Japan Men’s National Basketball Team on the Brink: 24 Candidates Announced for FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers First Round Under the Theme “Japan as One”!
Hello, this is PR Sunny-chan!
We recently attended the press conference announcing the candidate players for Window 3 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers for the “AKATSUKI FIVE” Japan Men’s National Basketball Team, for which our company handled the PR!
We would like to share the highlights of the event. 
The members announced on this day were the 24 candidates for the Japan National Team who will compete in the World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers (Window 3) on Friday, June 29 and Monday, July 2.
Currently, Japan is in a precarious position at the bottom of the standings, while only the top three out of four teams can advance to the second round. With results required in the remaining two matches against Australia on June 29 and Chinese Taipei on July 2, the selection includes B.LEAGUE stars Daiki Tanaka and Makoto Hiejima, as well as Nick Fazekas, who has acquired Japanese citizenship, and Rui Hachimura, who plays for the prestigious Gonzaga University in the United States.
Participation in the World Cup is closely linked to qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The press conference clearly conveyed the players’ determination that the Japanese basketball community must achieve results at any cost.
A Stroke of Determination
At the announcement conference, the national team candidates, facing a critical situation, expressed their determination through calligraphy with the phrase “Japan as One.”
Player Shinoyama pledged that the entire Japanese basketball community would fight as one, stating, “The members here are not standing here by their own strength alone, but thanks to the people who support us and all the fans who cheer for us. We will fight with those feelings united as one.”
As this was the announcement of the national team members for crucial matches leading to World Cup participation and the following year’s Tokyo Olympics, nearly 100 members of the press attended the venue.
Here is the scene outside the venue waiting for the start.
After the conference, members of the media approached each player to gather comments.
This shows the individual interviews. We set up several booths outside the venue, and the entire team worked together to ensure multiple media outlets could conduct interviews simultaneously. Incidentally, the man in the black suit in the left foreground is a new employee! He is learning by watching his senior colleagues handle the media in the background.
During this conference, words such as “on the brink” and “difficult situation” were used by Japan Basketball Association President Yuko Mitsuya and the players themselves. Because of this, the phrase “the Japanese basketball community will fight as one” was particularly striking, and the conference truly conveyed the passion of the association and the players.
Conveying the appeal of sports through such press announcements is also part of our work. Sports are becoming increasingly exciting leading up to 2020! We want to continue supporting the Japanese basketball community to ensure it thrives.
First, we hope for the best in the remaining two matches of the Asian Qualifiers to secure a spot in the World Cup! Sunny-chan is also cheering them on personally!
