Japan national football team

Far Eastern Championship Games logo in 1917

Japan's earliest international matches were at the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo, where it was represented by a team from the Tokyo Higher Normal School. Although Japan made strong showings in swimming, baseball, and track and field, its football team suffered resounding defeats to the Republic of China and the Philippines.[14] Nevertheless, the game was promoted in Japanese schools in the 1920s.[15] The Japan Football Association was formed in 1921,[16] and Japan joined FIFA in May 1929.[15]

Japan's first "true" national team (as opposed to a university team chosen to represent the country) was fielded at the 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games, and drew with China for the championship title.[15] Shigeyoshi Suzuki coached the national team to its first Olympic appearance at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.[16] Japan was an entrant for the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification, but withdrew before its scheduled qualifying match against the Dutch East Indies.[17]

After World War II began in earnest, Japan did not play in international competition, except for a handful of matches against Manchuria and other colonies.[15] Its last prewar match for purposes of Elo ratings was a friendly against the Philippines in June 1940.[18]

While Korea was under Japanese rule, multiple Koreans played in international competition for Japan, including Kim Yong-sik (1936–40), Kim Sung-gan (1940) and Lee Yoo-hyung (1940).

Japan playing Argentine club Racing de Córdoba at the 1981 President's Cup

Japan's postwar debut was in the 1951 Asian Games in India.[18] Japan re-joined FIFA in 1950 and played in qualifiers for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, but lost the AFC qualifying berth to South Korea after two matches, beginning an intense rivalry.[16] Japan also joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.[15]

Dettmar Cramer joined the Japan national team as coach in 1960, and helped lead the team to the round of eight at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[19] Japan's first major achievement in international football came in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where the team won the bronze medal. Although this result earned the sport increased recognition in Japan, the absence of a professional domestic league hindered its growth and Japan would not qualify for the FIFA World Cup until 30 years later.[20] Nonetheless, Japan had come close to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, but lost to South Korea in the deciding matches.

Japan made its first appearance in the Asian Cup in 1988, where they were eliminated in the group stage following a draw with Iran and losses to South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The late 1980s saw concrete moves to professionalize the sport in Japan. JFA introduced a Special Licensed Player system in 1986, allowing a limited number of professional players to compete in the domestic semi-professional league. Action committees were held in 1988 and 1989 to discuss the introduction of a full professional league in Japan.[19]

A World Cup match vs. Argentina in Toulouse in 1998

In 1991, the owners of the semi-professional Japan Soccer League agreed to disband the league and re-form as the professional J.League, partly to raise the sport's profile and to strengthen the national team program. The following year, Japan hosted the 1992 Asian Cup and won their first title by defeating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final.[21] The J.League was officially launched in 1993.[22]

However, in its first attempt to qualify with professional players, Japan narrowly missed a ticket to the 1994 World Cup after drawing with Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the "Agony of Doha".[23] Japan's next tournament was a defence of their continental title at the 1996 Asian Cup. The team won all their games in the group stage but were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 2–0 loss to Kuwait.[24]

The nation's first ever World Cup appearance was in 1998, where Japan lost all their games. The first two fixtures went 1–0 in favour of Argentina and Croatia, and the campaign ended with a 2–1 defeat to Jamaica. Japan impressed in all three games, however, with all three defeats were just one goal margin.[25]

In the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, Japan managed to reclaim their title after defeating Saudi Arabia in the final, becoming Asian champions for the second time.[26]

A World Cup match vs. Belgium at Saitama Stadium 2002 on 4 June 2002

Two years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea. After a 2–2 draw with Belgium in their opening match, the Japanese team advanced to the second round with a 1–0 win over Russia and a 2–0 victory against Tunisia. However, they subsequently exited the tournament during the round of 16, after losing 1–0 to eventual third-place finishers Turkey.[27]

With the 2004 AFC Asian Cup hosted by China, the Japanese managed to retain the title by winning their group after two victories over Thailand and Oman, before surpassing Jordan and Bahrain. They won against China in the final 3–1.[28]

Japan against Brazil at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany in the 2006 FIFA World Cup

On 8 June 2005, Japan qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, its third consecutive World Cup, by beating North Korea 2–0 on neutral ground. However, Japan failed to advance to the round of 16, losing to Australia 1–3, drawing Croatia 0–0 and losing to Brazil 1–4.[29]

The 2007 AFC Asian Cup saw Japan failed to defend the title. Although easily winning the group Vietnam and two Arab rivals, Qatar and the UAE, the Japanese were totally exhausted in their game against Australia, where Japan won only by a penalty shootout. Japan lost to Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals,[30] before failing in the third-place match against South Korea.

During the 2010 World Cup qualification, in the fourth round of the Asian Qualifiers, Japan became the first team other than the host South Africa to qualify after defeating Uzbekistan 1–0 away. Japan was drawn in Group E along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon.[31] Japan started with a 1–0 win against Cameroon,[32] before subsequently losing to the Netherlands 0–1.[33] Then, Japan resoundingly beat Denmark 3–1 to advance to the next round against Paraguay.[34] In the round of 16, Japan were eliminated from the competition following penalties after a 0–0 draw against Paraguay.[35]

After the World Cup, head coach Takeshi Okada resigned. He was replaced by former Juventus and Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni. In his first few matches, Japan recorded victories over Guatemala (2–1) and Paraguay (1–0), as well as a 1–0 victory over Argentina.

In 2011, Japan participated in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. On 29 January, they beat Australia 1–0 in the final after extra time, their fourth Asian Cup triumph and allowing them to qualify for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.[36]

Japan then started their road to 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Throughout, they suffered only two losses to Uzbekistan and Jordan, and drawing against Australia. Afterwards, on 12 October, Japan earned a historic 1–0 victory over France. After a 1–1 draw with Australia they qualified for the 2014 World Cup, becoming the first nation aside from Brazil to qualify.[37]

Japan started their 2013 Confederations Cup campaign with a 3–0 loss to Brazil.[38] They were then eliminated from the competition after losing to Italy 3–4.[39] They lost their final match 1–2 against Mexico and finished in fourth place in Group A.[40] One month later, in the EAFF East Asian Cup, they started out with a 3–3 draw to China. They then beat Australia 3–2 and beat South Korea 2–1 in the third and final match in the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup to claim the title.[41]

Japan was placed into Group C at the 2014 World Cup alongside the Ivory Coast, Greece and Colombia. They fell in their first match to Ivory Coast 2–1 after initially taking the lead, allowing two goals in a two-minute span. They drew their second game to Greece 0–0. To qualify for the second round, they needed a victory against Colombia and Greece to win against Ivory Coast. Greece beat Ivory Coast 2–1, but Colombia won 4–1, eliminating Japan from the World Cup.[42] Alberto Zaccheroni resigned as head coach.[43] In July 2014, former Mexico and Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre took over,[44] and Japan lost 0–2 to Uruguay in the first game he managed.

Japan national team vs Paraguay in 2008

Japan won its opening match at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Group D against Asian Cup debutantes Palestine 4–0, with goals from Yasuhito Endō, Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda via a penalty and Maya Yoshida. Okazaki was named man of the match. They then faced Iraq and Jordan in their next group matches, which they won 1–0 and 2–0 respectively. They qualified to knockout stage as Group D winner with nine points, seven goals scored and no goals conceded. In the quarter-finals, Japan lost to the United Arab Emirates in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw, as Honda and Shinji Kagawa missed their penalty kicks. Japan's elimination marked their worst performance in the tournament in 19 years.[45]

After the Asian Cup, Aguirre was sacked following allegations of corruption during a prior tenure.[46] He was replaced by Vahid Halilhodžić in March 2015.[47] Japan started on a rough note during qualification, losing to the UAE 1–2 at home.[48] They then picked up the pace in their other qualifier games against Iraq, Australia, and Thailand, picking up 5 wins and 2 draws. Then, on 31 August 2017, Japan defeated Australia 2–0 at home thus qualifying them for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, making it their sixth successive World Cup.[49] However, the Japan Football Association decided to sack Halilhodžić on 9 April 2018, only ten weeks before the World Cup finals, citing reasons of a breakdown in relationship between coach and player, and poor recent friendly results, and appoint the Technical Director, Japanese coach Akira Nishino, who had managed the Japanese Under-23 team at the 1996 Olympics, as the new manager.[50]

Japanese players before match with Iran at 2019 AFC Asian Cup

Japan made history in the 2018 FIFA World Cup by defeating Colombia 2–1, their first ever victory by any AFC team against a CONMEBOL team in an official tournament,[51] as well as Japan's first ever victory at the FIFA World Cup finals in UEFA nations. Their second match ended in a draw against Senegal, with one goal scored by Takashi Inui and the other by Keisuke Honda.[52] Japan were defeated in their last group game in the Group H against Poland 0–1,[53] leaving Japan and Senegal tied for second with an identical record, however, as Japan had received two fewer yellow cards, Japan advanced to the knockout stage on the Fair Play Points tiebreaker, the first team to do so.[54] The match with Poland caused controversy; as Japan were made aware of their advantage over Senegal with ten minutes left and decided to play an extremely conservative game, passing the ball around to one another and keeping it in their own box, seeking to avoid any bookings and didn't attempt to take any serious shots on goal, despite losing 0–1, with some fans booing the players.[55][56][57] The match received comparison to the 1982 World Cup Disgrace of Gijón, in which a similar game was played.[58] Japan were the only AFC team to have qualified to the knockout stage.[59] In the Round of 16 against Belgium, Japan took a surprising 2–0 lead with a goal in the 48th minute by Genki Haraguchi and another in the 52nd by Takashi Inui, but yielded 3 goals afterwards, including the winner by Nacer Chadli on the counterattack in the 94th minute. This was Japan's third time having reached the last 16, equaling their best result at a World Cup.[60] Japan's defeat to eventual third-place finishers Belgium was the first time a nation had lost a knockout match at the World Cup after taking a two-goal advantage since England lost to West Germany 2–3 in extra-time in the quarter-final of the 1970 edition.[61][62] This unfortunate scenario was due to the naivety of the Japanese,[63][64][65] who were very offensive and did not fall back enough in defense once the two-goal lead was acquired (unlike France, eventual champion, in the semifinals who played low block against these same Belgians with success), leaving a lot of space to the Belgians, who also took advantage of their physical and athletic superiority to turn the game around. However, Japan's impressive performance was praised by fans, pundits and medias for their fighting spirits, as demonstrated by Japan's win over Colombia, a draw to Senegal and a strong counter offensive against heavyweight Belgium.[66]

Japan participated in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and had an almost successful tournament. The team easily topped group F after defeating Turkmenistan 3–2,[67] Oman 1–0[68] and Uzbekistan 2–1.[69] The team, however, got criticized for its defensive approach (as the offensive approach lead to a regretful scenario against Belgium during the World Cup 2018), as Japan won the group with only one goal margin wins in all three matches and two later knockout stage's matches as Japan only beat fellow powerhouse Saudi Arabia in the round of sixteen and dark horse Vietnam in the quarter-finals both with 1–0 margin.[70][71] After defeating Iran 3–0 to reach the final,[72] Japan's hope to win their fifth Asian Cup in two decades shattered with the team suffering a 1–3 loss to Qatar, who won the Asian Cup for the first time.[73]

Japan were invited to the 2019 Copa America, their second appearance at the tournament, and brought a young squad to the competition. They were in Group C with Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador. They lost their opening match, 0–4 to Chile.[74] Japan, however, bounced back well and managed to unluckily draw against football giants Uruguay 2–2, who (Uruguay) were deemed to have been saved by VAR.[75] Japan needed a win against Ecuador to qualify for the knockouts, however they drew 1–1 and missed out due to inferior goal differences to Paraguay.[76] Aftermath saw Japan played a friendly game against the Paraguayans, and won 2–0 at home.

After China was removed as host of the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, it was announced that Japan was the new host. After topping the table with two wins and one draw, Japan won the competition for the second time in their history.[77]

Japan qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and were grouped with Germany, Costa Rica and Spain in Group E. On 23 November 2022, Japan produced an upset in which they beat Germany 2–1, with two goals in an eight-minute span during the second half.[78] After being upset by Costa Rica 1–0,[79] going into the final matchday, every team in Japan's group can qualify or be eliminated, with no team assured of any placement. In the end, Japan managed to qualify for the knockout stages by defeating Spain 2–1 in their final group match, also contributing to Germany's elimination from the tournament.[80] By topping their group, Japan went on to face Croatia[81] in the round of 16 where Japan would lose 1–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[82] It is the third team in 52 years to have come from behind twice in one tournament, following Brazil and (West) Germany.[83] They beat Spain with the lowest possession (18%) of the ball ever for a winning side since the 1966 World Cup.[84][85] It is the first time that an Asian team topped their World Cup group held outside their home country, and also the first Asian team to reach the knockouts twice in a row..

Japan's national football team is nicknamed the Samurai Blue (サムライ・ブルー, Samurai Burū) by the JFA.[1][2] The team also is often known by the last name of the manager. For example, under Takeshi Okada, the team was known as Okada Japan (岡田ジャパン, Okada Japan),[lower-alpha 1] or during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the team is referred by the current manager's (Hajime Moriyasu) name, as "Moriyasu Japan" (森保ジャパン, Moriyasu Japan).[86][87]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Japan national football team kits.

Boeing 777-289 Samurai Blue Jet

The national team kit design has gone through several alterations in the past.[88] In the early 1980s, the kit was white with blue trim. The kits worn for the 1992 Asian Cup consisted of white stripes (stylized to form a wing) with red diamonds. During the 1996 Asian Cup and in the 1998 World Cup, the national team kits were blue jerseys with red and white flame designs on the sleeves, and were designed by JFA (with the sponsor alternating each year between Asics, Puma, and Adidas). The 1996 design was reproduced in a special kit used against Syria on 7 June 2017.

Japan uses blue and white rather than red and white due to a superstition. Japan first used blue shirts in the 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games, where a team of the Tokyo Imperial University (whose color is light blue) represented Japan wearing light blue shirts,[89] and then in a 3–2 victory over Sweden in the first game of its maiden major international competition, the 1936 Summer Olympics.[90] When Japan was coached by Kenzo Yokoyama (1988–1992) the kits were red and white, matching the colours of Japan's national flag. After failures at 1990 FIFA World Cup and 1992 Summer Olympics qualifications, the red shirt was scrapped.

In the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Japan temporarily switched the colour of the numbers from white to gold.

Japan's kit is provided by German company Adidas, the team's exclusive kit supplier since April 1999.[91] Before that, Asics and Puma had been the team's official apparel sponsor alongside Adidas.

On 3 June 2021, Japan released the special 100th anniversary kit for a friendly match against Jamaica, but the match was cancelled and replaced with a match against the U-24 team. The kit was also used by the U-24 team against U-24 Ghana on 5 June 2021.

Yatagarasu

The crest or emblem of the national team was adopted in late 2017 as part of a larger rebranding by the Japan Football Association.[92] The crest features the Yatagarasu, a three-legged crow from Japanese mythology that is a symbol for the sun, holding a solid red ball that is like the sun from national flag. The text "JFA" (for the Japan Football Association) is inscribed at the bottom of the crow. A red stripe is also present at the center of the shield behind the crow. The shield has a metallic gold trim and has a thicker black outline. The name of the country represented by the national team "Japan" is also inscribed within the black border.[93][94]

The previous crest used from 1996 had a shield with a more complex shape. The ball held by the Yatagarasu had white details. The text "Japan" is absent and "JFA" is written in a different typeface.[93]

Before 1988, Japan used the national flag outlined in red (and with JFA written in black on the lower left corner of the flag) on the shirts.

The Yatagarasu was first seen on the Japan shirts in 1988, where it was on a yellow circle with a blue outline with "JAPAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION" written around it. In 1991, the emblem changed to a white shield with a red vertical stripe on the center with the crow on it and "JFA" written in a green Gothic typeface. This crest was used until 1996.

Saitama Stadium 2002, where Japan usually plays in FIFA World Cup qualification

Japan plays its home matches among various stadiums, in rotation, around the country, especially the Saitama Stadium 2002.

Japan maintains a strong football rivalry with South Korea. The football rivalry is long-seated and is often seen as an extension of an overall historic rivalry between the two nations. Japan have met South Korea 80 times, trailing the statistic at 15 wins, 23 draws, and 42 losses. Japan have scored 73 goals and conceded 153. Since November 1991, when the Japan Professional Football League was launched, the record is almost even with 9 wins, 12 draws and 10 losses. Both countries have made themselves unrivalled in both Asian Cup and World Cup records, being the two most successful Asian countries, and they hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup in a joint bid.

Japan also maintains a significant rivalry with North Korea, although the rivalry is infrequent due to political circumstances.[95] Like the rivalry against South Korea, the rivalry against North Korea is another extension of historical feud between Japan and Korea. They have met each other 20 times, with the statistic being equal with 8 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. When Japan Professional Football League was launched in 1991, Japan have a slight lead over North Korea with 6 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses. Japan have a far more dominant record with four Asian Cup titles and advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup four times, whereas North Korea's best Asian Cup result was just fourth place in 1980 and only advanced past the group stages of a World Cup just once, though North Korea finished in the quarter-finals at 1966.

Japan and China used to have a strong rivalry and the rivalry was taken to a new height when Japan beat China 3–1 in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final.[96] Previously, when Japan had not established professional football, Japan had only 4 wins, 3 draws and 13 losses toward China. However, Japan's rapid rise since 1991 with the foundation of Japan Professional Football League helped turning the tide, and the Japanese have been able to exert domination with 13 wins, 6 draws and just 2 losses. Moreover, Japan have been able to use the new professional program into senior successes, qualifying to every FIFA World Cup since 1998 and winning four AFC Asian Cup; whereas China have finished runners-up in Asia twice, and qualified to just one FIFA World Cup in 2002.

Japan began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Australia, shortly after the latter joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[97] The rivalry is regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries.[98] The rivalry is a relatively recent one, born from a number of highly competitive matches between the two teams since Australia joined the AFC in 2006.[99] The rivalry began at the 2006 World Cup where the two countries were grouped together, and continued with the two countries meeting regularly in various AFC competitions, such as the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Final and the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup.[100] Likewise, Australia and Japan also share World Cup and continental records that is nearly unrivalled in Asia, and also similar that football is not the main sport in both nations until recently; yet hold an indistinguishable record that being the only three members from the AFC to have reached the final of any senior FIFA competition, the other being Saudi Arabia, both in the defunct FIFA Confederations Cup, albeit Australia achieved it when the country still belonged to the OFC.[101] Japan have met Australia 27 times, with a record of 11 wins, 9 draws and 7 losses. Since the launch of the Japan Professional Football League in November 1991, the record has been 10 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses.

Japan and Saudi Arabia are two of the most historically successful national teams in Asia and have frequently met each other in many major tournaments, including in the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup qualifications.[102] The frequency is also rivalled by high-level performances of Japan and Saudi Arabia in Asian and global football stage, justified by being the two of just three AFC member nations (alongside Australia) to reach the final of any senior FIFA competition. Combined, they have also won seven AFC Asian Cup titles in total.[101] Both Japan and Saudi Arabia also gained headlines for producing "unexpected" wins in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with Japan earning wins against Germany and Spain and Saudi Arabia against Argentina in the group stage. Despite the fact that between both nations only Japan qualified to the knockout stage of the competition in 2022, these wins over World Cup-winning oppositions have allowed comparisons of developments between Japan and Saudi Arabia to emerge.[103][104] In head-to-head record, Japan have an advantage over Saudi Arabia with 10 wins, 1 draws and 5 losses.[105]

Fans waving national flags in support of the Japanese national team

Japanese national team supporters are known for chanting "Nippon Ole" (Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan) at home matches.[106]

Japan has one of the highest sponsorship incomes for a national squad. In 2006 their sponsorship income amounted to over 16.5 million pounds.

Primary sponsors include Adidas, Kirin, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, JAL, MS&AD Insurance Group, Asahi Shinbun, Mizuho Financial, Daito Trust Construction and KDDI.[107]

The mascots are "Karappe" (カラッペ) and "Karara" (カララ), two Yatagarasu wearing the Japan national football team kit. The mascots were designed by Japanese manga artist Susumu Matsushita. Each year when a new kit is launched, the mascots' uniforms are updated in order to match the kit being used by the team.

For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Pokémon character Pikachu served as the mascot.[108]

Canada  v  Japan

17 November International Friendly	Canada	2–1	Japan	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
17:40 UTC+4	Vitória 21' Cavallini 90+5' (pen.)	Report (JFA) Report (Soccerway)	Soma 9'	Stadium: Al-Maktoum Stadium Attendance: 2,971 Referee: Omar Mohamed Al Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Germany  v  Japan

23 November 2022 FIFA World Cup	Germany	1–2	Japan	Doha, Qatar
16:00 UTC+3	Gündoğan 33' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (JFA) Report (Soccerway)	Dōan 75' Asano 83'	Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium Attendance: 42,608 Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador)

Japan  v  Costa Rica

27 November 2022 FIFA World Cup	Japan	0–1	Costa Rica	Al Rayyan, Qatar
13:00 UTC+3		Report (FIFA) Report (JFA) Report (Soccerway)	Fuller 81'	Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance: 41,479 Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

Japan  v  Spain

1 December 2022 FIFA World Cup	Japan	2–1	Spain	Doha, Qatar
22:00 UTC+3	Dōan 48' Tanaka 51'	Report (FIFA) Report (JFA) Report (Soccerway)	Morata 11'	Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium Attendance: 44,851 Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa)

Japan  v  Croatia

5 December 2022 FIFA World Cup R16	Japan	1–1 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p)	Croatia	Al Wakrah, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3	Maeda 43'	Report	Perišić 55'	Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium Attendance: 42,523 Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States)
	Penalties
	Minamino Mitoma Asano Yoshida		Vlašić Brozović Livaja Pašalić

• Fixtures & Results (2022), JFA.jp

Japan  v  Uruguay

24 March 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup[109]	Japan	1–1	Uruguay	Tokyo, Japan
19:30 UTC+9	Nishimura 75'	Report	Valverde 38'	Stadium: Japan National Stadium Attendance: 61,855 Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

Japan  v  Colombia

28 March 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup[109]	Japan	1–2	Colombia	Osaka, Japan
19:20 UTC+9	Mitoma 3'	Report	Durán 33' Borré 61'	Stadium: Yodoko Sakura Stadium Attendance: 20,005 Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)[110]

Japan  v  El Salvador

15 June 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup[109]	Japan	6–0	El Salvador	Toyota, Japan
19:10 UTC+9	Taniguchi 1' Ueda 4' (pen.) Kubo 25' Dōan 44' Nakamura 60' Furuhashi 73'	Report		Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 37,403 Referee: Andrew Madley (England)

Japan  v  Peru

20 June 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup[109]	Japan	4–1	Peru	Suita, Japan
18:55 UTC+9	H. Ito 22' Mitoma 37' J. Itō 63' Maeda 75'	Report	Gonzáles 83'	Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita Attendance: 35,001 Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)

Germany  v  Japan

9 September Friendly	Germany	1–4	Japan	Wolfsburg, Germany
20:45 UTC+2	Sané 19'	Report	J. Itō 11' Ueda 22' Asano 90' Tanaka 90+2'	Stadium: Volkswagen Arena Attendance: 24,980 Referee: João Pinheiro (Portugal)

Japan  v  Turkey

12 September 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup[109]	Japan	4–2	Turkey	Genk, Belgium
14:20 UTC+2	A. Ito 15' Nakamura 28', 36' J. Itō 78' (pen.)	Report	Kabak 44' Yıldırım 61'	Stadium: Cegeka Arena Attendance: 7,202 Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)

Japan  v  Canada

13 October 2023 Mizuho Blue Dream Match[111]	Japan	4–1	Canada	Niigata, Japan
19:35 UTC+9	Tanaka 2', 49' Davies 40' (o.g.) Nakamura 42'	Report	Hoilett 89'	Stadium: Denka Big Swan Stadium Attendance: 37,125 Referee: Alex King (Australia)

Japan  v  Tunisia

17 October 2023 Kirin Challenge Cup[109]	Japan	2–0	Tunisia	Kobe, Japan
19:10 UTC+9	Furuhashi 43' J. Ito 69'	Report		Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe Attendance: 26,529 Referee: Wang Di (China)

Japan  v  Myanmar

16 November 2026 FIFA WCQ AFC 2R	Japan	v	Myanmar	Suita, Japan
19:00 UTC+9				Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita

Syria  v  Japan

21 November 2026 FIFA WCQ AFC 2R	Syria	v	Japan	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
20:00 UTC+3				Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium

• Fixtures & Results (2023), JFA.jp

Japan  v  Thailand

1 January Friendly	Japan	v	Thailand	Tokyo, Japan
--:-- UTC+9				Stadium: Japan National Stadium

Japan  v  Vietnam

14 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup	Japan	v	Vietnam	Doha, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3				Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium

Iraq  v  Japan

19 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup	Iraq	v	Japan	Al Rayyan, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3				Stadium: Education City Stadium

Japan  v  Indonesia

24 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup	Japan	v	Indonesia	Doha, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3				Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium

Japan  v  North Korea

21 March 2026 FIFA WCQ AFC 2R	Japan	v	North Korea	TBD, Japan
--:-- UTC+9				Stadium: TBD

North Korea  v  Japan

26 March 2026 FIFA WCQ AFC 2R	North Korea	v	Japan	Pyongyang, North Korea
--:-- UTC+9				Stadium: Kim Il Sung Stadium

Myanmar  v  Japan

6 June 2026 FIFA WCQ AFC 2R	Myanmar	v	Japan	Yangon, Myanmar
--:-- UTC+6:30				Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium

Japan  v  Syria

11 June 2026 FIFA WCQ AFC 2R	Japan	v	Syria	TBD, Japan
--:-- UTC+9				Stadium: TBD

• Fixtures & Results (2024), JFA.jp

As of 17 January 2023

Hajime Moriyasu, current manager of Japan

Role	Name
Manager	Hajime Moriyasu
Assistant coach	Ryoichi Maeda Hiroshi Nanami Toshihide Saito
Physical coach	Ryoichi Matsumoto
Goalkeeper coach	Takashi Shimoda

• Players & Staffs (2023), JFA.jp

As of 17 October 2023 after the match against  Tunisia.

Manager	Period	Record
		Matches	Won	Draw	Lost	Win %
Masujiro Nishida	1923	2	0	0	2	0%
Goro Yamada	1925	2	0	0	2	0%
Vacant	1925	2	1	0	1	50%
Shigeyoshi Suzuki (1st)	1930	2	1	1	0	50%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (1st)	1934	3	1	0	2	33.33%
Shigeyoshi Suzuki (2nd)	1936	2	1	1	0	50%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (2nd)	1940	1	1	0	0	100%
Hirokazu Ninomiya	1951	3	1	1	1	33.33%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (3rd)	1954–56	12	2	4	6	16.66%
Taizo Kawamoto	1958	2	0	0	2	0%
Shigemaru Takenokoshi (4th)	1958–59	12	4	2	6	33.33%
Vacant	1960	1	0	0	1	0%
Hidetoki Takahashi	1961–1962	14	3	2	9	21.43%
Ken Naganuma (1st)	1963–1969	31	18	7	6	58.06%
Shunichiro Okano	1970–1971	19	11	2	6	57.90%
Ken Naganuma (2nd)	1972–1976	42	16	6	20	38.09%
Hiroshi Ninomiya	1976–1978	27	6	6	15	22.22%
Yukio Shimomura	1979–1980	14	8	4	2	57.14%
Masashi Watanabe	1980	3	2	0	1	66.67%
Saburō Kawabuchi	1980–1981	10	3	2	5	30%
Takaji Mori	1981–1985	43	22	5	16	51.16%
Yoshinobu Ishii	1986–1987	17	11	2	4	64.70%
Kenzo Yokoyama	1988–1991	24	5	7	12	20.83%
Hans Ooft	1992–1993	27	16	7	4	59.25%
Paulo Roberto Falcão	1994	9	3	4	2	33.33%
Shu Kamo	1994–1997	46	23	10	13	50%
Takeshi Okada (1st)	1997–1998	15	5	4	6	33.33%
Philippe Troussier	1998–2002	50	23	16	11	46%
Zico	2002–2006	71	37	16	18	52.11%
Ivica Osim	2006–2007	20	13	2	5	65%
Takeshi Okada (2nd)	2007–2010	50	26	13	11	52%
Hiromi Hara (caretaker)	2010	2	2	0	0	100%
Alberto Zaccheroni	2010–2014	55	30	12	13	54.54%
Javier Aguirre	2014–2015	10	7	1	2	70%
Vahid Halilhodžić	2015–2018	38	21	9	8	55.26%
Akira Nishino	2018	7	2	1	4	28.57%
Hajime Moriyasu[112][113][4][5][6]	2018–present	70	47	10	13	67.14%
Manager	Period	Record
		Matches	Won	Draw	Lost	Win %

The following players were called up for the Mizuho Blue Dream Match and Kirin Challenge Cup, where the team played against Canada and Tunisia on 13 and 17 October 2023, respectively.[114]
Caps and goals as of 17 October 2023, after the match against  Tunisia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ryosuke Kojima	(1997-01-30) 30 January 1997	0	0	Albirex Niigata
12	1GK	Keisuke Osako	(1999-07-28) 28 July 1999	6	0	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
23	1GK	Zion Suzuki	(2002-08-21) 21 August 2002	2	0	Sint-Truiden
2	2DF	Yukinari Sugawara	(2000-06-28) 28 June 2000	7	0	AZ
3	2DF	Shogo Taniguchi	(1991-07-15) 15 July 1991	22	1	Al-Rayyan
4	2DF	Ko Itakura	(1997-01-27) 27 January 1997	22	1	Borussia Mönchengladbach
16	2DF	Takehiro Tomiyasu	(1998-11-05) 5 November 1998	36	1	Arsenal
19	2DF	Koki Machida	(1997-08-25) 25 August 1997	3	0	Union SG
22	2DF	Yuta Nakayama	(1997-02-16) 16 February 1997	19	0	Huddersfield Town
26	2DF	Seiya Maikuma	(1997-10-16) 16 October 1997	2	0	Cerezo Osaka
27	2DF	Daiki Hashioka	(1999-05-17) 17 May 1999	7	0	Sint-Truiden
5	3MF	Hidemasa Morita	(1995-05-10) 10 May 1995	26	2	Sporting CP
6	3MF	Wataru Endō (captain)	(1993-02-09) 9 February 1993	54	2	Liverpool
7	3MF	Hayao Kawabe	(1995-09-08) 8 September 1995	6	1	Standard Liège
8	3MF	Takumi Minamino	(1995-01-16) 16 January 1995	49	17	Monaco[lower-alpha 2]
13	3MF	Keito Nakamura	(2000-07-28) 28 July 2000	4	4	Reims
14	3MF	Junya Itō	(1993-03-09) 9 March 1993	49	13	Reims
15	3MF	Atsuki Ito	(1998-08-11) 11 August 1998	3	1	Urawa Red Diamonds
17	3MF	Ao Tanaka	(1998-09-10) 10 September 1998	22	6	Fortuna Düsseldorf
20	3MF	Takefusa Kubo	(2001-06-04) 4 June 2001	28	2	Real Sociedad
24	3MF	Reo Hatate	(1997-11-21) 21 November 1997	5	0	Celtic
25	3MF	Kanji Okunuki	(1999-08-11) 11 August 1999	0	0	1. FC Nürnberg
9	4FW	Ayase Ueda	(1998-08-28) 28 August 1998	16	2	Feyenoord
11	4FW	Kyogo Furuhashi	(1995-01-20) 20 January 1995	21	5	Celtic
18	4FW	Takuma Asano	(1994-11-10) 10 November 1994	47	9	VfL Bochum

The following players have been called up to the squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Daiya Maekawa	(1994-09-08) 8 September 1994	0	0	Vissel Kobe	v.  Canada, 13 October 2023 INJ
GK	Daniel Schmidt	(1992-02-03) 3 February 1992	14	0	Sint-Truiden	v.  Turkey, 12 September 2023
GK	Kosuke Nakamura	(1995-02-27) 27 February 1995	8	0	Portimonense	v.  Turkey, 12 September 2023
GK	Kosei Tani	(2000-11-22) 22 November 2000	1	0	Dender	v.  Colombia, 28 March 2023
GK	Shūichi Gonda	(1989-03-03) 3 March 1989	38	0	Shimizu S-Pulse	2022 FIFA World Cup
GK	Eiji Kawashima	(1983-03-20) 20 March 1983	95	0	Unattached	2022 FIFA World Cup RET
DF	Hiroki Ito	(1999-05-12) 12 May 1999	12	1	VfB Stuttgart	v.  Tunisia, 17 October 2023 WD
DF	Ryoya Morishita	(1997-04-11) 11 April 1997	1	0	Nagoya Grampus	v.  Turkey, 12 September 2023
DF	Ayumu Seko	(2000-06-07) 7 June 2000	3	0	Grasshoppers	v.  Peru, 20 June 2023
DF	Kashif Bangnagande	(2001-09-24) 24 September 2001	1	0	FC Tokyo	v.  Colombia, 28 March 2023
DF	Haruya Fujii	(2000-12-26) 26 December 2000	0	0	Nagoya Grampus	v.  Colombia, 28 March 2023
DF	Riku Handa	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002	0	0	Gamba Osaka	v.  Colombia, 28 March 2023
DF	Ryotaro Tsunoda	(1999-06-27) 27 June 1999	0	0	Yokohama F. Marinos	v.  Uruguay, 24 March 2023 INJ
DF	Yuto Nagatomo	(1986-09-12) 12 September 1986	142	4	FC Tokyo	2022 FIFA World Cup
DF	Maya Yoshida	(1988-08-24) 24 August 1988	126	12	LA Galaxy	2022 FIFA World Cup
DF	Hiroki Sakai	(1990-04-12) 12 April 1990	74	1	Urawa Red Diamonds	2022 FIFA World Cup
DF	Miki Yamane	(1993-12-22) 22 December 1993	16	2	Kawasaki Frontale	2022 FIFA World Cup
MF	Kaoru Mitoma	(1997-05-20) 20 May 1997	18	7	Brighton & Hove Albion	v.  Canada, 13 October 2023 WD
MF	Ritsu Dōan	(1998-06-16) 16 June 1998	39	6	SC Freiburg	v.  Turkey, 12 September 2023
MF	Daichi Kamada	(1996-08-05) 5 August 1996	30	6	Lazio	v.  Turkey, 12 September 2023
MF	Yuki Soma	(1997-02-25) 25 February 1997	11	4	Casa Pia	v.  Peru, 20 June 2023
MF	Sota Kawasaki	(2001-07-30) 30 July 2001	0	0	Kyoto Sanga	v.  Peru, 20 June 2023
MF	Takumu Kawamura	(1999-08-28) 28 August 1999	0	0	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	v.  El Salvador, 15 June 2023 INJ
MF	Gaku Shibasaki	(1992-05-28) 28 May 1992	60	3	Kashima Antlers	2022 FIFA World Cup
FW	Daizen Maeda	(1997-10-20) 20 October 1997	13	3	Celtic	v.  Canada, 13 October 2023 INJ
FW	Shuto Machino	(1999-09-30) 30 September 1999	5	3	Holstein Kiel	v.  Colombia, 28 March 2023
FW	Takuma Nishimura	(1996-10-22) 22 October 1996	5	3	Yokohama F. Marinos	v.  Colombia, 28 March 2023
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

• Players & Staffs (2023), JFA.jp

Japan is the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited to the 1999 Copa América.[13] Japan was also invited to the 2011 tournament and initially accepted the invitation. However, following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the JFA later withdrew on 16 May 2011, citing the difficulty of releasing some Japanese players from European teams to play as replacements.[116] On the next day, CONMEBOL invited Costa Rica to replace Japan in the competition.

On 16 August 2013, CONMEBOL president Eugenio Figueredo announced that Japan was invited to the 2015 Copa América.[117] However, Japan later declined the invitation due to scheduling problems.[118]

On 14 May 2018, CONMEBOL announced that Japan, alongside Qatar, would be the two invited teams for the 2019 Copa América.[119]

Copa América record Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad 1999 Group stage 10th 3 0 1 2 3 8 Squad 2011 Withdrew 2015 Withdrew 2019 Group stage 9th 3 0 2 1 3 7 Squad Total Group stage 2/4 6 0 3 3 6 15 — Match history CONMEBOL Copa América history Year Round Opponent Score Result Stadium 1999 Group stage  Peru 2–3 Loss Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción  Paraguay 0–4 Loss  Bolivia 1–1 Draw Monumental Rio Parapiti, Pedro Juan Caballero 2019 Group stage  Chile 0–4 Loss Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo  Uruguay 2–2 Draw Arena do Grêmio, Porto Alegre  Ecuador 1–1 Draw Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte