Kohta Arakawa

is a Japanese motorcycle racer who competes in the ST1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship for Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing. He is not related to the racing driver Rin Arakawa.

Arakawa is the 2022 All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 champion. He has competed in the Asia Road Racing Championship as a wildcard in 2022 and 2023, and is a double race winner of the same championship.

Early life Arakawa was born in the Edogawa ward of Tokyo, Japan. Influenced by his father, he rode an electric motorcycle for the first time at the age of three, later transitioning to pocketbikes. Arakawa won the Honda-backed NSF100 National Tournament, before joining the SRS-Moto academy at the age of 13, a Suzuka-based racing school aimed at developing young Japanese riders, which has had Grand Prix motorcycle racers like Ryuichi Kiyonari attend.

Career All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 In 2018, Arakawa won the Tsukuba Road Race & Suzuka Sunday ST600 championships, which granted him a seat in the 2019 All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 class with Moto Bum Honda. He finished in seventh place in his debut race at Motegi, aged 17. After some inconsistent races throughout the season, Arakawa took pole position in the final round at Suzuka and ultimately finished third in the Sunday race, claiming his maiden podium. His overall position in the standings was seventh. He claimed his maiden win in the second round at Sportsland Sugo, together with his fourth class pole position. He clinched two more podiums at Tsukuba and Suzuka, and finished the season in third place. Arakawa would face his fourth and final ST600 season in 2022. He finished on the podium in the first five races, including a win at Sportsland Sugo, and claimed the title after a fourth place in the final round at Suzuka.

ST1000 In 2023, Arakawa stepped up to the ST1000 class with Moto Bum Honda. He started the season with top-ten finishes and claimed his first podium at Autopolis, firstly with a second-place finish in Race 1, and ultimately with a maiden win in Race 2. Arakawa also set his first ST1000 pole position in his rookie season at Okayama, and won his second class race in the final round at Suzuka. He finished the season as Rookie of the Year in second place, only five points away from riders' champion Kazuma Watanabe. Arakawa stayed with Moto Bum after his impressive rookie year. He started the 2024 season with championship aspirations but saw his momentum burdened after a disqualification in the opening round. He clinched one single podium in the remainder of the season and finished in fifth place overall.

In December 2024, Arakawa was announced to switch to Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing for the 2025 All Japan Road Race Championship season, after racing with Moto Bum Honda for six years. He teamed up with Taiga Hada. Arakawa claimed two podiums throughout the season, with a best finish of second in the final round at Suzuka.

JSB1000 After signing with Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing full-time for the ST1000 class in 2025, Arakawa was given a wildcard spot for the JSB1000 opening round at Motegi. He qualified 18th and finished the race in 14th place, scoring two championship points in his debut race.

Asia Road Racing Championship In 2019, Arakawa entered the Suzuka round in the SSP600 class of the 2019 Asia Road Racing Championship as a wildcard. He qualified fifth but crashed out in Race 1. His Race 2 result was ninth. In 2022, Arakawa returned to the Asia Road Racing Championship Sportsland Sugo round in the SSP600 class, once again as a wildcard. He took pole position and won both races. Arakawa made his last wildcard appearance in the championship in 2023. This time he competed in the ASB1000 class at the Sportsland Sugo round, and finished eighth and fourth in Races 1 and 2.

Suzuka 8 Hours Arakawa debuted in the 2023 Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race with Honda Dream RT Sakurai. The team qualified eighth and finished in fifth place overall. In June 2024, Arakawa participated in private pre-event HRC factory tests held at Suzuka, and was considered for the third rider spot alongside Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco, but was ultimately given the reserve rider role. In 2025, Arakawa was announced to participate in the 8 Hours with his All Japan team—Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing—alongside Kohta Nozane and Ryusei Yamanaka. The team qualified in tenth place for the endurance race, however, an engine problem during Arakawa's run forced them to retire from the race.

Career statistics All Japan Road Race Championship Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos Pts 2019 ST600 Honda MOT SUG TSU1 TSU2 OKA AUT SUZ 7th 71 2020 ST600 Honda SUG OKA AUT MOT SUZ 5th 55 2021 ST600 Honda MOT SUG TSU1 TSU2 SUZ OKA AUT 3rd 90 2022 ST600 Honda MOT SUG1 SUG2 AUT OKA SUZ 1st 113 2023 ST1000 Honda MOT SUG AUT1 AUT2 OKA SUZ 2nd 92 2024 ST1000 Honda MOT SUG AUT1 AUT2 OKA SUZ 5th 63 2025 JSB1000 Honda MOT 28th 2 ST1000 Honda SUG MOT1 MOT2 AUT OKA SUZ 5th 60 2026 ST1000 Honda SUG AUT MOT1 MOT2 OKA SUZ 5th* 47* Season still in progress. – Half points were awarded based on the qualifying results.

Asia Road Racing Championship Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos Pts R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 SS600 Honda SEP SEP BEN BEN BUR BUR SUZ SUZ ZHU ZHU SEP SEP BUR BUR 27th 7 SS600 Honda BUR BUR SEP SEP SUG SUG SEP SEP BUR BUR 11th 50 ASB1000 Honda BUR BUR SEP SEP SUG SUG MAN MAN ZHU ZHU BUR BUR 15th 21 ASB1000 Honda SEP SEP BUR BUR MOT MOT MAN MAN SEP SEP BUR BUR 13th* 21* Season still in progress.

Suzuka 8 Hours