What Paddles Do Japan's Pros Use? Japan's Top Players and Their Brand Deals [July 2026 | Japan Edition]

I'm Coach Yoshi. This is the follow-up to What Paddles Do the Pros Use? (the hub article), and it's the Japan edition. After the World edition, this time we turn to the top players here in our own country, Japan.

Let me say this upfront. Japan's pro scene is still in its infancy. Only a handful of people can be called "pro tour players," and many of them are in a situation where they have corporate sponsors such as Sansan or 17LIVE, but have never made public the brand or model of the paddle they use. The information isn't as organized as it is overseas. So this article lays out exactly what I could confirm against primary sources, with a note on how solid each item is (as of July 2026).

DIADEM | Home to the face of Japanese pickleball

Right now, the camp in Japan where you can see all the way down to the model names is DIADEM.

When it comes to the face of pickleball in Japan, it has to be Yuta Funemizu. He was a soft tennis world champion who switched sports, moved to the United States on his own, and made it all the way to MLP (Major League Pickleball). He was originally with JOOLA, but signed an ambassador deal with DIADEM in January 2026, and now plays his own signature model, the EDGE BLUCORE PRO16. He is also about the only Japanese player who has made his model name public.

JOOLA | Where the former tennis and badminton crowd gathers

Just as overseas, JOOLA is strong at the top of the game in Japan too. Its roster is full of people who were at the top of another sport, whether pro tennis or badminton.

Kenta Miyoshi and Aiko Yoshitomi are a married couple who both came over from pro tennis, and they are among the very few Japanese players signed with the PPA. Former badminton world champion Wakana Nagahara taking on the JOOLA Japan ambassador role is another move worth watching.

Selkirk | A landing spot for Japan's PPA-signed players

North America's No.1, Selkirk (we are an authorized distributor too), brought several of Japan's top players on board in 2026.

Nasa Hatakeyama (left-handed), a former padel national team player, is one of the names on Selkirk's international team. His model is listed as "coming soon," so nothing has been confirmed yet.

Other brands and players

• Miyu Hazawa (YONEX grip / Mizuno shoes): a member of Japan's women's national team. Won women's singles and doubles at PPA Australia. Her paddle is Luzz (model not disclosed).
• Rika Fujiwara (YONEX): a former pro tennis player (French Open doubles semifinalist). In May 2026 she won women's singles at PPA Asia Macau, the first PPA title by a Japanese player. Her paddle is YONEX.
• Seina Shima (Facolos): PJF-certified pro; first Pickleball X cohort. Partnered with Facolos, a Vietnam-born, USAP-approved brand (announced by the player herself).
• Aoi Nakata (DIADEM / secondary source): Pickleball X; among the top women's players.

The reality in Japan: corporate sponsors, yes; paddles, undisclosed

Here is one more thing about where Japan stands right now, told straight. Even among genuinely strong top players, quite a few have never disclosed the brand of paddle they use at all.

For example—Kei Sawaki, part of the junior development program (singles and doubles champion in the Asia Junior U16), Haruki Kato, a Japan national team member at the Asia Pickleball Games, Teppei Yoshihara, world No.6 in 35+ singles, and Joe Kasahara, winner of the 2025 PPA Am Hawaii. Every one of them has the results, but as things stand, there is information about their corporate sponsors, such as Sansan and Pickleball One, while the paddles they use never surface.

Japan's pro scene is getting off the ground right now

2026 marked a major turning point for pickleball in Japan. The country's two governing bodies (PJF and JPA) merged and launched as "Pickleball Japan." News of Japanese players winning on the world stage keeps coming, from Funemizu's PPA Asia title to Fujiwara's first-ever PPA title by a Japanese player. I round up what is happening domestically in the May 2026 Japan news roundup and the June issue as well.

The fact that paddle contract information is thin is, flipped around, proof that things are about to get interesting. I'll keep this article updated as things move.

And finally, my usual request. The brand a pro uses isn't necessarily the right answer for you. For how to choose the one paddle that fits your level and playing style, see The Complete Pickleball Paddle Buyer's Guide and A Thorough Comparison of the Major Pickleball Brands.

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References

1. Yuta Funemizu × DIADEM ambassador deal (DIADEM Japan official)
2. Kenta Miyoshi official profile
3. Aiko Yoshitomi official (Team Miyoshi)
4. Miyu Hazawa official profile
5. Team Selkirk International official
6. Pickleball Japan (PJF)