Harimoto hails new era as Japan dethrone table tennis kings China

Nagoya: Tomokazu Harimoto declared Japan had overcome their inferiority complex following their victory over China, ending the Asian Games men's table tennis team's 32-year reign. China had claimed gold in this event at every Games since 1994 but were defeated by Japan after Sora Matsushima secured a 3-2 win in the final. The Japanese team included Harimoto, whose parents were both born in China and whose mother represented the country at world championships.

Harimoto, whose sister Miwa plays for Japan's women's team, stated that their win proved they had lacked confidence before. He expressed happiness but noted that there was nothing unusual about their gameplay or the result; they simply achieved the confidence they had been missing. China's team featured world number one Wang Chuqin, with Lin Shidong and Wen ranking eighth and 15th globally, respectively.

Harimoto highlighted that China's dominance lasted due to having six or seven strong players, but now with two in the world's top five, Matsushima and himself can win consistently. Harimoto avoided watching the final against Wang to level the score at 2-2, attributing it to a superstition. Wang initially won against Matsushima but lost 3-0 to Harimoto.

The Chinese team subsequently dominated the women's team final, winning 3-0 against Japan. However, the men's defeat left Chinese fans bitter, with many expressing frustration on social media about the lack of continuity and talent progression within their men's team.