The Motorcycle Sports Federation of Japan (MFJ) will once again send a national team to the FIM Motocross of Nations this year. Team Japan will be looking to build on last year’s result, when the country reached the final for the first time in nine years and eventually finished 11th overall.

This year, Japan will be without Jo Shimoda, but the team’s ambitions remain clear. Japan is targeting direct qualification for the final and hopes to secure a position among the top 15 nations.

The Japanese team will consist of Yuki Okura, Kainosuke Oshiro and Haruki Yokoyama. Yokoyama will compete in the MX2 class, while the classes in which Okura and Oshiro will race will be announced at a later date.