The 2026 IBSA Judo World Championships finished in Tbilisi, Georgia on 27 September. The Japan Blind Judo Federation reports that 290 athletes took part from 44 nations — 166 men and 124 women — over the three-day programme at the Hualing Tbilisi Sea Plaza.
Japan sent thirteen judoka, six men and seven women, and five of them finished in the top eight. Seto Yujiro (J2 -70 kg) was the best placed, finishing runner-up; Ogawa Kazusa (J2 -70 kg) took third; Hirose Junko (J2 -60 kg) and Sakurai Tetsuya (J2 -70 kg) finished fifth; Fujiwara Yui (J2 -52 kg) was seventh.
Kato Yuji (J1 -81 kg) went out in his second contest on the opening day and Matsumoto Tomokazu (J1 -95 kg) lost his first. On the second day Sasaki Yoshiyuki (J2 -81 kg) lost his opening contest and Tanaka Tsukasa (J2 -95 kg) went out in the repechage. In the women’s classes Hangaya Shizuka (J1 -52 kg) and Tsuchiya Minako (J1 -70 kg) both lost their first contests, and Ishii Ako (J2 -52 kg) went out in the repechage.
Nishimura Atsumi competed at J1 -70 kg after the pre-event classification moved her from J2, and reached the second round.
The championships closed with the men’s team event, where Japan lost to Mongolia 3-4 and then to Turkey 2-4.
IBSA judo runs two classes, J1 and J2, according to the degree of visual impairment; Japan’s entries in Tbilisi were split between them.
