Ordos, Inner Mongolia – April 19, 2026 – Japan reclaimed its dominance at the 2026 Asian Judo Championships, defeating South Korea 4-1 in the mixed team final to cap a successful tournament hosted in Ordos, China. The victory marked Japan’s ninth title in the continental competition and reinforced its status as Asia’s judo powerhouse ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The final, held at the Ordos Sports Affairs Development Center Gymnasium before a crowd of approximately 3,200 spectators, featured the traditional mixed-team format where each nation fields three male and three female athletes across six weight classes. Japan’s squad, led by Olympic medalists Uta Abe and Aaron Wolf, displayed superior depth and tactical precision throughout the contest.
Japan opened strong with a win in the women’s 52kg division, where reigning world champion Uta Abe defeated South Korea’s Jung Ye-rin via ippon with a seamless osoto-gari just 1 minute and 18 seconds into the match. Abe, who won gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024, has now won four consecutive Asian titles in her weight class.
South Korea responded in the men’s 73kg category when Lee Joon-hwan scored a waza-ari victory over Japan’s Soichi Hashimoto after a gripping golden-score period that extended beyond regulation time. The win kept South Korea within striking distance at 1-1, but Japan quickly regained control.
The turning point came in the women’s 63kg bout, where Saki Niizoe defeated Kim Ji-su with a decisive kesa-gatame hold after 2 minutes and 45 seconds of groundwork. Niizoe, a two-time Asian Championships medalist, showcased the patience and technical mastery that have defined Japan’s recent success in the middleweight divisions.
Japan extended its lead to 3-1 when Wolf, the 2021 world champion in the 100kg category, overwhelmed South Korea’s Cho Gu-ham with a powerful uchi-mata for ippon in just 52 seconds. Wolf’s explosive entry and control throughout the grip fight neutralized Gu-ham’s advantage in reach and strength.
The final point was secured in the men’s 90kg division, where Goki Tajima defeated Han Ju-yeop with a slick seoi-nage transition into osaekomi, earning ippon at the 1:58 mark. Tajima, who competed at Paris 2024, has emerged as a consistent performer for Japan in international team events over the past 18 months.
The mixed team event, introduced to the Asian Championships program in 2016, has become a highlight of the tournament due to its fast-paced, high-stakes format. Nations earn one point per match victory, with ties broken by total points scored if necessary. This year’s edition featured 12 men’s and 12 women’s weight classes contested individually prior to the team finals.
Ordos, a city of approximately 2.1 million residents located in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, hosted the championships for the first time. The city invested roughly ¥180 million yuan ($25 million USD) in upgrading the Sports Affairs Development Center Gymnasium, including modern tatami mats, enhanced lighting for broadcast, and expanded seating capacity to accommodate international events.
Japanese head coach Yasuhiro Yamashita, a double Olympic gold medalist and president of the All Japan Judo Federation, praised his team’s resilience after the victory. “We faced tough competition throughout, especially from South Korea and Mongolia, but the athletes stayed focused on executing our game plan,” Yamashita said in the post-match press conference. “This win builds confidence as we prepare for the Olympic qualifiers beginning later this year.”
South Korea’s silver medal marked its best performance in the mixed team event since taking bronze in 2020. Coach Lee Won-hee acknowledged Japan’s superiority while expressing optimism about his squad’s development. “Japan was stronger today, but we showed improvement in several categories,” Lee said. “Our younger athletes gained invaluable experience competing at this level.”
Mongolia secured the bronze medal by defeating Uzbekistan 3-2 in the playoff match, with key wins from Otgonbaatar Mönkhbat in the men’s 81kg and Boldbaatar Gan-Erdene in the women’s 70kg categories. The result continued Mongolia’s upward trajectory in Asian judo, following silver medals in the women’s team event at the 2022 Asian Games and bronze in the mixed team at the 2023 Championships.
Individually, Japan dominated the medal table with seven gold medals across weight classes, followed by South Korea with four and Uzbekistan with three. Notable individual champions included Uta Abe (women’s 52kg), Aaron Wolf (men’s 100kg), and world champion Miku Takaichi (women’s 57kg), who defeated Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova in the final.
The championships served as a critical evaluation point for national federations ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, and the 2028 Olympic qualification cycle. Several athletes used the tournament to test new techniques or return from injury, including South Korea’s An Ba-ul, who competed in the men’s 66kg division after missing much of the 2024 season due to a knee injury.
Looking ahead, the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Tour continues with the Zagreb Grand Prix in July, followed by the World Championships in Budapest in August. The Asian Championships will return in 2027, with the host city yet to be determined by the Judo Union of Asia (JUA).
For fans wishing to follow future judo events, the IJF offers live streaming through its official YouTube channel and the JudoTV platform, while national federations provide regular updates via their websites and social media accounts.
The 2026 Asian Judo Championships concluded not only as a sporting success but as well as a cultural exchange, with athletes and officials participating in traditional Mongolian wrestling demonstrations and Inner Mongolian folk music performances during downtime between matches.
As the continental judo community turns its focus toward the upcoming Olympic qualifiers, Japan’s performance in Ordos sends a clear message: the nation remains the team to beat in Asia, blending tradition with innovation to maintain its competitive edge on the global stage.
What’s next for judo fans? Keep an eye on the IJF World Tour events this summer, where Olympic qualification points will be up for grabs. The road to Los Angeles 2028 has officially begun.
Have thoughts on the championships or predictions for the Olympic qualifiers? Share them in the comments below — we’d love to hear from you.
