Japan vs South Korea

Japan's opening 13-0 run in the first quarter effectively decided the contest before it had truly begun. South Korea, missing star forward Lee Hyun-jung (pursuing an NBA roster spot in the United States), never found an answer to Japan's defensive pressure and perimeter shooting.

The absence of Rui Hachimura — rested for the second match along with Keisei Tominaga and Yuta Nishida — did not slow Japan one bit, demonstrating the depth of Oketani's squad. Four Japanese guards scored in double figures.

Yuki Kawamura (Japan) — The game's top scorer with 24 points. The Los Angeles Clippers guard orchestrated the offence with sharp kick-outs and relentless ball pressure. His "W Yuki" connection with Yuki Togashi was a highlight of the series.

Ryusei Sasaki (Japan) — The starting guard ignited the early 13-0 run with a three-pointer and continued to pace the offence in the fourth quarter, knocking down multiple triples and pushing transition breaks.

Josh Hawkinson (Japan) — The 208cm centre anchored the defence with timely shot-blocking and controlled the glass, providing the interior presence Korea could not match. He was named First Round MVP of the Asian Qualifiers.

Lee Woo-suk (South Korea) — The lone bright spot for the visitors, Lee led the Korean offence with 14 points and 5 rebounds across the two-game series, carrying the scoring load in Hyun-jung's absence.

Player of the Match: Yuki Kawamura (24 points)

Japan's dominance was built on a 13-0 opening run that set a 26-14 first-quarter lead. The hosts never trailed. While the stat table shows basic totals, the decisive margin came from Japan's guard production — Kawamura, Sasaki, Togashi and Saito combined to control tempo and convert from distance. South Korea's 12-point fourth quarter (to Japan's 25) illustrates a team that ran out of answers once Japan's defence tightened.

The 95 points marked Japan's highest tally of the two-game series (up from 88 on Saturday), suggesting the squad grew more comfortable as the friendlies progressed. Japan shot efficiently from beyond the arc while Korea struggled to generate consistent offence without their NBA-bound forward.

Japan completed their final preparation before the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers Window 4 with a perfect 2-0 record. They face Saudi Arabia on 27 August in Jeddah and Qatar on 31 August in Tokyo, followed by the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September where they share a group with South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.

For South Korea (ranked No. 57 in the world, to Japan's No. 22), the two losses in Tokyo raise further questions about the project under Latvian head coach Nikolajs Mazurs — the first foreign coach in the programme's history. The Koreans have won just one of five games under Mazurs since his appointment in November 2025. They open their second-round qualifying campaign at Lebanon on 27 August.

Japan's guard depth overwhelmed a South Korea side missing its best player (Lee Hyun-jung) and still searching for form under a new coaching regime. The 29-point margin was no fluke — Japan's NBA-calibre backcourt and defensive intensity were several levels above what Korea could offer. The Akatsuki Japan machine looks well-oiled ahead of the qualifiers.