FIH Junior World Ranking: 15

How they qualified: 3rd Place – Junior Asia Cup 2023

Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 9th

Having made the difficult decision to withdraw from the previous, rescheduled edition, Japan make a welcome return to the Junior World Cup stage. Their only previous appearance came at the 2016 event, which was also staged in Santiago, where they finished in ninth position. They booked their ticket to Santiago 2023 courtesy of a bronze medal at the Junior Asia Cup 2023 in June, which was played on home soil in Kakamigahara. Maho Ueno and Mai Wakasa scored eight times apiece in the competition, with Mahiro Kitayama scoring the crucial goal bronze medal match against China, earning a 2-1 victory to finish the event in style. Japan may be the lowest ranked team in Pool D, but they are more than capable of defying expectations.