Akira Koga

Akira Koga
Personal information
Born (1994-03-08) 8 March 1994
Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached byShu Wada
Men's & mixed doubles
Highest ranking14 (MD with Taichi Saito, 12 December 2023)
21 (XD with Natsu Saito, 25 August 2026)
Current ranking21 (XD with Natsu Saito, 25 August 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
Sudirman Cup
Silver medal – second place2021 VantaaMixed team
Bronze medal – third place2023 SuzhouMixed team
Thomas Cup
Bronze medal – third place2020 AarhusMen's team
Bronze medal – third place2022 BangkokMen's team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place2022 HangzhouMen's team
Asia Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place2020 ManilaMen's team
Bronze medal – third place2024 SelangorMen's team
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place2012 ChibaMixed team
Asia Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2012 GimcheonMixed team

Akira Koga (古賀 輝, Koga Akira; born 8 March 1994) is a Japanese badminton player who competes in doubles. He plays for the JTEKT badminton team and is a member of the Japanese national team.[1] He was a member of the Japanese junior team that won a gold medal at the 2012 Asian Junior Championships and a silver medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships. In his senior career, Koga has primarily competed in men's doubles with his partner Taichi Saito. He won a silver medal with the Japanese team at the 2021 Sudirman Cup, and has won multiple bronze medals at the Thomas Cup and the Asian Games.

Early career

Junior career

Koga began playing badminton during elementary school in his hometown of Fukuoka, influenced by his parents; his father coached a junior team, and his mother had played at the university level. He later attended Saitama Sakae Junior and Senior High Schools.[2] During his junior career, he won several national titles, including the doubles title at the 2008 All Japan Junior High School Championships and the 2010 JOC Junior Olympic Cup. In 2011, he won the singles title at the National High School Championships (Inter-High), defeating Kento Momota in the final.[3][4]

In 2012, he contributed to Japan's first mixed team title at the Asian Junior Championships and a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. In the World Junior team final against China, he and partner Akane Yamaguchi lost the decisive mixed doubles match 22–24 in the third game to Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen.[5]

University career

From 2012 to 2016, Koga studied at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Waseda University, where he formed a men's doubles partnership with fellow student Taichi Saito. The pair won the All Japan Inter-Collegiate Championships three times (2012, 2013, and 2015).[2][4][3] During his second year, Koga sustained a stress fracture that required surgery, hindering his performance for the remainder of the 2013 season.[4] In his final year, he served as team captain and received the Athletics Honorary Award and the Azusa Ono Memorial Award.[4][6][7]

Career

2016: Competition suspension

After graduating from Waseda University in 2016, Koga joined the NTT East badminton team. In April, amid an illegal gambling scandal involving fellow NTT East players Kento Momota, Kenichi Tago and several other players, Koga was removed from the Japanese national team and suspended from competition for one year by the Nippon Badminton Association for his involvement in illegal gambling.[8][9] His suspension was set to run until April 2017.[10]

2017–2024: Partnership with Taichi Saito

Following his suspension, Koga resumed his senior career with Taichi Saito. The pair won consecutive national titles at the Japan Ranking Circuit in 2017 and 2018 and secured their first international title at the 2018 South Australia International.[11] On the BWF World Tour, they finished as runners-up at four tournaments: the Orléans Masters, the Akita Masters, and the Indonesia Masters in 2019, and the Syed Modi International in 2023.[12][13][14][15] They also reached the semifinals of the 2021 Indonesia Open Super 1000 and the 2023 Canada Open Super 500. Representing Japan in team events, Koga won a silver medal at the 2021 Sudirman Cup. He has also won bronze medals at the Thomas Cup and the Asian Games.

2025: New partnerships and first World Tour title

Following Saito's retirement, Koga transferred to the JTEKT Stingers in 2025. He formed a new men's doubles pairing with Naoya Kawashima, with whom he won the Saipan International and finished as runner-up at the Northern Marianas International.[16][17] In the same year, Koga began competing in mixed doubles with Yuho Imai, securing his first World Tour title at the Super 100 Kaohsiung Masters.[18] The pair also won the Mexican International and the Northern Marianas Open, and were runners-up at the Northern Marianas International.[19][20][21][17] In late 2025, Koga competed with temporary partners in mixed doubles, reaching quarterfinals at the Korea Masters with Hina Osawa and the semifinals of the Japan Masters with Misaki Matsutomo.[22][23]

2026: First Super 300 title

Koga formed a new mixed doubles partnership with Natsu Saito.[24] The pair made their international debut at the season-opening Malaysia Open, where they reached the second round, before advancing to the semifinals of the Thailand Masters.[25][26] In July, the pair won the Canada Open, marking Koga's first Super 300 title.[27]

Achievements

BWF World Tour (2 titles, 4 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[28] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[29]

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 Orléans Masters Super 100 Japan Taichi Saito Chinese Taipei Lee Yang
Chinese Taipei Wang Chi-lin		 21–16, 20–22, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [12]
2019 Akita Masters Super 100 Japan Taichi Saito China Ou Xuanyi
China Zhang Nan		 14–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [13]
2019 Indonesia Masters Super 100 Japan Taichi Saito China Ou Xuanyi
China Zhang Nan		 21–11, 10–21, 20–22 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [14]
2023 Syed Modi International Super 300 Japan Taichi Saito Malaysia Choong Hon Jian
Malaysia Muhammad Haikal		 21–18, 18–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [15]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Kaohsiung Masters Super 100 Japan Yuho Imai Chinese Taipei Wu Hsuan-yi
Chinese Taipei Yang Chu-yun		 16–21, 21–13, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [18]
2026 Canada Open Super 300 Japan Natsu Saito Chinese Taipei Liu Kuang-heng
Chinese Taipei Hsu Yin-hui		 21–17, 17–21, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [27]

BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 2 runners-up)

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 South Australia International Japan Taichi Saito Singapore Danny Bawa Chrisnanta
Singapore Terry Hee		 21–11, 19–21, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [11]
2025 Northern Marianas International Japan Naoya Kawashima South Korea Kim Jae-hyeon
South Korea Lee Sang-won		 16–21, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [17]
2025 Saipan International Japan Naoya Kawashima Japan Haruki Kawabe
Japan Kenta Matsukawa		 15–13, 15–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [16][30]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Mexican International Japan Yuho Imai Brazil Davi Silva
Brazil Sânia Lima		 15–8, 9–15, 15–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [19]
2025 Northern Marianas International Japan Yuho Imai South Korea Kim Jae-hyeon
South Korea Kim Min-ji		 13–21, 21–16, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [17]
2025 Northern Marianas Open Japan Yuho Imai Japan Haruki Kawabe
Japan Kokona Ishikawa		 21–19, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [20][21]
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

Record against selected opponents

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 23 August 2026.[31]

Taichi Saito

Natsu Saito

References

  1. ↑ "Akira KOGA | Profile". JTEKT Sports. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 "[Series] Heisei 27 (2015) Academic Year Graduation Commemorative Special Feature, No. 48: Akira Koga / Badminton". Waseda Sports (in Japanese). 8 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 "[Series] My Grip ~Grip Particularities~ Vol. 17 Akira Koga (NTT East)". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "[Badminton Series, Part 3] 'One for all ~Towards Recapturing the Throne~' Akira Koga × Taichi Saito". Waseda Sports (in Japanese). 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 19 July 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "2012 World Junior Results". tournamentsoftware.com. BWF. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "The 2015 Ono Azusa Memorial Award Ceremony was held". Waseda University (in Japanese). 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Athletics Honorary Award Data" (PDF). Waseda University (in Japanese). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "バド桃田は無期限出場停止、田児は無期限の登録抹消". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 10 April 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "【ニュース】田児賢一は協会登録抹消、桃田賢斗は日本代表の剥奪処分　賭博問題". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 11 April 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "【熊本地震復興イベント】桃田、古賀が処分後、初めて公の場で活動". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 12 November 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 Matsuda, Keita (16 September 2018). "Result: Badminton South Australia International 2018". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  12. 1 2 Anastasiadou-Galva, Despoina (24 March 2019). "Très Bien for Europe in Orléans!". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  13. 1 2 "[Akita Masters 2019] Previous Champions Sakuramoto & Takahata Achieve Their Second Consecutive Victory!<Final-2>". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  14. 1 2 Tegar, Bimo (6 October 2019). "(Yuzu Indonesia Masters) Ou/Zhang Winners in 'Bumi Arema'". Djarum Badminton (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Syed Modi International: Day of the Underdog". Badminton World Federation. 3 December 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Champions Crowned at CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International 2025 – Finals Recap". Badminton Oceania. 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Korea Dominates Finals Day – Northern Marianas International 2025". Badminton Oceania. 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. 1 2 Chan, Chien-chuan (28 September 2025). "Badminton: World University Games Gold Medal Pair Wu Hsuan-yi & Yang Chu-yun Suffer Comeback Defeat to Finish as Runners-Up, 'A Pity We Couldn't Show we can't show our 'wheel dance' to everyone'". LTSports News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 29 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Champions in Mexico – Pan Am Circuit 2025". Badminton Pan America. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  20. 1 2 "Japan Dominates Finals at CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open". Badminton Oceania. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. 1 2 Sablan Jr., James (12 August 2025). "Japan sweeps Crowne Plaza badminton titles". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  22. ↑ "Badminton Korea Masters 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 10 November 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  23. ↑ "Badminton Kumamoto Masters 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 16 November 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  24. ↑ "[Tournament Information] Nami Matsuyama, bronze medalist in the women's doubles at the World Championships, has entered the All Japan Championships in mixed doubles with Hiroki Midorikawa!". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 5 November 2025. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  25. ↑ "Badminton Malaysia Open 2026: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 12 January 2026. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  26. ↑ "Thailand Masters 2026 - Adnan/Indah's First Super 300 Final". Djarum Badminton (in Indonesian). 31 January 2026. Archived from the original on 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  27. 1 2 "Canada Open: Clean Sweep by Japan". Badminton World Federation. 6 July 2026. Archived from the original on 6 July 2026. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  28. ↑ 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.
  29. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  30. ↑ Sablan Jr., James (18 August 2025). "Japan, Korea, and India claim badminton titles in Century Insurance tourney". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  31. ↑ "Akira KOGA – Head To Head". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
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