According to a press release issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the official international will take place on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. The match will mark the first senior men's international between India and Japan.
The fixture will also launch Sport 75, an initiative stemming from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The initiative aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in sports, while taking note of India's ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.
Japan, currently ranked 41st in the world, will become the 20th team faced by the Indian men's side in a full international.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board was delighted to be part of the occasion and described the match as a significant moment for cricket.
"The BCCI is delighted to be part of this historic occasion as the Indian and Japanese men's teams come together for a special T20 International in Japan. This is a significant moment for cricket, as it takes the Indian team to new territory and provides an opportunity to introduce the sport to a wider audience in Japan and East Asia.
"India and Japan share a strong and long-standing relationship and friendship, and we are pleased that cricket will be part of the celebrations marking 75 years of bilateral relations between the two countries, and we thank the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) for its efforts in making this fixture possible."
Saikia also said the BCCI would continue working with the Japan Cricket Association beyond the fixture.
"The BCCI will work closely with the JCA to further strengthen cricket in Japan and to build on this relationship in the years ahead," he added.
The Indian men's team will be in Japan during the same period as part of its preparations for the Asian Games. As part of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the men's side are scheduled to play the quarterfinals on September 28, six days after their match against the hosts.
The Suzuki Cup fixture comes immediately after the conclusion of India's three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, scheduled from September 13 to 17. The Indian squad is therefore likely to leave directly from New Delhi on September 18.
While cricket at the Asian Games will be held in Nisshin in Aichi Prefecture, the one-off international against Japan will take place in Sano in Tochigi Prefecture. The distance between the two venues is more than 350 km.
Japan Cricket Association CEO Naoki Miyaji said inviting the reigning world champions to Japan was a landmark moment for the association.
"To be able to invite the reigning world champions to the home of cricket in Japan is a landmark moment for our association," Miyaji was quoted as saying in the same BCCI press release. "We thank the BCCI for working with us towards this goal and greatly look forward to welcoming the passion of Indian cricket fans, and we actively encourage any local Japanese people curious about cricket to come and cheer on our team in what will be a truly memorable occasion."
India's squad for the 2026 Asian Games will be led by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain. The squad includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan named as wicketkeepers.
The September 22 Suzuki Cup will mark the first official senior international meeting between India's and Japan's men's teams and will also take the Indian side to new territory as the two countries use the fixture to strengthen sporting cooperation.
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