The Japan Open, currently sponsored by Kinoshita Group, is a prestigious men’s tennis tournament. The event is typically held at the Ariake Tennis Forest Park in Koto, Tokyo, with its center court being the Ariake Coliseum.

History

Founded in 1915, the tournament’s roots can be traced to the “All-Japan Championships”, which later evolved into the “Japan International Championships”.

It has been part of different tennis circuits over the years. From 1973 to 1989, it was part of the Grand Prix circuit. Since 1990, it has been classified as an ATP 500 series event (previously known as ATP International Series Gold and ATP Championship Series) on the ATP Tour.

Venue and Location

Throughout its 109-year history, the Japan Open has been played on various surfaces.

From 1914 to 1972, 1976 to 1977, and 1982 to 2017, as well as from 2019 onwards, the tournament has been contested on outdoor hard courts.

There were brief periods when it was played on outdoor clay (1973-1975 and 1978-1981). In 2018, due to renovations at Ariake Coliseum for the 2020 Summer Olympics, the tournament was temporarily moved to the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza and played on indoor hard courts.

2024

As of 2024, the reigning champions are Arthur Fils of France in men’s singles, and the British duo of Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool in men’s doubles.

The event offers substantial prize money, with the 2019 tournament boasting a purse of US$2,046,340. The main draw consists of 32 players in singles, with a 24-player qualifying draw, and 16 teams in doubles.

Women’s Event

It’s worth noting that the Japan Open previously included a women’s event, which was classified as a Tier III tournament on the WTA Tour.

The women’s event featured a 32-player main draw, 32-player qualifying draw, and 16-team doubles draw, with prize money of US$175,000 in 2008.

Rakuten Sponsorship

The event was previously sponsored by the Rakuten Group, giving the tournament its name.