Fellow Japanese coach speaks candidly on the drama of Shin Yoshida leaving Japan to help Thailand's women's volleyball team win the Asian Championship.
On 31 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Taka Minowa, head coach of the Philippine women's national volleyball team and a Japanese national, defended Shin Yoshida, a fellow Japanese staff coach for Thailand's women's volleyball team, after Shin faced questions and online attacks.
Shin Yoshida is considered a key figure behind Thailand's women's volleyball team winning the 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship in China, beating Japan in the semifinals and China in the final, securing their first-ever ticket to the 2028 Olympics.
However, Shin faced controversy in Japan, where some mistakenly believed he abandoned the Japanese national team to work with Thailand. He quickly clarified the facts via his personal social media.
"Coach Shin" revealed that in 2025 he served as an analyst and interpreter for Japan's women's volleyball team under a fixed-term contract, which ended without renewal.
He confirmed he did not request to leave the Japanese team and said he was not given any explanation for the lack of contract renewal before the Volleyball Association of Thailand contacted him to join the Thai national team.
Shin Yoshida reiterated his respect for Japanese volleyball but said when Thailand faced his home country, he had to fully commit to helping Thailand win, as that is his professional responsibility.
Recently, Taka Minowa defended Shin Yoshida as a compatriot via his personal Instagram story, sharing Shin's post and saying, "He just performs excellently wherever he works."
"It may seem unusual or unfamiliar to see a Japanese coach working with another country's national team, but the head coach of Italy's national team that won at the Paris Olympics is not Italian. Likewise, Japan's national team head coach is not Japanese either."
"Instead of focusing on his nationality, I think we should be proud that a Japanese coach is part of such an outstanding Thai national team that just won the Asian Championship."
"We should celebrate the fact that a Japanese coach contributed to the success of one of Asia's best teams."
