{"id":3551,"date":"2026-04-25T14:04:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=3551"},"modified":"2026-04-25T14:04:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:04:25","slug":"jpa-pjf-merge-pickleball-japan-pj-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/jpa-pjf-merge-pickleball-japan-pj-april-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"\"Pickleball Japan (PJ)\" Is Born from the JPA x PJF Merger -- Japan's Pickleball Governing Bodies Unify as of April 14"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>A historic turning point for Japan\u2019s pickleball world\u2014the new organization PJ is launched through the JPA \u00d7 PJF merger<\/h2>\n<p>On April 14, 2026, a major turning point came for Japan\u2019s pickleball world. The Japan Pickleball Association (JPA) and the Pickleball Japan Federation (PJF) officially merged, giving birth to the new governing body<strong>\u201cPickleball Japan Federation\u201d (commonly known as Pickleball Japan \/ PJ).<\/strong>The agreement was signed on March 13, 2026, announced on April 10, and took effect on April 14. With this, Japan\u2019s pickleball competitive structure\u2014which had long had two coexisting organizations\u2014is unified.<\/p>\n<h2>The background to the merger and the terms of the agreement<\/h2>\n<p>In Japan, multiple organizations had each run tournaments and player registration independently. Players and enthusiasts had voiced concerns such as \u201cthe points of contact are split and confusing\u201d and \u201cthe criteria for dispatch to international tournaments are opaque.\u201d The two organizations advanced talks with the aim of \u201cthe sustainable growth of pickleball and the establishment of a unified competitive structure,\u201d and agreed to merge on equal footing.<\/p>\n<p>The new organization, PJ, integrates the functions of the former JPA and PJF and, as<strong>the only governing body in Japan,<\/strong>will single-handedly take charge of player registration, tournament sanctioning, and serving as the point of contact with the international federation. This coincides with the timing of<a href=\"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/picklr-japan-launch-makuhari-toyosu-april-2026\/\">The Picklr\u2019s arrival in Japan<\/a>and<a href=\"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/shinagawa-prince-hotel-pickleball-court-japan-trend-2026\/\">and a string of court openings at hotels and commercial facilities,<\/a>and serves as a tailwind for the spread of pickleball in Japan.<\/p>\n<h2>Details of the new structure<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Details<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Official name<\/td>\n<td>Pickleball Japan Federation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Common name<\/td>\n<td>Pickleball Japan (PJ)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>President<\/td>\n<td>Rika Riordan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Vice President<\/td>\n<td>Shigeru Nishigami<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Secretary-General<\/td>\n<td>Takeshi Koizumi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Directors<\/td>\n<td>Kento Sasaki, Koki Sugimoto, Yuki Tanaka, Chiharu Hachiya Lorenzoni, Masahiro Marutani<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Headquarters location<\/td>\n<td>4-1-15 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Branches<\/td>\n<td>Tokyo (Asakusabashi) and Osaka (Fushimi-cho)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Agreement signing date<\/td>\n<td>March 13, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Effective date<\/td>\n<td>April 14, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Reactions from stakeholders<\/h2>\n<p>In response to the merger announcement, many welcoming voices have been raised from Japan\u2019s pickleball community.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A representative of a Kanto pickleball club: \u201cWith registration consolidated into one, procedures become easier for both players and tournament organizers. This should also clarify the path to international tournaments.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>An operator of a Kansai enthusiast community: \u201cI\u2019m glad a branch will be set up in Osaka too. I expect the spread in western Japan to advance more than ever.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>A former Japanese national-team player: \u201cWith the organizations unified into one, the transparency of the ranking system and national-team selection should improve. For players, it\u2019s a big step forward.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Impact on Japanese players and enthusiasts<\/h2>\n<p>The actual impact this merger has on ordinary players is as follows.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Unification of player registration<\/strong>: Going forward, a single registration with PJ will earn you eligibility to enter domestically sanctioned tournaments<\/li>\n<li><strong>Development of the tournament system<\/strong>: A nationwide ranking system and a unified tournament calendar are expected to be built<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dispatch to international tournaments<\/strong>: The selection criteria for Japanese national-team players are clarified, making participation in the Asian Games and the World Cup smoother<\/li>\n<li><strong>Promotion of grassroots activity<\/strong>: A structure is put in place for PJ to provide unified support for regional promotion activities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In Japan,<a href=\"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/yuta-funemizu-diadem-deal-2026-paddle-sponsorship-changes\/\">as seen in Yuta Funamizu\u2019s deal with Diadem,<\/a>the activity of pro players is also becoming more vigorous. The birth of a unified organization will further accelerate such moves.<\/p>\n<h2>Ripple effects on the industry\u2014groundwork for Olympic adoption<\/h2>\n<p>Pickleball did not reach adoption at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but activity aimed at the 2032 Brisbane Games continues. Because the IOC places importance on a globally unified governing structure for each sport, the unification of organizations in a major country like Japan leads to improved credibility for the sport as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>PJ has stated it will work on the following priorities going forward.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Strengthening cooperation with the International Pickleball Federation<\/li>\n<li>Developing the domestic tournament system and expanding sanctioned tournaments<\/li>\n<li>Building a player-development system from juniors to seniors<\/li>\n<li>Grassroots promotion activities across the country<\/li>\n<li>Preparation and advocacy toward Olympic adoption<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Practical information<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Details<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Official PJ website<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickleball-japan.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pickleball-japan.org<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Merger announcement page (English)<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickleball-japan.org\/en\/post\/pj-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Official announcement<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Headquarters address<\/td>\n<td>4-1-15 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Player registration<\/td>\n<td>Details to be released in stages on the official website<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Summary\u2014actions going forward<\/h2>\n<p>The launch of the new organization PJ through the JPA \u00d7 PJF merger is one of the biggest turning points for Japan\u2019s pickleball world. With the unification of player registration and the tournament system, the competitive environment will be put in order.<\/p>\n<p>There are three things enthusiasts can do now.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Bookmark the official PJ website<\/strong>and check the latest information on player registration and tournaments<\/li>\n<li><strong>Share information with your club or circle<\/strong>and grasp PJ\u2019s activity policy<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take part in regional promotion activities<\/strong>and contribute to expanding the playing population from the grassroots level<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/h2>\n<h3>Q. What happens to my existing JPA or PJF membership?<\/h3>\n<p>A. With the merger, guidance on the transition procedures for existing members will be provided in stages on PJ\u2019s official website. New registration is also unified under PJ.<\/p>\n<h3>Q. Will results from tournaments sanctioned before the merger carry over to PJ?<\/h3>\n<p>A. A separate announcement is expected from PJ regarding the transition policy for tournament records and ranking points. Let\u2019s wait for the official announcement.<\/p>\n<h3>Q. Can Japanese players living overseas also register with PJ?<\/h3>\n<p>A. PJ lists cooperation with the international federation as a priority and plans to handle the registration and national-team selection of overseas-based players as well. Please check the official website for details.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Japan Pickleball Association (JPA) and the Pickleball Japan Federation (PJF) have merged, launching the new organization \"Pickleball Japan (PJ)\" as of April 14. Rika Riordan has been appointed chair.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ssp_meta_description":"","swell_btn_cv_data":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[123,2840,135,2841,68,8,37],"region":[1219],"class_list":["post-3551","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-news","tag-year-2026","tag-jpa","tag-jpf","tag-pj","tag-olympic","tag-organization","tag-japan","region-tokyo-shibuyaku"],"acf":{"summary":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3551"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=3551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}