Akira Koga

Akira Koga
Personal information
CountryJapan
Born (1994-03-08) 8 March 1994
Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
HandednessRight
Men's doubles
Highest ranking14 (with Taichi Saito, 12 December 2023)
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
Sudirman Cup
Silver medal – second place 2021 Vantaa Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Suzhou Mixed team
Thomas Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Aarhus Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Bangkok Men's team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Hangzhou Men's team
Asia Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Manila Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Selangor Men's team
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2012 Chiba Mixed team
Asia Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Gimcheon Mixed team
BWF profile

Akira Koga (古賀 輝, Koga Akira; born 8 March 1994) is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with the JTEKT badminton team.[1] He was a member of the Japanese junior team that won a gold medal at the 2012 Asian Junior Championships and a silver medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships. In his senior career, Koga has primarily competed in men's doubles with his partner Taichi Saito. He won a silver medal with the Japanese team at the 2021 Sudirman Cup, and has won multiple bronze medals at the Thomas Cup and the Asian Games.

Career

Junior career

In his final year as a junior player in 2012, Koga was a key member of the Japanese team that won its first-ever mixed team title at the Asian Junior Championships. He and Akane Yamaguchi won their opening match to start the tie. Later that year, at the 2012 World Junior Championships, he and Yamaguchi competed in the decisive final match of the mixed team event against China. They were narrowly defeated 22–24 in the third game, securing a silver medal for Japan.[2]

Senior career

In his senior career, Koga has primarily competed in men's doubles with partner Taichi Saito. The pair won their first international title at the 2018 South Australia International.[3] In 2019, they were runners-up at three BWF World Tour Super 100 tournaments: the Orléans Masters, the Akita Masters, and the Indonesia Masters.[4][5][6] They also finished as runners-up at the Syed Modi International, a Super 300 tournament, in 2023.[7]

In 2025, Koga also competed on the BWF International Challenge/Series circuit. Partnering with Naoya Kawashima in men's doubles, he won the Saipan International and finished as a runner-up at the Northern Marianas International.[8][9] In mixed doubles with Yuho Imai, he won titles at the Mexican International and the Northern Marianas Open, and was also a runner-up at the Northern Marianas International.[10][11][12][9]

Representing Japan, Koga has won medals at team competitions. He won a silver medal with the Japanese team at the 2021 Sudirman Cup, and has won multiple bronze medals at the Thomas Cup and the Asian Games.

Achievements

BWF World Tour (4 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[13] 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.[14]

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 Orléans Masters Super 100 Japan Taichi Saito Chinese Taipei Lee Yang
Chinese Taipei Wang Chi-lin 		21–16, 20–22, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [4]
2019 Akita Masters Super 100 Japan Taichi Saito China Ou Xuanyi
China Zhang Nan 		14–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [5]
2019 Indonesia Masters Super 100 Japan Taichi Saito China Ou Xuanyi
China Zhang Nan 		21–11, 10–21, 20–22 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [6]
2023 Syed Modi International Super 300 Japan Taichi Saito Malaysia Choong Hon Jian
Malaysia Muhammad Haikal 		21–18, 18–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [7]

BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 2 runners-up)

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 South Australia International Japan Taichi Saito Singapore Danny Bawa Chrisnanta
Singapore Terry Hee 		21–11, 19–21, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [3]
2025 Northern Marianas International Japan Naoya Kawashima South Korea Kim Jae-hyeon
South Korea Lee Sang-won 		16–21, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [9]
2025 Saipan International Japan Naoya Kawashima Japan Haruki Kawabe
Japan Kenta Matsukawa 		15–13, 15–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [8][15]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Mexican International Japan Yuho Imai Brazil Davi Silva
Brazil Sânia Lima 		15–8, 9–15, 15–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [10]
2025 Northern Marianas International Japan Yuho Imai South Korea Kim Jae-hyeon
South Korea Kim Min-ji 		13–21, 21–16, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [9]
2025 Northern Marianas Open Japan Yuho Imai Japan Haruki Kawabe
Japan Kokona Ishikawa 		21–19, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [11][12]
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

References

  1. ^ "Akira KOGA | Profile". JTEKT Sports. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  2. ^ "2012 World Junior Results". tournamentsoftware.com. BWF. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b Matsuda, Keita (16 September 2018). "Result: Badminton South Australia International 2018". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  4. ^ a b Anastasiadou-Galva, Despoina (24 March 2019). "Très Bien for Europe in Orléans!". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b "[Akita Masters 2019] Previous Champions Sakuramoto & Takahata Achieve Their Second Consecutive Victory!<Final-2>". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  6. ^ a b Tegar, Bimo (6 October 2019). "(Yuzu Indonesia Masters) Ou/Zhang Winners in 'Bumi Arema'". Djarum Badminton (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Syed Modi International: Day of the Underdog". Badminton World Federation. 3 December 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Champions Crowned at CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International 2025 – Finals Recap". Badminton Oceania. 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d "Korea Dominates Finals Day – Northern Marianas International 2025". Badminton Oceania. 22 June 2025. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Champions in Mexico – Pan Am Circuit 2025". Badminton Pan America. 13 May 2025. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Japan Dominates Finals at CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open". Badminton Oceania. 11 August 2025. Archived from the original on 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  12. ^ a b Sablan Jr., James (12 August 2025). "Japan sweeps Crowne Plaza badminton titles". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  13. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  14. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  15. ^ Sablan Jr., James (18 August 2025). "Japan, Korea, and India claim badminton titles in Century Insurance tourney". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
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