SHENZHEN (China) - Since Australia’s arrival into the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in 2017, no rivalry has burned hotter - or been crueler - than the one they’ve built with Japan.
Every meeting has mattered. Every meeting has left scars.
2017: The Instant Classic that started it all
Their very first Asia Cup clash set the tone. Australia beat Japan in the group stage, 83–74, with Kelsey Griffin looking unstoppable. But when the two teams met again in the Final, Japan flipped the script.
Australia led by 10 at one point and got a monster 30-point, 15-rebound night from Griffin. Yet, with 1:30 left in a tie game, it was Japan’s Saki Mizushima who drilled a leaning three-pointer to break the deadlock and hand Japan a 74–73 win - and a third straight Asia Cup crown.
It was heartbreak for the Opals, and a new standard for Japan.
2019 and 2021: Semi-Final Deja Vu
The pain didn’t stop there. In 2019, Japan once again crushed the Opal's hopes, winning 76–64 in the Semi-Finals.
In 2021, it got even crueler. Tournament top scorer Sami Whitcomb tied the game at 65–65 with a clutch three-pointer inside the last two minutes. But eventual MVP Himawari Akaho responded immediately, hitting the basket that would seal another Japan victory, 67–65.
Australia could only watch another golden chance slip away.
2023: No Doubt Left
By 2023, Japan made it clear: the gap had widened. They beat Australia 91–66 - their fourth straight Women’s Asia Cup win over the Opals - in a performance that left no doubt who now owned the rivalry.
The Broader Battlefield
What makes this rivalry so intense is that it isn’t confined to only the Women's Asia Cup.
In the 2022 Women's World Cup in Sydney, Australia got some revenge with a 71–54 win in the Group Phase. But before that, Japan had beaten Australia at the 2019 Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament (82–69). Australia still holds historical dominance from the 1970s through the early 2000s, especially in the World Cup and Olympics. But since the 2010s, Japan has flipped the narrative - and Australia have been chasing.
Japan vs. Australia isn’t just a matchup anymore. It's a Women's Asia Cup tradition. And every time they meet, it feels like a Final - no matter what’s at stake.
FIBA