Noriyasu Hirata appointed as Japan’s mixed doubles coach

The Nippon Badminton Association (NBA) has appointed Noriyasu Hirata as national mixed doubles coach — completing their main coaching lineup that was previously incomplete.

The official announcement released three days ago established Hirata to handle the team led by Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito pair. Prior to this appointment, the mixed doubles sector was solely managed by Imai Norio who coached the development team.

Hirata, the 41-year-old former men’s doubles player who partnered with Hirokatsu Hashimoto — belongs to the same generation as badminton legends Hendra Setiawan and Fu Hai Feng.