# Hiroshima Thunders

JT Thunders (JTサンダーズ, JT Sandāzu) is a men's volleyball team based in Hiroshima city, Hiroshima, Japan. It plays in V.Premier League. The owner of the club is Japan Tobacco.

## History

The club was founded in 1931 as a club of the Ministry of Finance Japan Hiroshima Monopoly Bureau.
In 1985, the team was renamed as Japan Tabaco and changed into JT as in 1989. In 2019, team name changed into JT Thunders Hiroshima.

## Honours
### Japan Volleyball League/V.League/V.Premier League

* Champion (×1): 2014–15
* Runners-up (×8): 1973, 1978, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2013–14 and 2018–19

### Kurowashiki All Japan Volleyball Tournament

* Champions (×2): 2001 and 2004
* Runners-up (×5): 1969, 1977, 1978, 2010 and 2014

### Emperor's Cup

* Champion (×3): 2007, 2015, 2018
* Runner-up (×1): 2009

## Current Roster

The following is team roster of Season 2023–2024
| No. | Name | Date of birth | Height | Position |
| 1 | Takuya Yasunaga | (1990-03-27) March 27, 1990 (age 34) | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Middle blocker |
| 2 | Aaron Russell | (1993-06-04) June 4, 1993 (age 31) | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Outside hitter |
| 3 | Makoto Nishimura | (1998-10-07) October 7, 1998 (age 26) | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | Outside hitter |
| 4 | Hiromasa Miwa | (1999-12-17) December 17, 1999 (age 24) | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Middle blocker |
| 5 | Shinichiro Inoue (c) | (1994-12-21) December 21, 1994 (age 29) | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Outside hitter |
| 6 | Issei Maeda | (1991-09-22) September 22, 1991 (age 33) | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Setter |
| 7 | Yudai Arai | (1998-06-27) June 27, 1998 (age 26) | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Outside hitter |
| 8 | Koshi Takechi | (1996-01-01) January 1, 1996 (age 28) | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Outside hitter |
| 9 | Kaisei Hirai | (1999-02-07) February 7, 1999 (age 25) | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Middle blocker |
| 10 | Wataru Inoue | (1994-07-05) July 5, 1994 (age 30) | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | Lebero |
| 11 | Junya Sakashita | (1998-06-14) June 14, 1998 (age 26) | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Outside hitter |
| 14 | Ataru Kumakura | (1995-12-17) December 17, 1995 (age 28) | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Outside hitter |
| 15 | Taishi Karakawa | (1992-08-12) August 12, 1992 (age 32) | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | Lebero |
| 16 | Chihiro Nishi | (1997-11-08) November 8, 1997 (age 26) | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Middle blocker |
| 17 | Masaki Kaneko | (1997-10-23) October 23, 1997 (age 26) | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Setter |
| 18 | Shohei Yamamoto | (1991-03-21) March 21, 1991 (age 33) | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Outside hitter |
| 19 | Jiang Chuan | (1994-08-09) August 9, 1994 (age 30) | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Opposite hitter |
| 20 | Daiki Abe | (2000-02-16) February 16, 2000 (age 24) | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Setter |
| 21 | Shuto Kawaguchi | (2000-08-09) August 9, 2000 (age 24) | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Middle blocker |
| Head coach: Raúl Lozano |||||

### Former roster

Team roster – Season 2022/23 :
| No. | Name | Date of birth | Height | Position |
| 1 | Takuya Yasunaga | (1990-03-27) March 27, 1990 (age 34) | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Middle blocker |
| 2 | Taishi Onodera (c) | (1996-02-07) February 7, 1996 (age 28) | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Middle blocker |
| 3 | Makoto Nishimura | (1998-10-07) October 7, 1998 (age 26) | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | Outside hitter |
| 4 | Kenta Nakajima | (1991-08-25) August 25, 1991 (age 33) | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Middle blocker |
| 5 | Shinichiro Inoue | (1994-12-21) December 21, 1994 (age 29) | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Outside hitter |
| 6 | Aaron Russell | (1993-06-04) June 4, 1993 (age 31) | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Outside hitter |
| 7 | Yudai Arai | (1998-06-27) June 27, 1998 (age 26) | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Outside hitter |
| 8 | Koshi Takechi | (1996-01-01) January 1, 1996 (age 28) | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Outside hitter |
| 9 | Kaisei Hirai | (1999-02-07) February 7, 1999 (age 25) | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Middle blocker |
| 10 | Wataru Inoue | (1994-07-05) July 5, 1994 (age 30) | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | Libero |
| 11 | Junya Sakashita | (1998-06-14) June 14, 1998 (age 26) | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Outside hitter |
| 12 | Shinpei Goda | (1992-09-23) September 23, 1992 (age 32) | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | Setter |
| 14 | Ataru Kumakura | (1995-12-17) December 17, 1995 (age 28) | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Outside hitter |
| 15 | Taishi Karakawa | (1992-08-12) August 12, 1992 (age 32) | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | Libero |
| 16 | Chihiro Nishi | (1997-11-08) November 8, 1997 (age 26) | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Middle blocker |
| 17 | Masaki Kaneko | (1997-10-23) October 23, 1997 (age 26) | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Setter |
| 18 | Shohei Yamamoto | (1991-03-21) March 21, 1991 (age 33) | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Outside hitter |
| 19 | Jiang Chuan | (1994-08-09) August 9, 1994 (age 30) | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Opposite hitter |
| 20 | Daiki Abe | (2000-02-16) February 16, 2000 (age 24) | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Setter |
| 21 | Shuto Kawaguchi In | (2000-08-09) August 9, 2000 (age 24) | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Middle blocker |
| Head coach: Raúl Lozano |||||

## League results

Champion Runner-up
| League | League | Position | Teams | Matches | Win | Lose |
| V.League | 1st (1994–95) | 5th | 8 | 21 | 10 | 11 |
| V.League | 2nd (1995–96) | 3rd | 8 | 21 | 13 | 8 |
| V.League | 3rd (1996–97) | Runner-up | 8 | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| V.League | 4th (1997–98) | 8th | 8 | 21 | 3 | 18 |
| V.League | 5th (1998–99) | 7th | 10 | 18 | 6 | 12 |
| V.League | 6th (1999-00) | 5th | 10 | 18 | 10 | 8 |
| V.League | 7th (2000–01) | Runner-up | 10 | 18 | 13 | 5 |
| V.League | 8th (2001–02) | 5th | 10 | 18 | 11 | 7 |
| V.League | 9th (2002–03) | Runner-up | 8 | 21 | 15 | 6 |
| V.League | 10th (2003–04) | Runner-up | 8 | 21 | 13 | 8 |
| V.League | 11th (2004–05) | 3rd | 8 | 28 | 17 | 11 |
| V.League | 12th (2005–06) | 4th | 8 | 28 | 16 | 12 |
| V・Premier | 2006-07 | 5th | 8 | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| V・Premier | 2007-08 | 6th | 8 | 28 | 12 | 16 |
| V・Premier | 2008-09 | 5th | 8 | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| V・Premier | 2009-10 | 6th | 8 | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| V・Premier | 2010-11 | 5th | 8 | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| V・Premier | 2011-12 | 7th | 8 | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| V・Premier | 2012-13 | 6th | 8 | 28 | 9 | 19 |
| V・Premier | 2013-14 | Runner-up | 8 | 28 | 18 | 10 |
| V・Premier | 2014-15 | Champion | 8 | 27 | 20 | 7 |
| V・Premier | 2015–16 | 5th | 8 | 26 | 12 | 14 |
| V・Premier | 2016–17 | 7th | 8 | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| V・Premier | 2017–18 | 3rd | 8 | 29 | 17 | 12 |
| V.League Division 1 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2018–19 | Runner-up | 10 | 32 | 21 | 11 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2019–20 | 4th | 10 | 28 | 21 | 7 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2020–21 | 6th | 10 | 36 | 17 | 19 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2022–23 | 7th | 10 | 36 | 16 | 20 |

## Notable foreign players

* Igor Shulepov 1999-2000
* Ilya Savelev 2001-2004
* Gabriel Gardner 2005-2006
* Maksym Panteleymonenko 2007-2008
* Ernardo Gómez 2008-2012
* Igor Omrcen 2012-2014
* Leandro Vissotto 2014-2015
* Dražen Luburić 2016-2017
* Thomas Edgar 2017–2022
* Liu Libin 2018-2019
* Chen Chien-Chen 2019–2022