Japan is sending a team of 31 men and 26 women to the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15–23 Aug). 

As well as the traditionally strong marathon squad, and Koji Murofushi in the Hammer Throw, the best medal hope for Japan, perhaps, is Yuki Yamazaki, a 50Km Race Walker. He is coached by Tsugumichi Suzuki, marathon coach, who guided Junko Asari to the marathon gold in the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart. 

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Team

Men

Sprints:
Masashi Eriguchi
Shintaro Kimura
Naoki Tsuakahara
Shiji Takahira
Hitoshi Saito
Kenji Fujimitsu
Yuzo Kanemaru
Hideyuki Hirose
 
Distance:
5000m: Yuichiro Ueno
10000m: Yuki Iwai
 
Marathon:
Satoshi Irifune
Masaya Shimizu
Kazuhiro Maeda
Arata Fujiwara
Atsushi Sato

Steeple Chase:
Yoshitaka Iwamizu
 
Hurdle:
110mH: Tasuku Tanonaka
400mH:  Kenji Narisako
Kazuaki Yoshida
 
Jumps:
HJ:  Naoyuki Daigo
PV: Daichi Sawano
Takafumi Suzuki
LJ: Daisuke Arakawa
 
Throw:
HT:  Koji Murofushi
JT:  Yukifumi Murakami
 
Multi:
Daisuke Ikeda

Race Walks:
Yuki Yamazaki
Koichiro Morioka
Tayakuki Tanii
Isamu Fujisawa
Yusuke Suzuki

Women

Sprints:
Momoko Takahashi
Chisato Fukushima
Mayumi Watanabe
Maki Wada
Asami Tanno
Mayu Sato
Miho Shingu
 
Distance:
Yurika Nakamura
Yuriko Kobayashi
Yukari Sahaku
Kayoko Fukushi

Marathon:
Yoshimi Ozaki
Yoko Shibui
Yoshiko Fujinaga
Yuri Kano
Yukiko Akaba
 
3000m Steeplechase:
Minori Hayakari
 
Hurdles
100mH: Asuka Terada
400mH:
Satomi Kubokura
Sayaka Aoki
 
Jumps:
PV: Takayo Kondo
LJ:  Sachiko Masumi
 
Throw:
JT: Yuki Ebihara 

20km Race Walk:
Masumi Fuchise
Mayumi Kawasaki
Kumi Otoshi