Japan's pro table tennis league to open 2026-27 season overseas in Taiwan

In a historic first, the Japanese professional table tennis league, Nojima T.LEAGUE, will stage its 2026-27 season's overseas opening match in Taiwan. The highly anticipated event is set to take place this afternoon at the Hsinchu County Stadium.

The match, organized by the Taiwanese brand 'the egg,' brings together four top Japanese professional teams. Notable participants include Taiwan's own table tennis stars, Cheng I-ching, and Lin Yun-ju, who will compete for their respective teams, Kinoshita Kanagawa and Kinoshita Tokyo. Japanese stars Miyu Kihara and Miwa Harimoto are also set to compete.

This landmark event, billed as the T.LEAGUE's first-ever overseas opening match, has generated significant excitement among fans in both Taiwan and Japan. All 6,000 seats at the Hsinchu County Stadium were reportedly sold out within approximately one week of tickets going on sale, with a considerable number of Japanese fans making special trips to Taiwan to witness the competition.

Taiwanese veteran entertainer Vivian Hsu will perform during the opening ceremony. The women's matches will commence in the afternoon, featuring Miyu Kihara's TOP Nagoya against Miyu Kihara's Kinoshita Kanagawa. The men's competition will follow in the evening, with Lin Yun-ju's Kinoshita Tokyo facing T.T Saitama.

Tsai Shu-chen, Director-General of the Hsinchu County Government's Education Bureau, expressed delight in hosting the event, highlighting the collaboration with the local brand 'the egg.' The county government is also facilitating exchanges between the visiting Japanese players and local Hsinchu youth table tennis teams, aiming to enhance the skills and international perspective of young Taiwanese players.

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We are very happy that the local Taiwanese brand 'the egg' has brought such a highly anticipated and popular sports event to Hsinchu County.