Toyota Motor Corporation Establishes Beach Volleyball Team

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is delighted to announce the formation of the Toyota beach volleyball team as part of its ongoing efforts to use sport to boost team spirit inside TMC and encourage sports-related activities rooted in the local community. Shunichi Kawai, a pioneer of beach volleyball in Japan, has been named as the team's General Manager (GM). The team will also include prominent active players such as Katsuhiro Shiratori, who has represented Japan at the Olympics in the men's event, as well as the female duo of Takemi Nishibori and Sayaka Mizoe. Together, the team will also work toward nurturing the next-generation of top athletes.

Beach volleyball was invented as a sport in the 1920s and has been a formal Olympic discipline since the 1996 Atlanta games. Beach volleyball is popular all over the world and there are estimated to be around 10 million active players. However, despite its global popularity, beach volleyball in Japan is facing challenges such as strengthening its support base and infrastructure, areas in which it is currently lacking compared to other sports.

Due to its strong popularity with young people around the world and the close teamwork required to play, TMC sees beach volleyball as a sport with great growth potential that can also contribute to the building of local community spirit. For this reason, TMC has decided to establish a new beach volleyball team to actively reach out to younger generations and create a forum for communication through the sport. TMC also regards this as part of its ongoing efforts to energize its employees by encouraging support for players in the team. Furthermore, through a long-term approach that emphasizes close contact with local communities, TMC hopes to build up a support base for beach volleyball and contribute to the strengthening of the sport's infrastructure.

Comments from the GM and players

• Shunichi Kawai GM

  I first started playing beach volleyball 27 years ago and I am working to establish it as a major sport in Japan. I am delighted to have this opportunity to support the development and spread of the sport as a member of Toyota's beach volleyball team. As General Manager, I will make every effort to contribute to local communities and build team spirit within the company by nurturing and strengthening the players.

• Katsuhiro Shiratori

  This decision by Toyota to support beach volleyball as one of its company sports teams is a major turning point for the sport. For this reason, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility. Since beach volleyball is still not widely followed in Japan, I will do everything I can to increase its popularity by competing in events around the world.

• Takemi Nishibori

  Since switching from indoor to beach volleyball, I have been backed by many people who have helped me overcome various challenges faced by the sport.

  As a member of Toyota's beach volleyball team, I will devote myself to the sport even further with the aim of representing Japan at the Rio Olympics.

• Sayaka Mizoe

  As a member of Toyota's beach volleyball team, I hope to attract the support of fans around the world. This opportunity has given a great boost to my confidence and this support will push me to achieve the pinnacle of the sport through a strong commitment to teamwork.

Toyota and corporate sports

TMC has been active in corporate sports since its foundation in 1937 with the aims of building team spirit, boosting the motivation of its employees, and developing better business people. There are currently 35 sports teams active within the company.

Through its sports teams, TMC is aiming to develop employees with a spirited mentality capable of overcoming difficult challenges by incorporating a competitive approach into work practices.

At the same time, TMC actively uses sport to support local communities. One prominent recent example is TMC's decision to participate in the Japan Football Association's nationwide Kokoro Project. In this project, athletes in TMC's sports teams are visiting elementary schools in Toyota city to share their experiences with local children.