National Marathon Champions for Japan

Men (97 runnings)
26 Feb 2017   Tokyo                2:08:22    Hiroto Inoue
       ....   
03 Mar 2013   Otsu                 2:08:51    Masakazu Fujiwara
02 Dec 2012   Fukuoka              2:08:24    Hiroyuki Horibata
27 Feb 2011   Tokyo                2:08:37    Yuki Kawauchi
07 Mar 2010   Otsu                 2:10:07    Tomoyuki Sato
06 Dec 2009   Fukuoka              2:14:42    Tadashi Shitamori
17 Feb 2008   Tokyo                2:08:40    Arata Fujiwara
04 Mar 2007   Otsu                 2:12:50    Mitsuru Kubota
03 Dec 2006   Fukuoka              2:08:49    Wataru Okutani
13 Feb 2005   Tokyo                2:07:41    Toshinari Takaoka
07 Mar 2004   Otsu                 2:08:18    Tadayuki Ojima
07 Dec 2003   Fukuoka              2:07:52    Tomoaki Kunichika
10 Feb 2002   Tokyo                2:14:12    Toshio Mano
04 Mar 2001   Otsu                 2:07:52    Shigeru Aburaya
03 Dec 2000   Fukuoka              2:06:51    Atsushi Fujita
14 Feb 1999   Tokyo                2:08:05    Hiroshi Miki
01 Mar 1998   Otsu                 2:08:39    Muneyuki Ojima
07 Dec 1997   Fukuoka              2:08:07    Toshiyuki Hayata
03 Mar 1996   Otsu                 2:12:24    Hiroshi Tako
03 Dec 1995   Fukuoka              2:09:33    Masaki Oya
06 Mar 1994   Hiroshima            2:11:05    Kenichi Suzuki
05 Dec 1993   Fukuoka              2:08:51    Dionisio Ceron (MEX)
15 Mar 1992   Otsu                 2:13:15    Michael O'Reilly (ENG)
01 Dec 1991   Fukuoka              2:10:58    Shuichi Morita
11 Mar 1990   Otsu                 2:13:30    Eddy Hellebuyck (BEL)
03 Dec 1989   Fukuoka              2:12:54    Manuel Matias (POR)
13 Mar 1988   Otsu                 2:12:41    Toshihiko Seko-3
06 Dec 1988   Fukuoka              2:08:18    Takeyuki Nakayama
09 Mar 1986   Otsu                 2:14:55    Toshihiro Shibutani
01 Dec 1985   Fukuoka              2:09:51    Hisatoshi Shintaku
11 Mar 1984   Otsu                 2:14:24    Tetsuji Iwase
04 Dec 1983   Fukuoka              2:08:52    Toshihiko Seko-2
14 Mar 1982   Otsu                 2:15:23    Michio Mizukubo
06 Dec 1981   Fukuoka              2:08:18    Robert deCastella (AUS)
23 Mar 1980   Otsu                 2:14:33    Hiroshi Yuge
02 Dec 1979   Fukuoka              2:10:35    Toshihiko Seko
16 Apr 1978   Otsu                 2:15:15.4  Shigeru So
04 Dec 1977   Fukuoka              2:10:55.3  Bill Rodgers (USA)
18 Apr 1976   Otsu                 2:15:22    Akio Usami-4
07 Dec 1975   Fukuoka              2:10:08.4  Jerome Drayton-2 (CAN)
21 Apr 1974   Otsu                 2:13:24    Akio Usami-3
02 Dec 1973   Fukuoka              2:11:45.0  Frank Shorter-2 (USA)
19 Mar 1972   Otsu                 2:20:24    Akio Usami-2
05 Dec 1971   Fukuoka              2:12:50.4  Frank Shorter (USA)
12 Apr 1970   Otsu                 2:13:46.6  William Adcocks (ENG)
07 Dec 1969   Fukuoka              2:11:12.8  Jerome Drayton (CAN)
14 Apr 1968   Otsu                 2:13:49    Akio Usami
03 Dec 1967   Fukuoka              2:09:36.4  Derek Clayton (AUS)
05 Jun 1966   Otsu                 2:26:01.6  Yoshiro Mifune
10 Oct 1965   Fukuoka              2:18:35.8  Hidekuni Hiroshima
12 Apr 1964   Tokyo                2:17:11.4  Kenji Kimihara
15 Oct 1963   Tokyo                2:18:00.6  Jeff Julian (NZL)
02 Dec 1962   Fukuoka              2:16:18.4  Toru Terasawa
25 Jun 1961   Osaka                2:29:27    Abebe Bikila (ETH)
15 May 1960   Osaka                2:34:57    Nobuyoshi Sadanaga
30 Jul 1959   Ome                  2:43:59    Yasuo Koshikawa
12 Oct 1958   Tokyo                2:27:16.0  Sumio Horinouchi-2
06 Oct 1957   Kobe                 2:28:28    Sumio Horinouchi
07 Oct 1956   Sendai               2:33:12    Keizo Yamada
11 Dec 1955   Fukuoka              2:23:16.0  Veikko Karvonen (FIN)
26 Sep 1954   Tokyo                2:40:26    Yoshikatsu Takahashi
11 Oct 1953   Tokyo                2:39:23    Kurao Hiroshima
05 Oct 1952   Gifu                 2:52:20    Hiroshi Hashimoto-2
14 Oct 1951   Nagoya               2:31:26    Kiyoshi Shinozaki
08 Oct 1950   Kagoshima            2:47:17    Yoshikazu Noda
27 Aug 1949   Kashiwara            2:52:20    Hiroshi Hashimoto
15 Aug 1948   Yamagata             3:02:12    Shunichi Watanabe
05 Oct 1947   Tobata               2:41:17    Shinzo Koga-2
20 km
       1946                        1:10:31.8  Shinzo Koga
Marathon
22 Jul 1942   Tokyo                2:56:21    Yasuta Matsuba   
       ....   not held
01 Nov 1940   Tokyo                2:33:42    Shoichiro Takenaka
03 Nov 1939   Tokyo                2:31:26    To-Yu Go (KOR)
24 Sep 1938   Nihinomiya           2:45:29    Shigekazu Kabasawa
01 Nov 1937   Tokyo                2:34:17    Chan-Chun Yu (KOR)
01 Nov 1936   Tokyo                2:39:56    Isamu Suzuki
03 Nov 1935   Tokyo                2:26:42    Kee-Chung Sohn (KOR)
21 Oct 1934   Nishinomiya          2:43:16.2  Yuji Nakata
03 Nov 1933   Tokyo                2:31:10    Kozo Kusunoki-2
28 May 1932   Tokyo                2:36:49.6  Tae-Ha Kwon (KOR)
03 Nov 1931   Tokyo                2:34:04.4  Tamao Shiaku
26 Oct 1930   Osaka                2:39:57    Seiji Takahashi-3
03 Nov 1929   Tokyo                2:35:24    Kozo Kusunoki
20 May 1928   Osaka                2:43:22    Kanematsu Yamada
07 Aug 1927   Tokyo                2:54:23    Seiji Takahashi-2
09 May 1925   Osaka                2:54:20    Masao Yamauchi
23 Nov 1925   Tokyo                2:36:41    Saburo Maru
08 Nov 1924   Tokyo                2:42:27.8  Seiji Takahashi
11 Nov 1923   Tokyo                2:43:47    Masao Muraoka
05 Nov 1922   Tokyo                2:48:10    Chojiro Nishida
25 miles
20 Nov 1921   Tokyo                2:35:40    Koji Shimoimura
Marathon
28 Nov 1920   Tokyo                2:57:10    Choichi Goto
25 miles
09 Nov 1919   Nishinomiya          2:39:40    Yahei Miura
03 Nov 1918   Tokyo                2:45:00    Sukeyukl Akiba-2
18 Nov 1917   Nishinomiya          2:38:22.5  Sukeyukl Akiba
       ....                        
21 Nov 1915   Tokyo                2:27:23.6  Shizo Kanaguri-3
23 Nov 1914   Tokyo                2:19:20.3  Shizo Kanaguri-2
02 Nov 1913   Tokyo                2:31:28    Shizo Kanaguri

Note: In 1916, a championship was held at 10 miles on 03 Sep 1916 (venue unknown), won by Tominosuke Kato in 55:18.


First Japanese with foreign champion
1993  2:10:41    Shinji Kawashima
1992  2:13:21    Takashi Kondo
1990  2:13:58    Takeshi So-2
1989  2:13:12    Toru Kozasu
1981  2:09:37    Kunimitsu Ito
1977  2:15:00.1  Toshihiko Seko
1975  2:12:52    Takeshi So
1973  2:16:17.8  Kenichi Otsuki
1971  2:13:22.8  Akio Usami
1970  2:14:19    Yoshiaki Unetani
1969  2:12:03.4  Hayami Tanimura
1967  2:11:17.0  Seiichiro Sasaki
1963  2:20:25.2  Kenji Kimihara
1955  2:23:51    Kurao Hiroshima

Non-champion winners
2017  2:03:58    Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (KEN)
2013  2:08:34    Vincent Kipruto Limo (KEN)
2012  2:06:58    Joseph Gitau Kariuki (KEN)
2011  2:07:35    Hailu Mekonnen Legesse (ETH)
2010  2:09:34    Yemane Adhane Tsegay (ETH)
2009  2:05:18    Tsegay Kebede Tadesse (ETH)
2008  2:07:23    Viktor Röthlin (SUI)
2007  2:10:43    Samson Ramadhani (TAN)
2006  2:06:52    Haile Gebreselasie (ETH)
2004  2:07:42    Jose Rios (ESP)
2002  2:08:43    Eric Wainaina (KEN)
2001  2:07:34    Antonio Peña (ESP)
1999  2:06:33    Gert Thys (RSA)
1997  2:07:28    Josiah Thugwane (RSA)
1996  2:09:32    Joaquim Pinheiro (POR)
1995  2:09:30    Luiz Antonio dosSantos (BRA)

Women (24 runnings)
10 Mar 2013   Nagoya               2:23:34    Ryoko Kizaki-2
29 Jan 2012   Osaka                2:23:23    Risa Shigetomu
20 Nov 2011   Yokohama             2:26:32    Ryoko Kizaki
14 Mar 2010   Nagoya               2:27:11    Yuri Kano
25 Jan 2009   Osaka                2:23:42    Yoko Shibui
20 Nov 2008   Tokyo                2:23:30    Yoshimi Ozaki
11 Mar 2007   Nagoya               2:28:49    Yasuko Hashimoto
29 Jan 2006   Osaka                2:25:52    Kayoko Obata
20 Nov 2005   Tokyo                2:24:39    Naoko Takahashi-2
14 Mar 2004   Nagoya               2:23:57    Reiko Tosa
26 Jan 2003   Osaka                2:21:18    Mizuki Noguchi
17 Nov 2002   Tokyo                2:25:02    Rie Matsuoka
11 Mar 2001   Nagoya               2:26:01    Kazumi Matsuo
30 Jan 2000   Osaka                2:22:56    Harumi Hiroyama
21 Nov 1999   Tokyo                2:22:12    Eri Yamaguchi
08 Mar 1998   Nagoya               2:25:48    Naoko Takahashi
26 Jan 1997   Osaka                2:26:54    Mariko Hara
17 Nov 1996   Tokyo                2:28:58    Nobuko Fujimura
13 Mar 1995   Nagoya               2:29:41    Yukari Komatsu
30 Jan 1994   Osaka                2:26:09    Tomoe Abe
21 Nov 1993   Tokyo                2:26:40    Valentina Yegorova (RUS)
01 Mar 1992   Nagoya               2:31:04    Teruko Oe
27 Jan 1991   Osaka                2:27:43    Katrin Dörre (GER)
09 Dec 1990   Tokyo                2:33:04    Li-hua Xie (CHN)
First Japanese with foreign winner
1993  2:28:22    Mari Tanigawa
1991  2:28:01    Yuko Arimori
1990  2:34:10    Mari Tanigawa

Non-champion winners
2006  2:25:05    Catherine Ndereba (KEN)
2002  2:24:59    Banuela Mrashani (TAN)
2000  2:22:54    Lidia Simon (ROM)
1997  2:25:57    Katrin Dörre (GER)
1995  2:27:29    Kamila Gradus (POL)

Notes: Foreigners were permitted to win the Japanese national title in these championships through 1993; for 1994-2001, foreign runners living in Japan and registered with the JAAF were permitted to win the title; for 2002-date, only Japanese citizens have been permitted to win the title.

Most Titles

Men (1925-date)

4

Akio Usami 1968,1972,1974,1976

Women (1990-date)

2

Naoko Takahashi 1998,2005


Last Updated on 27 Feb 2017

Contributors: Shigenobu Ota (50), Shiro Kato, Roger Gynn (12), Ken Nakamura (2), Brett Larner (3)