is a Japanese badminton player who competes in men's singles. A member of the Japanese national team, he plays for the BIPROGY team and has reached a career-high world ranking of No. 21.
Okimoto won a silver medal in boys' singles at the 2023 Asian Junior Championships and captured his first senior international title at the 2024 Finnish International. He has since won two Super 300 titles on the World Tour: the 2026 Canada Open, his maiden World Tour title, and the 2026 Taipei Open, where he became the first Japanese player to win the men's singles event in the tournament's history.
Okimoto has also contributed to several milestones for the Japanese team. He was part of the squad that won the mixed team gold medal at the 2023 Asian Junior Championships, Japan's first in 11 years, and helped the team capture its first-ever men's title at the 2026 Asia Team Championships.
Early life and career Okimoto was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan. He began playing badminton at age six, influenced by his older brother. During his youth he divided his time between two sports, practicing badminton at the Hara Junior Club on Saturday mornings and playing third base in a youth baseball league in the afternoons. His involvement in baseball stemmed from a "reward promise" made by his parents, who allowed him to join the baseball club only after he won a national badminton tournament in the second grade. After winning the All-Japan Elementary School Championships in three consecutive years from 2015, he decided to focus solely on badminton.
He later attended Saitama Sakae Junior and Senior High School in Saitama Prefecture. In his final year, Okimoto won the team, boys' singles, and boys' doubles titles at the National High School Invitational Tournament, followed by the boys' singles and doubles titles at the National High School Championships (Inter-High). Following these victories, he appeared on the cover of the May 2023 issue of Badminton Magazine, which featured a special interview with him.
Career 2023: Junior career and World Tour debut In 2023, Okimoto was selected for the Japanese national B team, competing in men's doubles alongside Daigo Tanioka on the senior circuit. He continued to compete in boys' singles at the junior level, winning consecutive titles on the European junior circuit at the Dutch Junior International and the German Junior. At the Asian Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, he helped Japan win its first mixed team gold medal in 11 years and reached the boys' singles final, finishing runner-up to Hu Zhe'an. He concluded his junior international career as a quarterfinalist at the World Junior Championships. Okimoto and Tanioka made their World Tour debut at the Indonesia Masters Super 100 I, upsetting former world number one Tan Wee Kiong and his partner Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub in qualifying before losing in the first round of the main draw.
2024–2025: First senior titles, Super 300 final, and World Top 50 In April 2024, Okimoto joined the BIPROGY Badminton Team and shifted his focus to men's singles. He captured his first senior title at the Finnish International that April, won the Mauritius International in July, and finished runner-up at the Réunion Open. In 2025 he reached consecutive finals in the Northern Mariana Islands, winning the Northern Marianas Open before finishing runner-up at the Saipan International. He went on to reach his first World Tour final at the Malaysia Super 100 and his first Super 300 final at the Korea Masters, finishing runner-up on both occasions. He entered the world top 50 for the first time that year, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 42 on 16 December 2025.
2026: Maiden World Tour title In February, Okimoto was a member of the Japanese squad that secured the nation's first men's team title at the Asia Team Championships. On the World Tour, he advanced to the semifinals of the Orléans Masters, defeating eighth seed Ayush Shetty before losing to eventual champion Alex Lanier. In April, he made his Asian Championships debut in Ningbo, China, advancing to the second round with a win over Jason Teh. He subsequently competed in his first Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, where Japan placed fifth. In June, Okimoto reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open, losing to former world No. 1 Srikanth Kidambi.
Okimoto captured his maiden World Tour title in July at the Canada Open, defeating local player Victor Lai in the semifinals and compatriot Riki Takei in the final. The following month he claimed his second Super 300 title at the Taipei Open, beating top seed Chou Tien-chen in the semifinals and South Korea's Yoo Tae-bin in the final to become the first Japanese player to win the tournament's men's singles title. Okimoto credited his recent matches against top-ranked players, such as Jonatan Christie and Shi Yuqi, for helping him adapt to the pace of elite opponents and withstand high-pressure situations. Following this victory, he reached a career-high world ranking of No. 21.
Playing style Standing at 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in), Okimoto developed a defensive, highly tenacious playing style in high school to compensate for his smaller stature against taller international opponents. He describes his approach as . His gameplay relies on physical endurance, consistent court coverage, and shot anticipation, using precise placement to patiently build extended rallies. Okimoto attributes his defensive positioning and shoulder strength to his baseball background, noting that his badminton court movement resembles that of a baseball infielder.
Elite opponents have praised his tactical approach and resilience. Asian Games gold medalist Jonatan Christie described Okimoto as a tenacious, persistent player who is difficult to put away, noting that his rallying endurance reflects a traditional Japanese playing style. Former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen has similarly praised Okimoto's stamina, solid defense, and low error rate, noting that his deceptive shot placement and ability to push the pace in the front court limit his opponents' attacking opportunities.
Personal life Okimoto is a fan of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team. As a child, he played third base in a youth baseball league and aspired to become a professional baseball player. He idolized Carp infielder Tetsuya Kokubo as a child, and currently cites Shohei Ohtani as the athlete he admires most. Within the BIPROGY team, Okimoto is mentored by senior teammate Koki Watanabe, whom he considers his technical role model for net play and lobbing. Outside of competition, he enjoys sea fishing with his teammates.
Achievements Asian Junior Championships Boys' singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2023 Among Rogo Sports Hall, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Hu Zhe'an 21–13, 14–21, 14–21 Silver
BWF World Tour (2 titles, 2 runners-up) The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, 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.
Men's singles Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result 2025 Malaysia Super 100 Super 100 Dong Tianyao 14–21, 17–21 Runner-up 2025 Korea Masters Super 300 Jason Teh 14–21, 15–21 Runner-up 2026 Canada Open Super 300 Riki Takei 21–13, 21–3 Winner 2026 Taipei Open Super 300 Yoo Tae-bin 21–19, 21–12 Winner
BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 2 runners-up) Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2024 Finnish International Grégoire Deschamp 17–21, 21–9, 21–17 Winner 2024 Réunion Open Tharun Mannepalli 15–21, 15–21 Runner-up 2024 Mauritius International Rizki Ansyahri 16–21, 21–7, 21–14 Winner 2025 Northern Marianas Open Kim Hae-deun 13–21, 21–15, 21–18 Winner 2025 Saipan International Riki Takei 14–16, 4–15 Runner-up
BWF International Challenge tournament BWF International Series tournament BWF Future Series tournament
BWF Junior International (2 titles, 1 runner-up) Boys' singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2023 German Junior Eogene Ewe 21–16, 14–21, 21–18 Winner 2023 Dutch Junior International Hu Zhe'an 21–7, 11–21, 14–3 retired Winner 2022 Malaysia Junior International Sora Ogaki 17–21, 12–21 Runner-up BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament BWF Junior International Series tournament
Performance timeline
National team Junior level Team events 2023 Asian Junior Championships G World Junior Championships 5th
Senior level Team events 2026 Asia Team Championships G Thomas Cup 5th
Individual competitions Junior level Events 2023 Asian Junior Championships S World Junior Championships QF
Senior level Event 2026 Asian Championships 2R
Tournament BWF World Tour Best 2024 2025 2026 Swiss Open A 2R 2R ('26) Ruichang China Masters A 3R A 3R ('25) Orléans Masters A SF SF ('26) Thailand Open A 1R 1R ('26) Baoji China Masters A QF A QF ('25) Malaysia Masters A 2R 2R ('26) U.S. Open A SF SF ('26) Canada Open A W W ('26) Japan Open A 1R 1R ('26) China Open A 1R 1R ('26) Taipei Open A W W ('26) Korea Masters A F SF F ('25) China Masters A 1R 1R ('26) Indonesia Masters Super 100 A 2R A QF ('25) QF Arctic Open A Q ('26) Denmark Open A Q ('26) Malaysia Super 100 2R FA F ('25) French Open A Q ('26) Korea Open A Q ('26) Japan Masters A Q ('26) Kaohsiung Masters A QF A QF ('25) Syed Modi International A 1R 1R ('25) Guwahati Masters A QF QF ('25) Year-end ranking 195 42 42 Tournament 2024 2025 2026 Best
Wins over top-10 ranked players Wins over players who were ranked in the world's top 10 at the time the match was played.
# Opponent Tournament Score 1 Victor Lai 9 2026 Canada Open SF 15–21, 21–16, 21–11 29 2 Chou Tien-chen 6 2026 Taipei Open SF 15–21, 21–15, 22–20 26
Record against selected opponents Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 2 August 2026.
Player Matches Win Lost Victor Lai 2 2 0 +2 Shi Yuqi 1 0 1 –1 Chou Tien-chen 1 1 0 +1
Player Matches Win Lost Alex Lanier 1 0 1 –1 Srikanth Kidambi 1 0 1 –1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 1 0 1 –1
References
External links
Yudai Okimoto at Badminton Association of Japan Yudai Okimoto at J Sports Yudai Okimoto at BIPROGY