Green Baize

Big in Japan!

By elliott West

Since last year’s World Championship, parents are starting to think about their kids becoming a snooker player. I told them about how great the tournament was and that there is more to come in the future.”
Yutaka Fukuda

Introduction

Over the years, the snooker message has enveloped its arms around many countries across the world and so I was fascinated recently to learn that the sport is becoming popular in Japan. The country has a good pedigree in cue sports, having already a large following for three-cushion billiards and nine ball pool with former world champions in both variations. Fresh from this success, snooker tables are now appearing in pool halls in Tokyo. Having done further investigation, I found that snooker has been trying to break through in Japan for a few years.

Background

In 2000, Japan took the plunge into the popularity pool by forming its own snooker association, the Japanese Snooker Association. Under the careful supervision of Yutaka Fukuda, a team were formed to build up the sport in the country and sew the seeds of prosperity. Fukada of course, is an expert in this field, making his mark as a sports’ commentator, voicing his dulcet tones on many sports including snooker. Fukuda also competed as a player when snooker was part of the 2001 World Games in Akita. Yukata’s success as a player has been fuelled by a refined coaching programme behind the scenes with a familiar former player, the Thai, Tai Pichit, working as a coach in the Japanese players’ corner.

This is of course not a new phenomenon in this land of the rising sun. Japan has made major inroads recently in darts and football. Like their neighbour China, this nation prides itself on dedication and pride to whatever it turns its hand to. The rapid growth of snooker in China has led to becoming a major powerhouse for the sport with many of the major tournaments being held there as part of the main tour calendar. China bases its success on education, introducing snooker to children at a very early age and hunting out talent to nurture, forming the players of the future through academies in China and in the United Kingdom such as the Sheffield Academy and the Northern Snooker Centre.

State of Play

Therefore this sets a high bar for Japan to reach but the snooker footprint has already been laid and Japanese players are clearly ready to take up the gauntlet. Success in the World Games has catapulted many players closer to the main tour. Their most promising prospect is Keishin Kamihashi who has already played in several major amateur events including the Q School, the Challenge Tour and the recent World Snooker Federation Open in Malta. In Malta, Kamihashi had a promising run, reaching the knockout stage. Last year he hit home his first maximum break and has been a frequent visitor to the Q-House Snooker Academy in Darlington. This is an encouraging sign if the green shoots of snooker are to grow on this island. By mixing with other professional players, this Japanese rookie, has been put in good stead, learning his craft from the best in the field and building on his natural talent.

This wave of Japanese talent has also appeared on the Women’s sport with players such as Tani Mina and Muramatu Sakura competing in last year’s Women’s Snooker Championship in Thailand. They also both came together as a team to represent Japan in the earlier World Cup. This success boils down to the support behind the scenes with the familiar face of Yutaka Fukuda acting as a coach to many of these female players. With major investment having been put into the Women’s tour and players such as Reanne Evans and Ng On-Yee, the Ladies’ tour is stronger than it has ever and Japan has excitingly become part of this success story.

Conclusion

The World Snooker Tour has always had an aim of making snooker a global sport and it is great to see that this plan is coming to fruition. With the sport now transgressing most of the world, it always exciting to learn when snooker has become popular and is being played in another country. On this occasion, it seems the sport is starting to take off in Japan with positive moves to having the game played in clubs and the fruition of new, Japanese players. Of these are early days but positive signs are always great to learn about. Like any snooker fan and writer, I want to see the sport to succeed and after the Covid pandemic, it has been encouraging to be able to watch the Championship League and the Coral Tour Championship later this month. Japan has been actively engaged in sport for many years, hosting the FIFA World Cup and the Rugby World Cup. Snooker would be an impressive addition to this bow and Japan would be become one of a growing list that embraced the game in recent years.