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Minoru Koga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Minoru Koga
Personal information
Born (1996-09-30) 30 September 1996 (age 29)
Fukuoka, Japan
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessLeft
Men's singles
Highest ranking49 (9 June 2026)
Current ranking50 (4 August 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
Asia Mixed Team Championships
Silver medal – second place2019 Hong KongMixed team
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place2014 Alor SetarMixed team
Asian Youth Games
Gold medal – first place2013 NanjingMixed doubles
Asian Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place2014 TaipeiMixed team

Minoru Koga (古賀 穂, Koga Minoru; born 30 September 1996) is a Japanese badminton player who competes in singles.[1] He is a former member of the Japanese national team (2018–2022) and is currently affiliated with the AC Nagano Parceiro Badminton Club.[2] His junior international achievements include a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2013 Asian Youth Games and bronze medals with the national team at the 2014 Asian and World Junior Championships. While studying at Waseda University, he won the men's singles title at the All Japan Intercollegiate Championships in 2017 and 2018. On the BWF World Tour, his best result was a runner-up finish at the 2018 Canada Open.

Early life and career

[edit]

Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Koga began playing badminton at the age of six at the Okagaki Junior club.[3] During his childhood, he faced health challenges, including asthma, pneumonia, and severe food allergies. With dietary management supported by his parents, he developed a tactical playing style to compensate for his smaller stature. In 2011, while a second-year student at Tomioka Daiichi Junior High School in Fukushima Prefecture, he was practicing when the ceiling lights fell due to the Great East Japan Earthquake. He temporarily evacuated to his hometown in Fukuoka, but the local community prepared a new practice environment for him in Inawashiro just two months later. Deeply motivated to bring hope to the disaster-stricken region, he went on to sweep five titles at the national junior high school championships.[4][5]

Junior career

[edit]

Koga won national singles titles across all three major junior age divisions: the All Japan Elementary School Championships (2008), the All Japan Junior High School Championships (2011), and the National High School Championships (Inter-High) (2014).[6] At the 2014 Inter-High, he defeated Kanta Tsuneyama in the singles final and led Tomioka High School to the team title.[7] Internationally, Koga partnered with Akane Yamaguchi to win the mixed doubles gold medal at the 2013 Asian Youth Games.[8] He was also a member of the Japanese team that won bronze medals at both the 2014 Asian and World Junior Championships.[9][10]

Collegiate career

[edit]

In 2015, Koga enrolled at Waseda University to study sport sciences.[11] He won back-to-back men's singles titles at the All Japan Intercollegiate Championships in 2017 and 2018.[12][13] In his final year, he captained the Waseda team to a national intercollegiate team title.[14]

Career

[edit]

2018–2021: First international title

[edit]

In 2018, while still a university student, Koga was selected for the Japanese national B team for the first time.[11] That same year, he reached the final of the Super 100 Canada Open. Entering the tournament ranked 396th in the world, he finished as the runner-up to Lu Guangzu.[15] In March 2019, he was part of the squad that won silver at 2019 Asia Mixed Team Championships.[16] Following his graduation, Koga joined the NTT East badminton team on 1 April 2019.[11] He won his first senior international title at the 2019 Swedish Open, defeating Loh Kean Yew in the final.[17] Later that year, he reached the semi-finals of the 2019 Vietnam Open, defeating Kunlavut Vitidsarn during his tournament run.[18][19] However, his international career was temporarily suspended when overseas expeditions were halted for about two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestically, Koga won the All Japan Members Championships in 2019 and the Japan Ranking Circuit in 2021.[20]

2022–2024: Five international titles and world top 60

[edit]

In 2022, Koga resumed international competition, winning the Mexican International in April.[21] After reaching only the quarter-finals of the All Japan Championships at the end of the year, he was dropped from the Japanese national team.[5]

Despite his removal from the national team, Koga won Thailand International in March 2023 reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 56.[22] He subsequently claimed titles at the Bahrain International, and Malaysia International titles.[23][24] After competing in seven tournaments throughout 2023, he finished the year with a world ranking of No. 118.[1] Domestically, he secured his second titles at both the All Japan Members Championships and the Japan Ranking Circuit in 2023.[25][26]

In 2024, competing as a non-national team player, Koga participated in only three tournaments, successfully defending his Malaysia International title.[27] Due to his limited participations, his world ranking dropped to No. 198 by the end of the year.[1]

2025: Club transfer and two titles

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Having missed national team selection for three consecutive years, he lacked opportunities to compete overseas, and his world ranking fell to No. 265 by March. He briefly considered retirement, but later decided to self-fund his career with the aim of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.[5] On 1 April 2025, he left his corporate position at NTT East to become a professional player affiliated with the AC Nagano Parceiro badminton club.[2] This transition allowed him to independently acquire sponsors to cover his international travel and tournament fees.[5] This professional shift led to a resurgence in his international performance; he won titles at the Slovenia Future Series and the Belgian International, and finished as runner-up at the Lagos International.[28][29][30] Koga concluded the season by reaching the semi-finals of the Syed Modi International, where he defeated top seed Jason Teh in the quarter-finals before retiring from his semi-final match due to injury .[31][32] By the end of 2025, his world ranking had improved from No. 284 in August to No. 86.

2026

[edit]

Koga began 2026 by winning consecutive titles at the Estonian International and the Swedish Open, defeating Denmark's Mads Christophersen in both finals.[33][34] Later that year, at the German Open, he advanced from the qualifying rounds to the quarter-finals. He defeated the second seed and world No. 6, Li Shifeng, in the first round, and Lee Cheuk Yiu in the second round, before losing to Toma Junior Popov in the quarter-finals.[35][36][37] In May, Koga reached the semi-finals of the Baoji China Masters, where he lost to his compatriot Riki Takei. He achieved a new career-high ranking of world No. 49 in June 2026.

Personal life

[edit]

His elder brother, Akira Koga, is also a badminton player affiliated with JTEKT Stingers.[3]

Achievements

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Asian Youth Games

[edit]

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2013 Nanjing Sport Institute,
Nanjing, China		 Japan Akane Yamaguchi Thailand Dechapol Puavaranukroh
Thailand Puttita Supajirakul		 21–19, 19–21, 21–17 Gold Gold [8]

BWF World Tour (1 runner-up)

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The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[38] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tours are divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[39]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 Canada Open Super 100 China Lu Guangzu 15–21, 10–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [15]

BWF International Challenge/Series (10 titles, 3 runners-up)

[edit]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 Slovenian International India Sourabh Verma 17–21, 12–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [40]
2019 Lao International Japan Kodai Naraoka 20–22, 20–22 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [41][42]
2019 Swedish Open Singapore Loh Kean Yew 21–11, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [17]
2022 Mexican International Brazil Jonathan Matias 10–21, 22–20, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [21]
2023 Thailand International Chinese Taipei Chi Yu-jen 15–21, 21–17, 22–20 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [22]
2023 Malaysia International Japan Takuma Kawamoto 21–17, 10–21, 21–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [24]
2023 Bahrain International Japan Riki Takei 11–21, 21–15, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [23]
2024 Malaysia International Japan Riku Hatano 21–19, 15–21, 21–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [27]
2025 Lagos International Indonesia Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo 17–21, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [30]
2025 Slovenia Future Series England Cholan Kayan 21–17, 24–22 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [28]
2025 Belgian International Belgium Julien Carraggi 21–14, 22–20 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [29][43]
2026 Estonian International Denmark Mads Christophersen 21–18, 11–21, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [33]
2026 Swedish Open Denmark Mads Christophersen 21–16, 16–21, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [34]
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament
  BWF Future Series tournament

Performance timeline

[edit]
Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A G S B NH N/A DNQ
(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

National team

[edit]
  • Junior level
Team events2014Ref
Asian Junior Championships B [9]
World Junior Championships B [10]
  • Senior level
Team events2019Ref
Asia Mixed Team Championships S [16]

Individual competitions

[edit]

Junior level

[edit]
  • Boys' singles
Events2014Ref
Asian Junior Championships 2R
World Junior Championships 2R
  • Mixed doubles
Events2013Ref
Asian Youth Games G [8]

Senior level

[edit]

Men's singles

Tournament BWF World TourBest Ref
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Thailand Masters A NH A Q1 Q1 ('26)
German Open A NH A QF QF ('26) [37]
Swiss Open A NH A Q1 Q1 ('26) [44]
Orléans Masters A NH A Q2 Q2 ('26)
Baoji China Masters N/A A SF SF ('26)
Malaysia Masters A NH A 1R 1R ('26)
Australian Open A NH A 2R 2R ('26)
U.S. Open A NH A 1R 1R ('26)
Canada Open F 1R NH A 2R F ('18) [15]
Taipei Open A NH A 1R 1R ('26)
Korea Masters A NH A Q ('26)
Indonesia Masters Super 100 A 2R NH A A Q 2R ('19, '25)
2R
Vietnam Open 2R SF NH A Q SF ('19) [18][19]
Kaohsiung Masters N/A 2R A 2R ('23)
Malaysia Super 100 N/A A 2R 2R ('25) [45]
Japan Masters N/A A 1R A 1R ('24) [46]
Syed Modi International A NH A SF SF ('25) [31][32]
Akita Masters QF 1R NH N/A QF ('18) [47]
Year-end ranking 144 94 104 123 82 118 198 89 49
Tournament 201820192020202120222023202420252026BestRef

Record against selected opponents

[edit]

Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 29 July 2026.[48]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Minoru KOGA | Profile". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Announcement: Player Minoru Koga to Join AC Nagano Parceiro Badminton Club" (in Japanese). AC Nagano Parceiro. 7 April 2025. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Minoru Koga | Profile". Badminton S/J League (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Minoru Koga | Profile". AC Nagano Parceiro (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 18 April 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "PASSION: My feelings about badminton". Minoru Koga Official Site (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 28 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "Minoru Koga | Profile" (in Japanese). SMASH and NET.TV. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Inter-High: Minoru Koga Achieves Double Crown, Akane Yamaguchi Secures Second Consecutive Victory!!" (in Japanese). SMASH and NET.TV. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Results: 2nd Asian Youth Games" (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  9. 1 2 "News Flash! Final Results of Badminton Asia Youth Championships 2014". Victor Badminton. 19 February 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  10. 1 2 "2014 World Junior Badminton Championships" (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 "[Series] "Heisei 30 (2018) Academic Year Graduation Commemorative Special Feature" Part 50: Minoru Koga / Badminton". Waseda Sports (in Japanese). 12 March 2019. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  12. ↑ "[Intercollegiate Championships] Waseda University's Minoru Koga Takes the Crown! <Men's Singles>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  13. ↑ "[Intercollegiate Championships] Minoru Koga Wins All-Waseda Final to Secure Second Consecutive Title! <Men's Singles>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 19 October 2018. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  14. ↑ "[Intercollegiate Championships] Waseda University Claims Second Consecutive Title with Overwhelming Strength! <Men's Team Event>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 15 October 2018. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 Diamond, James (24 June 2018). "Li Xuerui wins BWF Canada Open to continue injury comeback". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  16. 1 2 Pavitt, Michael (24 March 2019). "China crowned Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships winners after beating holders Japan". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Danny, Tan win mixed doubles title in Sweden". The New Paper. 21 January 2019. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  18. 1 2 Matsuda, Keita (12 September 2019). "Results: Vietnam Open 2019". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  19. 1 2 "[Vietnam Open] Asuka Takahashi takes second place in women's singles! <Final Results>". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 7 December 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "[All Japan Members] Minoru Koga and Natsumi Shimoda are the champions! <Men's and Women's Singles>". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 4 September 2019. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  21. 1 2 Fraga, John (16 April 2022). "Jonathan Matias takes second place in the Mexico Challenge". Olimpíada Todo Dia (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Thailand wins 2 Thailand International Challenge titles". Badminton Thai Today (in Thai). 13 March 2023. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  23. 1 2 Sipra, Adnan (27 November 2023). "Koga rallies to down Takei in thriller for men's singles title". Gulf Daily News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Japanese Shuttlers Sweep Three Titles At Petronas Malaysia International Badminton Championships". Bernama. 19 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  25. ↑ "[Badminton] Minoru Koga wins men's singles "I'm relieved," also defeating Takuma Kawamoto, whom he lost to last year <singles results>". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 6 September 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  26. ↑ "[Japan Ranking Circuit 2025] Minoru Koga advances to the finals for the third consecutive year in the men's singles! Manami Suizu and Kana Furukawa advance to the finals in the women's singles! <Semi-final results/singles>". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 23 May 2025. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  27. 1 2 "Men's Doubles Pair Miss Out On Title At Petronas Malaysia International Badminton Challenge 2024". Bernama. 22 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  28. 1 2 Martinez, Sara Gonzalez (8 September 2025). "Ivančič and Polanc defend their title on home soil". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  29. 1 2 "No tournament victory in front of home crowd: Julien Carraggi has to admit superiority to Japanese". Sporza (in Dutch). 13 September 2025. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  30. 1 2 "Indonesia Dominates as Lagos Int'l Badminton Classics 2025 Ends". This Day. 31 August 2025. Archived from the original on 31 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  31. 1 2 "Syed Modi International badminton tournament: Tanvi Sharma, Unnati Hooda, Kidambi Srikanth march into semifinals". The Times of India. 28 November 2025. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  32. 1 2 Ganesan, Uthra (29 November 2025). "Syed Modi International 2025: Srikanth makes final; Tanvi, Unnati bow out in semis". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 17 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  33. 1 2 "Yonex Estonian International 2026 titles awarded". Estonian Badminton Federation (in Estonian). 11 January 2026. Archived from the original on 11 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  34. 1 2 Aktor, Lukas (19 January 2026). "Europe claims 2 gold and 1 silver at Swedish Open". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  35. ↑ Hansen, Anders (25 February 2026). "Nhat Nguyen Defeats Chou Tien Chen in Germany". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 26 February 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  36. ↑ Gonzales, Sara (27 February 2026). "Podium hopes alive as for many Europeans". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 17 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  37. 1 2 "German Open: Impressive Day for France". Badminton World Federation. 26 February 2026. Archived from the original on 1 March 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  38. ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  39. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  40. ↑ Ratnakar, M (18 May 2019). "Shuttler Sourabh Verma wins Slovenia International title". Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  41. ↑ Goto, Ai (24 February 2019). "Result: Laos International Series 2019". Nippon Badminton Association. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  42. ↑ "Thailand wins mixed doubles title at Beer Lao tournament" (in Thai). Badminton Thai Today. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  43. ↑ "Belgian International Badminton Championships - Julien Carraggi beaten in the final in Leuven". La Libre Belgique (in French). 13 September 2025. Archived from the original on 19 December 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  44. ↑ Zamri, Adam (10 March 2026). "Zii Jia beats Koga in first qualifying match at Swiss Open". The Star. Archived from the original on 17 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  45. ↑ Salim, Faizal (15 October 2025). "Eogene upsets Japanese rival to reach Super 100 third round". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  46. ↑ "Badminton Kumamoto Masters 2024: Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 11 November 2024. Archived from the original on 11 December 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  47. ↑ "[Super 100] Three players and three pairs reach the semi-finals! The impressive run of Japanese women's singles and doubles continues! <Akita Masters>". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 12 December 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  48. ↑ "Minoru KOGA head to head". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
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