After securing a silver medal at the London World Team Table Tennis Championships, Japan’s men’s team returned home and held a press conference in Tokyo. Tomokazu Harimoto expressed his determination to seek revenge against China in future tournaments.
Japan’s men’s team had aimed for their first world title in 57 years, since 1969, but fell 0-3 to China in the final, settling for silver for the first time in a decade. Harimoto, who lost his opening match after leading 2-0 against Liang Jingkun, admitted to missing a golden opportunity.
Looking back at the final, Harimoto said, “Losing a match I could have won left me with immense regret. There were moments when I mentally wavered, but more importantly, my technical foundation was insufficient.” He acknowledged the gap between Japan and China, adding, “When you actually compete, you realize the difference in both our ace player’s strength and the overall depth of the three players. This gap becomes especially apparent on the big stage.”
Comparing himself to Liang Jingkun, Harimoto noted, “It’s not that I lacked tactical options, but rather the quality and depth of each tactic were insufficient. Every point I won seemed to drain my resources, while my opponent never appeared worn down.”
Determined to turn this disappointment into fuel, Harimoto has already set his sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the 2026 World Team Championships in Fukuoka. “This tournament was a valuable experience for our next gold medal bid,” he stated firmly. “I want to get revenge against Sweden and France, who beat us at the Paris Olympics, as well as Germany and China.”
