The Japan national ice hockey team will play in the Asian Cup early next month in its quest to defend its title at the annual three-nation tournament and qualify for the 2001 World Championship Pool A, the Japan Ice Hockey Federation announced Thursday in Tokyo.
Japan will play South Korea on Sept. 4 and China on Sept. 6, while China and South Korea will face off on Sept. 5. at Sapporo's Tsukisamu Gymnasium in Hokkaido. The tournament winner will qualify for next year's World Championship, slated for April 28-May 15 in Germany.
The Japanese team, under the guidance of Steven Ken Tsujiura, will have eight new faces, including Japan's Under-18 goalie Yutaka Fukufuji of Tohoku High School, in addition to experienced players like forwards Chris Yule and Junji Sakata of the Japan League powerhouse Kokudo.