{"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":"2026-09-28T19:47:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:47:40","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":"JPA\u00d7PJF\u7d71\u5408\u3067\u300c\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u30b8\u30e3\u30d1\u30f3\u300d\u8a95\u751f\u2500\u25004\u670814\u65e5\u767a\u52b9\u3001\u65e5\u672c\u306e\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u7d71\u62ec\u56e3\u4f53\u304c\u4e00\u672c\u5316"},"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>\u65e5\u672c\u3067\u306f\u8907\u6570\u306e\u56e3\u4f53\u304c\u305d\u308c\u305e\u308c\u72ec\u81ea\u306b\u5927\u4f1a\u904b\u55b6\u3084\u9078\u624b\u767b\u9332\u3092\u884c\u3063\u3066\u3044\u305f\u3002\u4e21\u56e3\u4f53\u306f\u300c\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u306e\u6301\u7d9a\u7684\u306a\u6210\u9577\u3068\u7d71\u4e00\u7684\u306a\u7af6\u6280\u4f53\u5236\u306e\u78ba\u7acb\u300d\u3092\u76ee\u7684\u306b\u5354\u8b70\u3092\u9032\u3081\u3001\u5bfe\u7b49\u306a\u7acb\u5834\u3067\u306e\u5408\u4f75\u306b\u5408\u610f\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/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>Impact on Japanese players and enthusiasts<\/h2>\n<p>\u3053\u306e\u7d71\u5408\u306b\u3088\u308a\u3001\u4e00\u822c\u30d7\u30ec\u30a4\u30e4\u30fc\u306b\u306f\u4ee5\u4e0b\u306e\u5b9f\u8cea\u7684\u306a\u5909\u5316\u304c\u751f\u3058\u308b\u3002<\/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>\u696d\u754c\u3078\u306e\u6ce2\u53ca\u2500\u2500\u56fd\u969b\u9023\u643a\u306e\u5f37\u5316<\/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>\u4eca\u5f8c\u306e\u78ba\u8a8d\u30dd\u30a4\u30f3\u30c8<\/h2>\n<p>\u7d71\u5408\u767a\u8868\u5f8c\u3001\u9078\u624b\u304a\u3088\u3073\u611b\u597d\u5bb6\u304c\u78ba\u8a8d\u3059\u3079\u304d\u4e8b\u9805\u306f\u4ee5\u4e0b\u306e\u3068\u304a\u308a\u3002<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>\u65e2\u5b58\u4f1a\u54e1\u306e\u79fb\u884c\u624b\u7d9a\u304d<\/strong>\uff1aJPA\u3001PJF\u65e2\u4f1a\u54e1\u304cPJ\u3078\u79fb\u884c\u3059\u308b\u969b\u306e\u7533\u8acb\u65b9\u6cd5\u3068\u671f\u9650<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u5927\u4f1a\u6210\u7e3e\u30fb\u30e9\u30f3\u30ad\u30f3\u30b0\u306e\u6271\u3044<\/strong>\uff1a\u7d71\u5408\u524d\u306e\u5927\u4f1a\u8a18\u9332\u3084\u30dd\u30a4\u30f3\u30c8\u304c\u65b0\u4f53\u5236\u3067\u3069\u3046\u5f15\u304d\u7d99\u304c\u308c\u308b\u304b<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u6d77\u5916\u5728\u4f4f\u9078\u624b\u306e\u767b\u9332<\/strong>\uff1a\u56fd\u969b\u9023\u643a\u306e\u8a73\u7d30\u3084\u3001\u65e5\u672c\u56fd\u7c4d\u9078\u624b\u306e\u4ee3\u8868\u9078\u8003\u57fa\u6e96<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u65b0\u898f\u5927\u4f1a\u30ab\u30ec\u30f3\u30c0\u30fc\u306e\u767a\u8868<\/strong>\uff1aPJ\u304c\u7d71\u5408\u5f8c\u306b\u516c\u8868\u3059\u308b\u5168\u56fd\u7d71\u4e00\u306e\u5927\u4f1a\u30b9\u30b1\u30b8\u30e5\u30fc\u30eb<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\u3053\u308c\u3089\u306e\u8a73\u7d30\u306fPJ\u516c\u5f0f\u30b5\u30a4\u30c8\u3067\u9806\u6b21\u6848\u5185\u3055\u308c\u308b\u4e88\u5b9a\u3067\u3042\u308a\u3001\u6700\u65b0\u60c5\u5831\u306f\u516c\u5f0f\u767a\u8868\u3092\u5f85\u3064\u5fc5\u8981\u304c\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\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":"","pt_pr_sponsor":""},"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}]}}