US-Japan Friendship Cup Championships 2024: Results, Photos & Highlights

Editor’s Note: This article covers the 2024 US-Japan Friendship Cup. For results and photos from the more recent 2025 competition, please see our new article.

Fifty buff competitors muscled it out on stage for trophies and prizes at the 2024 US-Japan Friendship Cup Championships, and I was there to see it all. Held at the Taiyo Recreation Community on Yokota Airbase, this event is a cornerstone of bodybuilding in Japan. Organizer Pat Coleman ensured the championships ran like clockwork, creating a fantastic showcase of physique and sportsmanship.

What are the US-Japan Friendship Cup Championships?

The US-Japan Friendship Cup Championships are a physique competition starting in 1998. They are comparable to U.S. and Japan regional/national level shows. Sport is a great way to build friendship, trust, and cooperation between countries.
The event is famous for inviting champion IFBB bodybuilding guest posers. They are a morale booster to the U.S. military personnel, DOD civilians, and their family members stationed in Japan.
There were approximately fifty male and female competitors in July 2024. They participated in the following divisions:

- Men’s Bodybuilding
- Men’s Classic Physique
- Men’s Physique
- Women’s Bikini
- Women’s Figure

Guest Poser: Akim "BK BEAST" Williams

Akim “BK BEAST” Williams is a big name in bodybuilding. The guy was enormous, literally a mountain of muscle. He earned his fearsome nickname through his intense efforts in the gym. He might be hard on the outside, but he is soft-spoken and well-mannered, a true gentleman!

Even though Akim had come to Japan he was preparing for the Olympia in October 2024. He’ll look amazing on competition day. I’m sure he’ll do well as he is an Olympian professional with multiple IFBB wins. His presence surely boosted bodybuilding in Japan. The fans gave him a warm welcome.

Event highlights & standout athletes

I saw great physiques! These athletes had worked hard to sculpt their bodies. Their routines were excellent. One I have to mention is Leigh Carmichael.

He took second place in the Open Middleweight Division. His robot-themed posing was entertaining and got him the best poser award. It was well-deserved. The audience appreciated his efforts with huge applause.

Another was Sayuri Tachihara. She was an amazing bodybuilder and contested the women’s physique class. It was unfortunate that she was the only person in the division. It didn’t matter as the judges had such high praise for her.

Competition results

WOMEN’S FIGURE
- 1st Tachihara, Sayuri

BIKINI NOVICE
- 5th Kishino, Mami
- 4th Ikegami, Rie
- 3rd Kyogoku, Akiko
- 2nd Ryuzaki, Sayaka
- 1st Todd, Rowena

BIKINI CLASS A 5’4″ AND UNDER
- 5th Sawada, Anna
- 4th Kishino, Mami
- 3rd Kyogoku, Akiko
- 2nd Ryuzaki, Sayaka
- 1st Todd, Rowena

BIKINI CLASS B OVER 5’4″
- 4th Ikegami, Rie
- 3rd Kurosaki, Reika
- 2nd Lee, Gloria Jean
- 1st Kokuma (Kaneko), Maki

MEN’S PHYSIQUE NOVICE
- 5th Valere, Zach
- 4th Yuasa, Tsuyoshi
- 3rd Sato, Keigo
- 2nd Childress, Tonio
- 1st Logan, Jimmy

MEN’S PHYSIQUE CLASS A 5’8″ AND UNDER
- 1st Koseki, Takayuki

MEN’S PHYSIQUE CLASS B OVER 5’8″
- 4th Williams, Gearal
- 3rd Valere, Zach
- 2nd Childress, Tonio
- 1st Sugihara, Daiki

CLASSIC PHYSIQUE
- 5th Ikeda, Kaito
- 4th Kamada, Suguru
- 3rd Carmichael, Leigh
- 2nd Kokuma, Seiji
- 1st Kakegawa, Akinori

OPEN LIGHTWEIGHT BODYBUILDING
- 2nd Saito, Tsukasa
- 1st Kawasaki, Gaku

OPEN MIDDLEWEIGHT BODYBUILDING
- 3rd Logan, Jimmy
- 2nd Carmichael, Leigh
- 1st Sato, Ryo

OPEN HEAVYWEIGHT BODYBUILDING
- 2nd Williams, Gearal
- 1st Hancock, Travis

Event host: US 374th Force Support Squadron’s Samurai Fitness Center

Photo tips for bodybuilding competitions

I can offer only a few tips as this was my first bodybuilding competition. Here they are:

If you have lots of grain in your photos, use Adobe Lightroom to process them. It does a great job of fixing this problem.
Move around. Take photos from different angles. That will make your photoset so much better. No one enjoys everything looking the same. Or do they?
My Fujifilm X-T3 struggled due to the lack of light in the building. My ISO went as high as 5000. I was thankful for Adobe Lightroom’s new noise-reduction technology.

Conclusion

US-Japan Friendship Cup Championships 2024 at Yokota Airbase was a huge success. Pat Coleman, the US 374th (FSS) Force Support Squadron’s Samurai Fitness Center, athletes and judges should be congratulated. I’m sure the 2025 event will be even better.

For me, the day was a marathon that began with a 4 a.m. journey to the base. But seeing the incredible athletes and the supportive community made it worthwhile. The real work began when I got home to sort through over 4000 images, and I was thrilled that the majority were keepers! It was a great day.