Japan has a strong showing at the 2026 WSOP. Here’s why.

Japan has already produced three gold bracelet winners at the 2026 WSOP, thanks to the efforts of YouTuber Masato Yokosawa, who led 290 Japanese players to the competition, Koji Fujimoto's free tutorials, and Shiina Okamoto's influence.

The Paris ballroom was packed with friends and family surrounding the live broadcast table. Nick Schulman, one of the greatest poker players in history, was chasing his ninth World Series of Poker bracelet, but most of the audience wasn't there to see him. They were there to cheer on Koji Fujimoto.

The arena erupted when Fujimoto defeated the Hall of Famer heads-up to win his first WSOP gold bracelet. The cheers came from dozens of students who had traveled all the way from Japan—where Fujimoto was teaching poker for free.

One of them was Naoya Kihara. He didn't need these courses.

Japan's first WSOP bracelet winner has enjoyed a historic summer, winning two consecutive championship events a few weeks ago, fourteen years after his first bracelet. He was just eliminated from the final table that Fujimoto conquered—but you couldn't tell from his face.

Kihara was all smiles throughout, celebrating with his compatriots, and then served as Fujimoto's translator in a post-race interview.

Just steps from the live stream table, another scene was unfolding. A special free draw for the WSOP x World Wide Tour was in full swing, with the vast majority of participants being Japanese. This event was hosted by poker superstar and YouTuber Masato Yokosawa, whose channel boasts over one million subscribers. He brought 290 Japanese players to Las Vegas to compete.

If you're starting to understand why Japan has already produced three WSOP bracelet winners this summer, you're not the only one thinking this. But don't just listen to what we have to say; hear what the bracelet winners themselves have to say…

Naoya Kihara and Ryutaro Suzuki

As Kihara looked at his friend Fujimoto with obvious pride, he was more than happy to reminisce about the amazing summer Japan had enjoyed at the WSOP. In many ways, as Japan's first gold bracelet winner, he could rightfully be seen as a pioneer, although he quickly denied any sense of belonging to what followed.

"When I first won the gold bracelet, no one had ever won it before. It took two years for a second one to appear. Now, there are two Japanese gold bracelet winners every year... Winning a gold bracelet is becoming more and more common, and no longer special," he said.

"Winning a gold bracelet has become more and more common, and it's no longer special."

"Masato [Yokosawa] brought 300 Japanese players... That's why poker in Japan is really growing now. Masato is promoting Texas Hold'em. I'm promoting hybrid games."

Having won Japan's first two gold bracelets earlier this summer, and just finished seventh from the final table he was watching from the sidelines, he turned his attention to Fujimoto and the next generation. "I'm glad Koji is my friend. He teaches poker for free in Japan... I really respect that about him."

Standing next to Kihara was two-time WSOP champion Ryutaro Suzuki, who was labeled by a group of players gathered around his friends and family as the best English speaker—in response to a journalist looking for a quote. Suzuki did speak English, but Kihara quickly stepped in to translate, easing the pressure.

In fact, the two had faced off at the same table a few weeks earlier in the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Low Stud Draw Championship. Kihara ultimately won the championship, while Suzuki finished fourth.

"The World Series is a special place for me."

Through his accomplished translator, Suzuki reviewed Japan's incredible momentum at the 2026 WSOP, noting, "Japanese players have performed exceptionally well this year. Poker is growing stronger in Japan."

Reflecting on his deep run in the Championship 2-7 Low Stud event, he added: "I'm happy to be playing in mixed games... I finished fourth, but I haven't won a bracelet this year yet. I'll try harder next time. The World Series is a special place for me."

He will definitely come back.

Koji Fujimoto

Japan's 11th WSOP champion told PokerNews' David Salituro, "Winning this bracelet takes my poker career to the next level. My dream was to win a bracelet in the World Series, and I did it. So I can take the next step in my poker career." This quote was translated again by the polite Kihara.

He had just defeated one of the greatest players of all time, Schulman, to win the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Three Draws tournament, but he was not intimidated by the occasion at all.

"I wasn't playing alone; all the students were playing together. That made me play better and led to the victory."

"He's a good player. I tried not to make any mistakes and focused on every hand," he said with a calmness that contrasted with the scale of the achievement—he beat what is arguably the world's best mixed-game player.

Fujimoto is a poker coach in his hometown, and his students came in droves to the final table to cheer him on. "I wasn't playing alone; it was all my students together. That made me play better and led to the victory," he said.

"I've been teaching students to play poker for the past year. Three times a week. I've won a gold bracelet. So this will make mixed games thrive in Japan," he added. He didn't mention that his lessons were completely free.

Masato Yokosawa

The world's most-subscribed poker video blogger is Masato "World Wide" Yokosawa, with over one million subscribers. Yes, one million.

This summer, he turned these followers into something more concrete – he chartered a flight from Narita Airport to Las Vegas, carrying nearly 300 Japanese poker players.

In addition to the WSOP, he also organized a special free tournament for the group called WSOP x World Wide Tour, which a large number of players participated in, although he noted that at least one American was on the entry list.

His X account documented the trans-Pacific journey in real time, which already felt like a historic poker trip. From Yokosawa making his first-ever in-flight announcement to hosting a tournament "10,000 meters in the air," the journey looked incredibly exciting. Absolutely fascinating. No wonder so many people have taken this trip.

Shiina Okamoto

Although Shiina Okamoto failed to achieve a stunning three-peat at the WSOP $1,000 Women's Championship this year, it's impossible to discuss Japan's influence on the 2026 series without mentioning the two-time champion.

"Most people don't learn poker entirely on their own—they learn from others. And choosing that person is really important."

A quick look at the WSOP Live app for this year’s record-breaking women’s championship reveals a large number of Japanese players, many of whom aspire to follow in Okamoto’s footsteps.

Just as Kihara, Fujimoto, and Yokosawa are all focused on the next generation of Japanese talent, Okamoto is too. After her consecutive wins last year, she told PokerNews, "Most people don't learn poker entirely on their own—they learn from others. And choosing that person is really important. Finding the right mentor requires good judgment, and I hope new players don't make the mistake of learning from the wrong people."

This year's strong lineup of Japanese competitors at the Women's Championship demonstrates Okamoto's influence.

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