Taiwan plays soft tip, and the soft-tip elite is centered on Japan. SUPER DARTS and DARTSLIVE, the top tier of the soft-tip scene, run there. Here are 8 Japanese players worth knowing: what they're known for, and the matches worth your time.
Mikuru Suzuki: two-time World Champion
Japan's darts national treasure. Back-to-back BDO World Champion, 2019 and 2020 (both 3–0 whitewashes), the first non-European woman to win a world title, and one of the first Asian players to reach a PDC World Championship main draw. In 2023 she ended Beau Greaves' winning streak.
Also worth knowing: her 2020 PDC World Championship Round 1 against James Richardson, a 2–3 loss where she was one 152 checkout away from a famous upset at Alexandra Palace. Want her full story? Read it here.
Motomu Sakai: the breakout showman
Japan's next-generation soft-tip star, runner-up at SUPER DARTS 2024. What actually made him viral: his 2026 PDC World Championship debut, walking on to an Ojamajo Doremi anime theme with a full dance routine, and then beating Thibault Tricole 3–0.
Want his full story? Read it here.
Tomoya Goto: the upset specialist
Crosses over between soft and steel. His 2023/24 PDC World Championship debut was a shock 3–1 win over Ian White (seven 180s along the way), one of the best Japanese performances at the World Championship in recent years. Won the inaugural Japan Tour Finals in 2024 to earn a return trip.
Seigo Asada: "The Ninja"
The steadiest crossover player in Japanese soft-tip history, long Japan's No. 1. SUPER DARTS 2024 champion, runner-up in 2025 (lost the final to South Korea's MinSeok Choi). Five-time Japan Open champion (2012, 2014–2017). At the 2019 PDC World Championship he came back from 0–2 down to beat Krzysztof Ratajski 3–2, his career-defining match.
Haruki Muramatsu: the veteran who beat Phil Taylor for the title
A Japanese soft-tip elder statesman, invited to SUPER DARTS since 2011. He beat all-time great Phil Taylor in the 2018 SUPER DARTS final to win the title, one of the most memorable matches in soft-tip darts history. Beyond soft tip, he's also a longtime fixture at the steel-tip PDC World Championship, reaching the main draw at least five times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2024). Want his full story? Read it here.
Keita Ono: the soft-tip old guard
From Tokyo, won the Japan Open in 2013, and reached the 2016 PDC World Championship, qualifying through the preliminary round before losing to legend Phil Taylor in Round 1, still delivering some sharp legs. Tomoya Goto has publicly named him the player he respects most, a nice generational-torch detail.
Toru Suzuki: the crossover veteran
From Yamanashi, took multiple PERFECT Japan Tour titles in 2017. Won the 2020 PDC Asia Qualifier (beat Kota Suzuki 5–3 in the final) to earn a 2021 World Championship spot, where he lost his opener to Madars Razma. Returned to the World Championship in 2023 to face fellow soft-tip crossover player Boris Krcmar.
Yuki Yamada: beat a legend to break through
From Fukuoka. His career-defining moment: winning the 2019 PDC Asian Tour Hong Kong leg by beating Singaporean legend Paul Lim in the final, which earned him a 2020 World Championship spot. At the 2015 Japan Darts Masters he lost 2–6 to Gary Anderson but hit a 121 checkout.
More Japanese darts players: individual profiles
Beyond the names above, these Japanese players each have a full profile:
- Mikuru Suzuki: back-to-back BDO women's world champion
- Motomu Sakai: soft-tip star who debuted at the 2026 World Championship
- Haruki Muramatsu: beat Phil Taylor at SUPER DARTS 2018
- Yuki Yamada: back on stage 26 days after cancer surgery
- Masumi Chino: PERFECT's first triple crown
- Nobuhiro Yamamoto: PDC Japan Championship winner
- Mayumi Ouchi: seven-time Japan Open women's champion
- Yukie Sakaguchi: Tokyo player on the PDC Women's Series
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