Miwa Harimoto: Japan's teenage Olympic silver medalist
Miwa Harimoto is a Japanese table tennis player born in Sendai in 2008, right-handed with a shakehand grip. The sister of Tomokazu Harimoto, she won Olympic team silver at Paris 2024 aged 16 and in 2026 won three WTT singles titles and reached world No. 3.
Miwa Harimoto is the biggest rising star of Japanese women's table tennis, and she has already moved past the "promising" label. The younger sister of Tomokazu Harimoto, she won an Olympic medal at 16 and in 2026 sits among the world's top three.
This page sums up Miwa Harimoto's career, her titles and her playing style.
Who is Miwa Harimoto
Miwa Harimoto was born on June 16, 2008, in Sendai, Japan. She is right-handed and plays with the shakehand grip. She started very young, following her brother Tomokazu Harimoto, another big name in Japanese table tennis (see the Tomokazu Harimoto profile). She is one of the youngest elite players on the tour.
Miwa Harimoto's titles
| Event | Results |
|---|---|
| Olympics | Team silver at Paris 2024 |
| World Championships | Team silver in 2024 and 2026; doubles bronze in 2025 |
| Asian Championships | Team gold in 2024 and 2026; mixed doubles gold in 2026 |
| Asian Games | Singles bronze in 2026; doubles and team silver in 2022 and 2026 |
| WTT | Contender Zagreb, Champions Yokohama and Champions Macao in 2026 |
Key moments
At Paris 2024, Miwa was part of the Japanese squad that won team silver, behind China, at just 16. The full tournament is in table tennis at Paris 2024. The same year she was World Championships team runner-up in Busan.
In 2026, her singles took off. She won the Zagreb Contender (4-3 in the final), the WTT Champions Yokohama (4-2 in the final) and the WTT Champions Macao (4-3 in the final). In doubles she won with Satsuki Odo in Zagreb and with Hina Hayata in Ljubljana and at the Europe Smash in Malmö. In the October 2026 world ranking she is No. 3 in singles with 7,009 points, and No. 2 in doubles. To understand the points, see table tennis world ranking. More on the country's tradition in Japan table tennis history.
Playing style
Miwa Harimoto is an aggressive shakehand attacker, with the fast-paced game her brother is known for:
- Early attack, playing close to the table and taking time away from opponents.
- Fast topspin from both wings.
- Composure in tight matches, as her 2026 finals decided in a deciding game show.
To understand the difference between grips, see shakehand vs penhold.
Recent results on the tour
| Year | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 47 | 8 |
| Total | 47 | 8 |
| W | WTT Champions Montpellier 2026 2026-10-30 | Women's singles Round of 16 | Harimoto Miwa JPN vs Lily Zhang USA 3-2 16-14, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7 |
| W | WTT Champions Montpellier 2026 2026-10-29 | Women's singles Round of 32 | Harimoto Miwa JPN vs Bruna Takahashi BRA 3-0 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 |
| L | China Smash 2026 2026-10-10 | Women's singles Semifinals | Wang Manyu CHN vs Harimoto Miwa JPN 4-1 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8 |
| L | China Smash 2026 2026-10-10 | Women's doubles Final | Harimoto Miwa / Hayata Hina JPN vs Wang Manyu / Kuai Man CHN 1-3 11-13, 2-11, 11-9, 7-11 |
| W | China Smash 2026 2026-10-09 | Women's singles Quarterfinals | Harimoto Miwa JPN vs Wang Yidi CHN 4-2 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 |
| W | China Smash 2026 2026-10-09 | Women's doubles Semifinals | Harimoto Miwa / Hayata Hina JPN vs Wang Yidi / Jiang Yiyi CHN 3-1 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7 |
| L | China Smash 2026 2026-10-08 | Mixed doubles Semifinals | Lim Jonghoon / Shin Yubin KOR vs Matsushima Sora / Harimoto Miwa JPN 3-1 11-7, 13-11, 11-13, 11-7 |
| W | China Smash 2026 2026-10-08 | Women's singles Round of 16 | Harimoto Miwa JPN vs He Zhuojia CHN 3-0 14-12, 11-9, 11-3 |
Source: WTT official results. Updated October 31, 2026. worldtabletennis.com
Frequently asked questions
Who is Miwa Harimoto?
A Japanese table tennis player born in Sendai in 2008. She won Olympic team silver at Paris 2024 and is the sister of Tomokazu Harimoto.
Is Miwa Harimoto Tomokazu Harimoto's sister?
Yes. Tomokazu is her older brother and also one of Japan's top players.
How old is Miwa Harimoto?
She was born on June 16, 2008, so she is 18 in October 2026.
Is Miwa Harimoto right-handed?
Yes. She is right-handed and plays with the shakehand grip.
What is Miwa Harimoto's ranking?
In October 2026 she is No. 3 in the world singles ranking. It changes every week, so check the ITTF or WTT website.