A full-time engineer, Japan Kurumi Ota left cricket for six years to work on a billion-dollar project
Dubai: For Kurumi Ota, representing Japan at the Asian Games has required balancing international cricket with a demanding career in engineering. The 39-year-old works full-time as a systems engineer at SOMPO, making time for training and international tournaments difficult. Her employer allows her roughly two weeks off twice a year to compete internationally as per Sportstar, but there was a…
Dubai: Kurumi Ota, a full-time engineer from Japan, made the difficult choice to leave cricket for six years to focus on an engineering project. The 39-year-old systems engineer at SOMPO found it challenging to balance her demanding career with international cricket commitments. Her employer only provides two weeks off twice yearly for international competitions, leaving Ota to manage her time between work and training.
In 2017, Ota stepped away from cricket for seven years to work on Japan’s largest core-system modernisation project, a 10-year endeavor valued at several billion dollars. The magnitude of the project required her full attention, pushing cricket to the sidelines until the system was successfully launched. Ota is now back in Japan’s national team and is part of the squad preparing for the 2026 Asian Games.
She previously competed for Japan at the 2014 Asian Games, where they were eliminated by China in the quarterfinals. The story of Ota highlights the reality many Japanese cricketers face—the women’s national squad remains largely part-time, with only 14 cricket clubs nationwide. For Japan, the Asian Games present a crucial opportunity to grow the sport domestically.
Japan’s first match in the tournament will be against defending champions India, scheduled for September 18, following India’s victory in the Women’s Asia Cup.
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