBA). However, it was recently announced that he is replaced by Hayato Yamaguchi for conditioning reasons.
Nonetheless, the roster includes key veterans such as Makoto Hiejima, Yuki Togashi, Josh Hawkinson, and Yudai Baba and will also be training with fresher faces like Takuto Nakamura and Ryo Yamazaki, who both recently played in the inaugural Basketball Champions League Asia and won the past B.League title.
Japan are currently undefeated in the Asia Cup Qualifiers after beating Guam and China in Window 1 back in February, both home games. Their next games will be against Mongolia on November 21 in front of a sold-out crowd Utsunomiya-shi before heading on to Mangilao to face Guam on November 24.
FIBA