Updates on Transfers

April 1 is the start of Japan's new academic and fiscal year, and there's always a wave of transfer announcements to go with it. Some notable ones yesterday:

800 m NR holder Rin Kubo skipped university to go straight to 2023 Queens Ekiden national champion Sekisui Kagaku after her graduation from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S.
Multiple NR holder Nozomi Tanaka rejoined the Toyota Jidoshokki women's team after having left it to pursue a solo pro career as a New Balance athlete.
Already on the team for this fall's Nagoya Asian Games in the 10000 m, Ririka Hironaka announced a switch from her longtime home at Japan Post to the Uniqlo women's team.
Collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda joined the 2026 national champion GMO corporate team after graduating from 2026 Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University last week.
Hakone Ekdien First Stage CR holder Rui Aoki joins the Sumitomo Denko corporate team after running his final race for 2025 Izumo Ekiden winner Koku Gakuin University at last month's United Airlines NYC Half.
Hakone Ekiden Second Stage CR holder Victor Kimutai joined the SID Group corporate team after his graduation from Josai University.
Two-time Hakone Ekiden stage winner Shunsuke Yoshii follows his older brother Yamato Yoshii in going from Chuo University to the Toyota corporate team.
Last year's top Japanese high jumper at 2.33 m, Yuto Seko joins the Yamada Holdings corporate team.
2025 World University Games half marathon silver medalist Makoto Tsuchiya of 2024 national champion Ritsumeikan University joined the Daihatsu corporate women's team.
2025 Hakone Ekiden Ninth Stage winner Yuga Sakurai of Josai University joined the Kraftia team headed by last year's Berlin marathon runner-up Akira Akasaki.
2025 Kanto Regionals men's 1500 m winner Takumi Shiobara and 2024 National University Track and Field Championships men's 800 m champion Shuta Azuma have joined the Fujisan GX corporate team.
A Paris Olympian in the 4x100 m while still at Toyo University, Hiroki Yanagita becomes the first sprinter at the Honda corporate team in 43 years.
Paris Olympics women's 10000 m team member Yuka Takashima left the Shiseido corporate team, her new home yet to be announced.
2022 World U20 Championships women's hammer throw bronze medalist and last year's national champion Raika Murakami heads to the Zenrin corporate team.
A 27:54.06 runner for 10000 m at Waseda University, Yuhi Nakaya has retired at 26 to become assistant coach back home at Saku Chosei H.S.
2021 Tokyo Olympics men's marathon team member Shogo Nakamura took over as head coach at Meiji Gakuin University.
2021 Tokyo Olympics men's marathon team alternate Ryo Hashimoto was named assistant coach at his alma mater Aoyama Gakuin University after retiring from GMO.
Assistant coach Noriaki Nishide took over as head coach at 2019 Hakone Ekiden winner Tokai University, with previous head coach Hayashi Morozumi stepping back to focus on scouting and recruitment.
2019 men's 3000 mSC national champion and Tokai alumnus Ryohei Sakaguchi announced that he has ended his relationship with On and will continue competing in a TBA new environment.
2015 Asian Games 1500 m silver medalist Maya Iino became assistant coach of the women's long distance team at her alma mater Tokyo Nogyo University.
Having retired from the Chuo Hatsujo corporate team after last month's Tokyo Marathon, 2014 Hakone Ekiden MVP Kento Otsu was named assistant coach at Rikkyo University.
Takahisa Hakozaki, head coach of 2013 National High School Ekiden boys' winner Yamanashi Gakuin H.S., became head coach of 2020-21 National High School Ekiden winner Sera H.S.

Hakone Champ AGU Hits 50 km a Day in Spring Break Training Camp

Having scored its 3rd-straight Hakone Ekiden win this past January, Aoyama Gakuin University spent the Golden Week spring holidays training on the Myoko Plateau in Niigata from May 2-6. Along with the champion men's ekiden team, the first 2 members of AGU's new women's long distance team Nodoka Ashida and Kairi Ikeno , and AGU alumni and 2026 New Year Ekiden champion GMO team members Yuya Yoshida and Asahi Kuroda also took part in the training camp. Depending on the day's training schedule, mileage at the camp was over 50 km a day. AGU men's captain Kaito Nakamura confidently said, "This Golden Week training camp is where we lay the foundations for our 4th-straight Hakone title." A lot of people spend Golden Week on vacation, but the AGU ekiden team spent their time working hard on Myoko's rolling land amid the sprouting leaves of spring. On the 2nd day of the camp, May 3, team members woke up at 5:00 a.m. to do their warmup. The team assembled a...

Ochiai, Kawamura, Usuki and Mishima Set NR - Golden Week Track Roundup

There was a lot of action on the track over Japan's Golden Week holidays. Highlights: Shizuoka International Meet - Fukuroi, 3 May Men's 800 m NR holder Ko Ochiai (Komazawa Univ.) broke his own record with a 1:43.90 win. Daigo Usuki (18 Ginko) and Gakuto Mishima (Nippatsu) both broke the NR in the T20 men's 400 m, Usuki getting the win in 49.08 and Mishima 2nd in 49.15. Lauren Bruce (New Zealand) threw a meet record 67.44 m on her final attempt in the women's hammer throw, but even her shortest throw of 64.31 m was over 3 m better than the rest of the field. Kazuki Kurokawa (Sumitomo Denko) got the men's 400 mH meet record with a 48.50 for the win. Women's 3000 mSC NR holder Miu Saito (Panasonic) won the steeple in 9:31.83, the 2nd-best time in her career so far, despite falling. 2nd through 4th all broke 10 minutes. National University Men's Ekiden Kanto Region Qualifier - Hiratsuka, 4 May The top 8 teams at November's National University Men...

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...

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