"It was Korea again." Japanese men's and women's basketball teams were both stopped in the home finals... sighs despite a '19-point to 2-point' fierce chase [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

"It was Korea again."

Host nation Japan missed both of its long-awaited gold medal opportunities in front of South Korea. The Nam Ja (CEO) team, which reached the finals for the first time in 64 years, was blocked by the Taegeuk mark, and the Yeo Ja (CEO) team also failed to reclaim the title after 28 years.

The Korean women's national basketball team, led by coach Park Soo-ho, defeated Japan 75-70 in the finals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 26th. This was South Korea's first gold medal in women's basketball since the 2014 Incheon Games, marking a 12-year gap.

Reactions from Japan were somber. The Japanese media outlet Daily Sports reported immediately after the women's basketball final between South Korea and Japan on the 26th: "Tears of silver for Japanese women's basketball," adding that although they chased back from a deficit of up to 19 points to within 2 points in the final quarter, they could not achieve their first gold medal in 28 years. Another media outlet, NNN affiliated with Nippon TV, went further by stating, "Just like the men's team, the women's team also lost to South Korea in the finals," highlighting the results of the Nam Nyeo (CEO) team alongside it.

From Japan's perspective, this was a match where expectations were inevitably high. Ranked 9th globally, Japan held a higher ranking than South Korea (14th) and won all five matches from the group stage through the semifinals. In the semifinals, they decisively defeated Taiwan with a score of 80-52. Moreover, in two exhibition matches against South Korea held in Tokyo last August, Japan won both games with scores of 77-59 and 78-77.

In contrast, South Korea competed in the tournament with only 11 players on the roster, missing key resources Park Ji-soo (28, Cheongju KB Stars) and Park Ji-hyun (26, LA Sparks), and even lacking one player due to an injury. Judging solely by objective conditions, this was Japan's best chance to return to the top after 28 years since the 1998 Bangkok Games.

However, in the most important match, the flow was completely opposite. South Korea dominated Japan from the first quarter, leading 27-15, and finished the first half with a score of 42-23. Japan struggled with poor three-point shooting and fell behind by nearly 20 points at one stage.

Despite being backed by home crowd support, Japan did not collapse immediately. They mounted a fierce comeback in the second half and narrowed the gap to 70-72 with just 15 seconds remaining.

South Korea's focus shone brightly in the final moments. Kang I-sol (32, KB Stars) successfully made both free throws to extinguish the immediate threat, and Lee Hae-ran (23, Samsung Life Insurance) added one more free throw. With Japan's final attack failing, the gold medal was finally secured.

Just six days earlier, a similar scene unfolded at the same venue.

The Nam Ja (CEO) team defeated Japan 67-57 in the men's basketball final of the Asian Games on the 20th. This marked South Korea's return to the top after 12 years since the 2014 Incheon Games. On the other hand, Japan, which reached the finals for the first time in 64 years since the 1962 Jakarta Games, aimed for its first-ever gold medal on home soil but could not overcome South Korea.

South Korea defeated Japan 100-83 in the group stage and then secured another victory in the finals. On the morning of the final match day, an unexpected variable occurred when the organizing committee's team bus failed to appear, forcing the cancellation of a scheduled shooting practice, but it did not affect the game result.

Within less than a week, the South Korean Yeo Ja (CEO) team also defeated host nation Japan in the finals. For the first time since the 2014 Incheon Games, exactly 12 years later, both men's and women's teams simultaneously claimed the Asian Games title. Additionally, the men's 3x3 basketball team won gold, while the women's 3x3 national team secured bronze. South Korean basketball achieved its best-ever performance in this tournament, winning three gold medals and one bronze medal across all basketball events.

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*This content was translated by AI.