Japanese cricket team
 |
|
| Association | Japan Cricket Association |
|---|---|
| ICC status | Affiliate (1989) Associate (2005) |
| ICC region | ICC East Asia-Pacific |
| WCL | n/a (regional tournaments) |
| Coach | Dhugal Bedingfield |
| Captain | Masaomi Kobayashi |
| First international | |
 Japan v. Brunei  (Kuala Lumpur; 6 September 1996) |
|
| As of 9 August 2016 | |
The Japan national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Japan in international cricket. The team is organised by the Japan Cricket Association (JCA), which has been a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1989. Japan made its international debut at the 1996 ACC Trophy in Malaysia. Most of the team's matches come in regional competitions, generally against other teams in the ICC East Asia-Pacific development region. Between 2008 and 2012, Japan participated in the World Cricket League (WCL), reaching WCL Division Five at one point.
Cricket was introduced to Japan in the 1860s, by the British, but did not become organised until the 1980s, when the Japan Cricket Association was formed. They became an affiliate member of the ICC in 1989, and the national team first played in the 1996 ACC Trophy, losing all their games including a 380 run defeat by Fiji. They continued without success in the 1998 tournament and the 2000 tournament.
After the 2000 ACC Trophy, they left the Asian Cricket Council and became part of the ICC's East Asia/Pacific region. They played in the East Asia Eights tournament in Australia in February 2002, finishing as runners-up to an Australian indigenous team.Indonesia and South Korea were the other teams in the tournament. In 2004, they hosted the East Asia Pacific Cricket Challenge tournament as part of qualification for the 2007 World Cup, finishing third after beating Indonesia in a play-off.
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