San Francisco Frontiers - Table tennis siblings with China-born parents vow to usher in 'Japan's era'

The siblings' parents were born in China and their mother represented the country -- which has long dominated table tennis -- at the 1995 world championships.

But Tomokazu and Miwa were born and raised in Japan, where their parents moved in 1998 to work as coaches.

The siblings started playing table tennis as soon as they were old enough to pick up a bat, and it has brought them Olympic and world championship medals.

They have beaten some of China's best players and are looking to do so again at this month's Asian Games on home soil in Nagoya.

"I want to make the coming six to 10 years into Japan's era," Tomokazu told Nikkei Asia earlier this year.

The 23-year-old is ranked fourth in the world.

Miwa, 18, is number three in the women's rankings.

Although they play for Japan, both are broadly popular in China and give interviews in fluent Chinese as well as Japanese.

But they have faced criticism from some fans in China.

Tomokazu in particular came under fire ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics for visiting a Tokyo shrine that is seen in China as glorifying Japan's military history.

- Family first -

Being born in Japan does not guarantee citizenship so the siblings acquired it in 2014 along with their father, enabling them to compete in Japan's national championships.

Their father Zhang Yu, who became known as Yu Harimoto, said his children had been around table tennis since they were babies.

He and his wife Zhang Ling coached at a table tennis club in Sendai, and he said they had no choice but to bring their children to work with them.

He stressed that their family philosophy was "health comes first, then study, then table tennis".

"My wife and I wanted our children to do what they were supposed to do at each stage, correctly and properly," Yu Harimoto told Goethe magazine in 2024.

Tomokazu found success at a young age, winning the under-21 Japan Open at 12 before becoming the youngest world junior champion at 13.

He stunned the table tennis world weeks short of his 15th birthday when he beat China's Olympic champions Ma Long and Zhang Jike on the way to the Japan Open title.

Yu Harimoto said his son's early success sorely tested he and his wife's policy of putting their children's education first.

"Personally, once Tomokazu started competing in tournaments and winning, I did feel that he could do with a little more practice," he said.

"But at home, giving priority to what my wife says is the best policy."

- 'Practice with passion' -

Miwa quickly set about emulating her brother's success.

She won two medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, taking silver in the women's team event and bronze in women's doubles.

She also won silver in the women's team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, following on from her brother's bronze in the men's team competition at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Miwa will compete in four events at the Asian Games and Tomokazu will be involved in three.

The pair swept the board at the WTT Champions Yokohama tournament last month, with Miwa winning the women's singles title and Tomokazu topping the men's podium.

For all their success, their father says that having fun is the most important thing.

"Children who practise with passion because they love table tennis make the most progress," he said.

"My wife and I would have accepted it if Tomokazu and Miwa had said they wanted to give up table tennis.

"After all, we didn't start them playing with the intention of turning them into professionals."

A.Clark--SFF