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Japan national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Japan women's national football team.

Japan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)サムライ・ブルー
(Samurai Blue)[1][2]
Since 19 October 2009[3]
AssociationJFA
ConfederationAFC
Sub-confederationEAFF
Head coachHajime Moriyasu[4][5][6]
CaptainWataru Endō
Most capsYasuhito Endō (152)
Top scorerKunishige Kamamoto (75)[7]
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeJPN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 15 Steady (28 November 2024)[8]
Highest9 (February–March 1998)
Lowest66 (December 1992)
First international
 Japan 0–5 China 
(Tokyo, Japan; 9 May 1917)
Biggest win
 Japan 15–0 Philippines 
(Tokyo; 27 September 1967)
Biggest defeat
 Japan 2–15 Philippines 
(Tokyo; 10 May 1917)
World Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1998)
Best resultRound of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
Asian Cup
Appearances11 (first in 1988)
Best resultChampions (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)
Copa América (as guest)
Appearances2 (first in 1999)
Best resultGroup stage (1999, 2019)
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
Appearances2 (first in 1993)
Best resultChampions (1993, 2007)
Confederations Cup
Appearances5 (first in 1995)
Best resultRunners-up (2001)
Medal record
Men's football
Olympic Football Tournament
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Mexico Team
FIFA Confederations Cup
Silver medal – second place 2001 Korea/Japan Team
Asian Cup
Gold medal – first place 1992 Japan Team
Gold medal – first place 2000 Lebanon Team
Gold medal – first place 2004 China Team
Gold medal – first place 2011 Qatar Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 UAE Team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 1951 New Delhi Team
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Bangkok Team
EAFF Championship
Gold medal – first place 2013 South Korea Team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Japan Team
Silver medal – second place 2003 Japan Team
Silver medal – second place 2005 South Korea Team
Silver medal – second place 2008 China Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Japan Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 South Korea Team
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Japan Team
Websitejfa.jp/eng/samuraiblue/

The Japan national football team (サッカー日本代表, Sakkā Nihon Daihyō or Sakkā Nippon Daihyō), also known by the nickname Samurai Blue (サムライ・ブルー, Samurai Burū),[1][2] represents Japan in men's international football. It is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan.

Until the end of the 1980s, Japan was a small and amateur team. For a long time, football was less popular than baseball and sumo.[10][11] Since the early 1990s, when Japanese football became fully professionalized, Japan has emerged as one of the most successful teams in Asia; they have qualified for every FIFA World Cup since 1998 (including an automatic berth in 2002 as co-hosts with South Korea) with knockout stage appearances that year, and in 2010, 2018 and 2022. They have won the Asian Cup a record four times, in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011. The team also finished runners-up in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup. Japan is one of three teams from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to have reached the final of a senior FIFA men's competition, the others being Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Japan's progression in a short period has served as an inspiration and example of how to develop football.[12][13] Their principal continental rivals are South Korea and, most recently, Australia; they also developed rivalries against Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Japan was the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in the 1999, 2011, 2015, and 2019 editions of the tournament, although they only played in the 1999 and 2019 events.[14]

As of October 2024, Japan is the highest-ranked AFC team at 15th, and has been since December 2022.[15]

History

[edit]

1910s–1930s: Pre-war era

[edit]
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.[16] Nevertheless, the game was promoted in Japanese schools in the 1920s.[17] The Japan Football Association was formed in 1921,[18] and Japan joined FIFA in May 1929.[17]

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.[17] Shigeyoshi Suzuki coached the national team to its first Olympic appearance at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.[18] Japan was an entrant for 1938 World Cup qualifying, but withdrew before its scheduled qualifying match against the Dutch East Indies.[19]

After World War II began, Japan did not play in international competition, except for a handful of matches against Manchuria and other colonies.[17] Its last prewar match for purposes of Elo ratings was a friendly against the Philippines in June 1940.[20] 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).

1950s–1980s: Post-war era

[edit]
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.[20] Japan re-joined FIFA in 1950 and played in qualifiers for the 1954 World Cup, but lost the AFC qualifying berth to South Korea after two matches.[18] Japan also joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.[17]

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.[21] 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 World Cup until 30 years later.[22] Nonetheless, Japan were close to qualifying 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.[21]

1990s: Rise

[edit]
The 1998 World Cup match vs. Argentina in Toulouse, France

In the 1990s, the Japan Football Association began the professionalization of its national football team. 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.[23] The J.League was officially launched in 1993.[24]

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".[25] 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.[26]

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, however, as all three defeats were only by a one goal margin.[27]

2000s: Two Asian Cup titles, World Cup co-hosts

[edit]

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.[28]

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

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 in extra time.[29]

With the 2004 Asian Cup hosted by China, the Japanese managed to retain the title by winning their group after two victories over Thailand and Oman, before achieving victories against Jordan and Bahrain. They defeated the hosts in the final 3–1.[30]

Japan against Brazil at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany in the 2006 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 future AFC rival Australia 3–1, drawing Croatia 0–0 and falling to Brazil 4–1.[31]

The 2007 AFC Asian Cup saw Japan fail to defend its title. Although easily winning the group over Vietnam, 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,[32] before failing in the third-place match against South Korea.

2010s

[edit]

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.[33] Japan started with a 1–0 win against Cameroon,[34] before subsequently losing to the Netherlands 1–0.[35] Then, Japan resoundingly beat Denmark 3–1 to advance to the next round against Paraguay.[36] In the round of 16, Japan were eliminated from the competition following penalties after a 0–0 draw against Paraguay.[37]

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.

Japan participated in the 2011 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.[38] The country then started their road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Throughout, they suffered only two losses to Uzbekistan and Jordan, and drew against Australia. After a 1–1 draw with Australia, they qualified for the 2014 World Cup, becoming the first nation aside from the hosts to qualify.[39]

Japan started their 2013 Confederations Cup campaign with a 3–0 loss to Brazil.[40] They were then eliminated from the competition after losing to Italy 4–3.[41] They lost their final match 1–2 against Mexico and finished in fourth place in Group A.[42] 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 tournament to claim the title.[43]

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.[44] Alberto Zaccheroni resigned as head coach.[45] In July 2014, former Mexico and Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre took over,[46] and Japan lost 0–2 to Uruguay in the first game he managed.

Japan 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 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 the knockout stage as Group D winners with nine points, seven goals scored and no goals conceded. In the quarter-finals, Japan lost to the UAE 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.[47]

After the Asian Cup, Aguirre was sacked following allegations of corruption during a prior tenure.[48] He was replaced by Vahid Halilhodžić in March 2015.[49] Japan started on a rough note during qualification, losing to the UAE 1–2 at home.[50] They then picked up the pace in their other qualifier games against Iraq, Australia, and Thailand, picking up five wins and two draws. On 31 August 2017, Japan defeated Australia 2–0 at home, thus qualifying them for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, making it their sixth successive World Cup.[51] However, the Japan Football Association decided to sack Halilhodžić on 9 April 2018, only ten weeks before the World Cup, citing reasons of a breakdown in relationship between the coach and players, and poor recent friendly results, and appoint the Technical Director, Japanese coach Akira Nishino as the new manager.[52]

Japan before their match against Iran at the 2019 Asian Cup

Japan made history in the 2018 World Cup by defeating Colombia 2–1, their first ever victory by any AFC team against a CONMEBOL team in an official tournament,[53] as well as Japan's first ever victory at the World Cup finals in UEFA nations. Their second match against Senegal ended in a draw with goals from Takashi Inui and Keisuke Honda.[54] Japan were defeated in their last group game in the Group H against Poland 1–0,[55] 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.[56] 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 with no attempts to take a shot on goal, despite losing 1–0, with some fans booing the players.[57][58][59] The match received comparison to the 1982 World Cup Disgrace of Gijón, in which a similar game was played.[60] Japan were the only AFC team to have qualified to the knockout stage.[61]

In the round of 16 against Belgium, Japan took a 2–0 lead with a goal in the 48th minute by Genki Haraguchi and another in the 52nd by Takashi Inui, but yielded three goals afterwards, including the winner by Nacer Chadli on the counterattack in the 94th minute. The defeat to 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 3–2 in extra-time in the quarter-final of the 1970 edition.[62][63] Despite losing a 2–0 lead, Japan's impressive performance was praised by fans, pundits and the media.[64]

Japan participated in the 2019 Asian Cup, finishing on top of group F after defeating Turkmenistan 3–2,[65] Oman 1–0[66] and Uzbekistan 2–1.[67] Japan defeated Saudi Arabia in the round of sixteen and dark horse Vietnam in the quarter-finals by a 1–0 margin.[68][69] After defeating Iran 3–0 to reach the final,[70] Japan's hope to win their fifth Asian Cup was lost with the team suffering a 3–1 defeat to Qatar, who won the Asian Cup for the first time.[71]

Japan were invited to the 2019 Copa America, their second appearance at the tournament, and brought a young squad to the competition. They were placed in Group C with Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador. The nation lost their opening match 4–0 to Chile,[72] before bouncing back and drawing against Uruguay 2–2.[73] Japan needed a win against Ecuador to qualify for the knockouts, however they drew 1–1 and missed out due to inferior goal difference to Paraguay.[74] Aftermath saw Japan played a friendly game against the Paraguayans, and won 2–0 at home.

2020s

[edit]

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.[75]

Japan qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and were drawn into Group E with Germany, Costa Rica and Spain. On 23 November, Japan produced an upset, beating Germany 2–1, with two goals in an eight-minute span during the second half.[76] After losing to Costa Rica 1–0,[77] going into the final matchday, every team in Group E could qualify or be eliminated, with no team assured of any placement. In the end, Japan managed to qualify for the round of 16 by defeating Spain 2–1 in their final group stage match, while also contributing to Germany's elimination from the tournament.[78] By topping their group, Japan went on to face Croatia[79] in the round of 16 where they would lose 3–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[80] It was the third team in 52 years to have come from behind twice in one tournament, following Brazil and (West) Germany.[81] They beat Spain with the lowest possession (18%) of the ball ever for a winning side since the 1966 World Cup.[82][83] It also was 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.[84]

Japan were considered the favourites for the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar,[85] but disappointed; Hajime Moriyasu's men began the tournament with an unconvincing victory over a Vietnamese side deprived of a number of key players (4–2),[86] before going on to play a nightmarish game against Iraq (a 2–1 loss). This defeat, Japan's first in the group stage since their first appearance in 1988, condemned them to finish second in the group due to their unfavourable head-to-head record. The Japanese sealed three points after overcoming Indonesia 3–1[87] and then eliminated Bahrain by the same scoreline in the round of 16.[88] Japan met Iran in the quarter-finals for a rematch of the previous edition's semi-final, and got the game off to a perfect start with Hidemasa Morita's 28th-minute opener, before falling completely flat in the second half, succumbing to Iran's fiery attacks, 2–1.[89] The country suffered two defeats at the Asian Cup for the first time since their debut in 1988, while conceding at least one goal in every match.[90][91][92] The squad also had to contend with an extra controversy, with the sudden departure of Junya Itō shortly before the match against Iran, due to the Stade de Reims player having been accused of sexual assault.[93]

Team image

[edit]

Nicknames

[edit]

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),[a] or during the 2022 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).[94][95]

Kits

[edit]
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.[96] 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 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,[97] and then in a match against Sweden in the 1936 Summer Olympics.[98] Between 1988 and 1992, the kits were red and white, matching the colours of Japan's national flag. After failing to qualify for the 1990 World Cup and 1992 Summer Olympics, the red shirt was scrapped.

In the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2015 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.[99] Before that, Asics and Puma had been the team's official apparel sponsor.

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.

Kit suppliers

[edit]
Kit provider Period
None 1936–1978
Japan Asics 1979
West Germany Puma 1980–1985
West Germany Adidas 1986
Japan Asics 1987–1988
Germany Adidas 1989–1992
Japan Asics 1993–1998
Germany Adidas 1999–present

Crest

[edit]
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.[100] 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.[101][102]

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.[101]

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.

Home stadium

[edit]
Main article: List of football stadiums in Japan
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.

Rivalries

[edit]

South Korea

[edit]
Main article: Japan–South Korea football rivalry

Japan maintains a strong football rivalry with South Korea. The 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, while scoring 73 goals and conceding 153. Both countries have made themselves unrivalled in both Asian Cup and World Cup records, being two of the most successful Asian football teams, and they hosted the 2002 World Cup in a joint bid.

North Korea

[edit]

Japan also maintains a significant rivalry with North Korea, although the rivalry is infrequent due to political circumstances.[103] 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 head-to-head record being equal with 8 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses.

China

[edit]
Main article: China–Japan football rivalry

Japan and China used to have a strong rivalry, with the former defeating the latter 3–1 in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup final.[104]

Australia

[edit]
Main article: Australia–Japan football rivalry

Japan began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Australia, shortly after the latter joined the Asian Football Confederation.[105] The rivalry is regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries.[106] 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.[107] 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.[108]

Japan have met Australia 27 times, with a record of 11 wins, 9 draws and 7 losses.

Saudi Arabia

[edit]

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 Asian Cup and World Cup qualification.[109] The frequency is also rivalled by high-level performances of Japan and Saudi Arabia in the Asian and global football stage, as they are two of the three AFC members (alongside Australia) to reach the final of any senior FIFA competition. Both countries also gained headlines for producing "unexpected" wins in the 2022 World Cup, with Japan earning wins against Germany and Spain and Saudi Arabia against eventual champions Argentina in the group stage. These wins over World Cup-winning oppositions have allowed comparisons of developments between Japan and Saudi Arabia to emerge.[110][111]

In the head-to-head record, Japan have an advantage over the Saudis with 11 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses.[112]

Iran

[edit]

Japan and Iran have a combined seven Asian Cup titles, with a rivalry developing in the 1990s due to the famous "Joy of Johor Bahru" (ジョホール・バルの歓喜, Johōru Baru no kanki) that gave Japan a ticket to their first World Cup defeating the Persians by 3–2 in a neutral Asian play-off hosted in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

More recently, the two countries met in the 2019 and 2023 Asian Cups. The Samurai Blue defeated Team Melli 3–0 in the semifinals of the 2019 edition. The Iranians got revenge four years later eliminating Japan 2–1 in the quarter-finals.

Supporters

[edit]
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.[113]

Sponsorship

[edit]

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

Primary sponsors include Adidas, ANA, Kirin, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, JAL, MS&AD Insurance Group, Asahi Shinbun, Mizuho Financial, Daito Trust Construction and KDDI.[114]

Mascot

[edit]

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 World Cup, the Pokémon character Pikachu served as the mascot.[115]

Results and fixtures

[edit]
Main article: Japan national football team results (2020–present)
See also: 2024 in Japanese football

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

[edit]
Main article: 2024 Japan national football team
1 January 2024 Toyo Tires Cup[116][117] Japan  5–0  Thailand Tokyo, Japan
14:00 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Japan National Stadium
Attendance: 61,916
Referee: Kim Woo-sung (South Korea)
9 January Unofficial Friendly Japan  6–1  Jordan Doha, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Al Ersal Stadium
Attendance: 0
14 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Japan  4–2  Vietnam Doha, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
Attendance: 17,385
Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
19 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Iraq  2–1  Japan Al Rayyan, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Education City Stadium
Attendance: 38,663
Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)
24 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup GS Japan  3–1  Indonesia Doha, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
Attendance: 26,453
Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)
31 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup R16 Bahrain  1–3  Japan Doha, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
Attendance: 31,832
Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)
3 February 2023 AFC Asian Cup QF Iran  2–1  Japan Al Rayyan, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Education City Stadium
Attendance: 35,640
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
21 March 2026 World Cup qualification 2R Japan  1–0  North Korea Tokyo, Japan
19:20 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Japan National Stadium
Attendance: 59,354
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
26 March 2026 World Cup qualification 2R North Korea  0–3
Awarded[b]		  Japan
Report
6 June 2026 World Cup qualification 2R Myanmar  0–5  Japan Yangon, Myanmar
18:40 UTC+6:30 Report
Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium
Attendance: 21,200
Referee: Majed Al-Shamrani (Saudi Arabia)
11 June 2026 World Cup qualification 2R Japan  5–0  Syria Hiroshima, Japan
19:10 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima
Attendance: 26,650
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)
5 September 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Japan  7–0  China Saitama, Japan
19:35 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
Attendance: 52,398
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
10 September 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Bahrain  0–5  Japan Riffa, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Attendance: 22,729
Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)
10 October 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Saudi Arabia  0–2  Japan Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
Attendance: 56,283
Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
15 October 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Japan  1–1  Australia Saitama, Japan
19:35 UTC+9
Report
Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
Attendance: 58,730
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)
15 November 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Indonesia  0–4  Japan Jakarta, Indonesia
19:00 UTC+7 Report
Stadium: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
Attendance: 60,304
Referee: Mooud Bonyadifard (Iran)
19 November 2026 World Cup qualification 3R China  1–3  Japan Xiamen, China
20:00 UTC+8
Report
Stadium: Xiamen Egret Stadium
Attendance: 45,336
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

2025

[edit]
20 March 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Japan  v  Bahrain Saitama, Japan
19:35 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
25 March 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Japan  v  Saudi Arabia Saitama, Japan
19:35 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
5 June 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Australia  v  Japan Sydney, Australia
--:-- UTC+11 Report Stadium: Stadium Australia
10 June 2026 World Cup qualification 3R Japan  v  Indonesia Tokyo, Japan
--:-- UTC+9 Report Stadium: Japan National Stadium
September 2025 Friendly Japan  v  Mexico United States
September 2025 Friendly United States  v  Japan United States

Head-to-head record

[edit]
Main article: Japan national football team records and statistics § Head-to-head record
The following table shows Japan's all-time international record, correct as of 18 November 2024.[121]
Opponent From To Pld W D L GF GA GD
 Afghanistan 1951 2015 3 3 0 0 13 0 +13
 Angola 2005 2005 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Argentina 1964 2010 8 1 0 7 4 16 −12
 Australia 1956 2024 28 11 10 6 40 31 +9
 Austria 2007 2007 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Azerbaijan 2012 2012 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Bahrain 1978 2024 13 10 1 2 26 11 +15
 Bangladesh 1975 1993 5 5 0 0 22 1 +21
 Belarus 2013 2013 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 Belgium 1999 2018 6 2 2 2 11 8 +3
 Bolivia 1999 2019 4 2 1 1 5 2 +3
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2006 2016 3 1 1 1 6 4 +2
 Brazil 1968 2022 13 0 2 11 5 35 −30
 Brunei 1980 2000 4 4 0 0 29 1 +28
 Bulgaria 1976 2016 6 1 1 4 10 13 −3
 Cambodia 1964 2015 4 4 0 0 10 0 +10
 Cameroon 2001 2020 6 3 3 0 5 0 +5
 Canada 2001 2023 4 3 0 1 10 4 +6
 Chile 2008 2019 3 1 1 1 4 4 0
 China 1917 2024 36 18 8 10 56 42 +14
 Chinese Taipei 1963 1983 7 6 0 1 24 7 +17
 Colombia 2003 2023 6 1 1 4 4 9 −5
 Costa Rica 1995 2022 5 3 1 1 10 3 +7
 Croatia 1997 2022 4 1 2 1 5 5 0
 Cyprus 2014 2014 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Czech Republic 1998 2011 3 1 2 0 1 0 +1
 Denmark 1971 2010 2 1 0 1 5 4 +1
 Ecuador 1995 2022 4 2 2 0 5 1 +4
 Egypt 1998 2007 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4
 El Salvador 2019 2023 2 2 0 0 8 0 +8
 England 1995 2010 3 0 1 2 3 5 −2
 Finland 2006 2009 2 2 0 0 7 1 +6
 France 1968 2012 6 1 1 4 5 14 −9
 Germany 2004 2023 4 2 1 1 8 7 +1
 Ghana 1994 2022 7 5 0 2 16 9 +5
 Greece 2005 2014 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1
 Guatemala 2010 2013 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4
 Haiti 2017 2017 1 0 1 0 3 3 0
 Honduras 2002 2014 3 2 1 0 14 7 +7
 Hong Kong 1958 2022 27 16 6 5 59 17 +42
 Hungary 1993 2004 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2
 Iceland 1971 2012 4 3 0 1 9 4 +5
 India 1954 2006 12 11 1 6 41 19 +22
 Indonesia 1954 2024 17 10 2 5 40 24 +16
 Iran 1951 2024 19 6 6 7 22 21 +1
 Iraq 1978 2024 13 7 3 3 19 10 +9
 Israel 1973 1977 5 0 0 5 1 10 −9
 Italy 2001 2013 2 0 1 1 4 5 −1
 Ivory Coast 1993 2020 5 3 0 2 4 4 0
 Jamaica 1998 2014 4 2 1 1 7 3 +4
 Jordan 1988 2015 6 3 2 1 12 4 +8
 Kazakhstan 1997 2005 3 2 1 0 10 2 +8
 Kuwait 1978 1998 5 1 0 4 2 8 −6
 Kyrgyzstan 2018 2021 3 3 0 0 11 1 +10
 Latvia 2005 2013 2 1 1 0 5 2 +3
 Macau 1980 2000 5 5 0 0 45 0 +45
 Malaysia 1958 2004 35 13 11 11 56 55 +1
 Mali 2018 2018 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Malta 2006 2006 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Mexico 1996 2020 6 1 0 5 6 11 −5
 Mongolia 1942 2021 5 5 0 0 71 0 +71
 Montenegro 2007 2007 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Myanmar 1994 2024 5 5 0 0 27 0 +27
   Nepal 1986 1998 4 4 0 0 19 0 +19
 Netherlands 2009 2013 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4
 New Zealand 1981 2017 4 3 0 1 9 4 +5
 Nigeria 1995 2003 2 1 0 1 3 3 0
 North Korea 1975 2024 22 10 4 8 23 16 +7
 Norway 2002 2002 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3
 Oman 1988 2021 14 10 3 1 21 5 +16
 Pakistan 1960 1988 3 1 1 1 6 5 +1
 Palestine 2015 2015 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 Panama 2018 2020 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4
 Paraguay 1995 2022 12 5 4 2 15 10 +5
 Peru 1999 2023 6 2 2 2 8 5 +3
 Philippines 1917 1974 13 8 0 5 33 33 0
 Poland 1996 2018 3 2 0 1 7 1 +6
 Qatar 1982 2019 10 3 4 3 12 13 −1
 Romania 1974 2003 6 1 2 3 6 13 −7
 Russia 1995 2002 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2
 Saudi Arabia 1982 2024 19 12 1 6 29 17 +12
 Scotland 1995 2009 3 1 2 0 2 0 +2
 Senegal 1987 2018 4 0 2 2 4 7 −3
 Serbia 2010 2021 3 1 0 2 1 5 −4
 Singapore 1959 2015 28 23 2 3 67 21 +46
 Slovakia 2000 2004 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3
 Spain 2001 2022 2 1 0 1 2 2 0
 South Africa 2009 2009 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 South Korea 1954 2022 81 16 23 42 76 124 −48
 Sri Lanka 1972 1993 3 3 0 0 16 0 +16
 Sweden 1936 2002 5 1 3 1 7 7 0
  Switzerland 1993 2018 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1
 Syria 1978 2024 13 11 2 0 37 9 +28
 Tajikistan 2011 2021 4 4 0 0 19 1 +18
 Thailand 1960 2024 28 19 6 3 70 23 +47
 Togo 2009 2009 1 1 0 0 5 0 +5
 Trinidad and Tobago 2006 2019 2 1 1 0 2 0 +2
 Tunisia 1996 2023 6 5 0 1 8 3 +5
 Turkey 1997 2023 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2
 Turkmenistan 2019 2019 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1
 Ukraine 2002 2018 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1
 United Arab Emirates 1981 2017 20 6 9 5 22 18 +4
 United States 1993 2022 3 2 0 1 7 4 +3
 Uruguay 1985 2023 9 2 3 4 18 24 −6
 Uzbekistan 1996 2019 11 7 3 1 30 10 +20
 Venezuela 2010 2019 5 1 3 1 6 6 0
 Vietnam 2007 2024 6 5 1 0 12 4 +8
 Wales 1992 1992 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 Yemen 2006 2010 4 4 0 0 8 3 +5
 Zambia 2014 2014 1 1 0 0 4 3 +1
Total (110 Countries) 1917 2024 811 387 165 249 1,436 952 +484

Coaching staff

[edit]

Current staff

[edit]
See also: List of Asian national football team managers
As of 29 August 2024
Hajime Moriyasu, current manager of Japan
Role Name
Manager Japan Hajime Moriyasu
Assistant coach Japan Makoto Hasebe
Japan Ryoichi Maeda
Japan Hiroshi Nanami
Japan Toshihide Saito
Physical coach Japan Ryoichi Matsumoto
Goalkeeper coach Japan Takashi Shimoda

Manager history

[edit]
As of 19 November 2024 after the match against  China.
Manager Period Record
Matches Won Draw Lost Win %
Japan Masujiro Nishida 1923 2 0 0 2 0%
Japan Goro Yamada 1925 2 0 0 2 0%
Vacant 1925 2 1 0 1 50%
Japan Shigeyoshi Suzuki (1st) 1930 2 1 1 0 50%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (1st) 1934 3 1 0 2 33.33%
Japan Shigeyoshi Suzuki (2nd) 1936 2 1 1 0 50%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (2nd) 1940 1 1 0 0 100%
Japan Hirokazu Ninomiya 1951 3 1 1 1 33.33%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (3rd) 1954–56 12 2 4 6 16.66%
Japan Taizo Kawamoto 1958 2 0 0 2 0%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (4th) 1958–59 12 4 2 6 33.33%
Vacant 1960 1 0 0 1 0%
Japan Hidetoki Takahashi 1961–1962 14 3 2 9 21.43%
Japan Ken Naganuma (1st) 1963–1969 31 18 7 6 58.06%
Japan Shunichiro Okano 1970–1971 19 11 2 6 57.90%
Japan Ken Naganuma (2nd) 1972–1976 42 16 6 20 38.09%
Japan Hiroshi Ninomiya 1976–1978 27 6 6 15 22.22%
Japan Yukio Shimomura 1979–1980 14 8 4 2 57.14%
Japan Masashi Watanabe 1980 3 2 0 1 66.67%
Japan Saburō Kawabuchi 1980–1981 10 3 2 5 30%
Japan Takaji Mori 1981–1985 43 22 5 16 51.16%
Japan Yoshinobu Ishii 1986–1987 17 11 2 4 64.70%
Japan Kenzo Yokoyama 1988–1991 24 5 7 12 20.83%
Netherlands Hans Ooft 1992–1993 27 16 7 4 59.25%
Brazil Paulo Roberto Falcão 1994 9 3 4 2 33.33%
Japan Shu Kamo 1994–1997 46 23 10 13 50%
Japan Takeshi Okada (1st) 1997–1998 15 5 4 6 33.33%
France Philippe Troussier 1998–2002 50 23 16 11 46%
Brazil Zico 2002–2006 71 37 16 18 52.11%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivica Osim 2006–2007 20 13 2 5 65%
Japan Takeshi Okada (2nd) 2007–2010 50 26 13 11 52%
Japan Hiromi Hara (caretaker) 2010 2 2 0 0 100%
Italy Alberto Zaccheroni 2010–2014 55 30 12 13 54.54%
Mexico Javier Aguirre 2014–2015 10 7 1 2 70%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Vahid Halilhodžić 2015–2018 38 21 9 8 55.26%
Japan Akira Nishino 2018 7 2 1 4 28.57%
Japan Hajime Moriyasu[122][123][4][5][6] 2018–present 88 62 11 15 70.45%
Manager Period Record
Matches Won Draw Lost Win %

Players

[edit]
Main article: List of Japan international footballers
See also: Category:Japan men's international footballers

Current squad

[edit]

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Indonesia and China on 15 and 19 November 2024, respectively.[124]

Caps and goals as of 19 November 2024, after the match against  China.[125]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Zion Suzuki (2002-08-21) 21 August 2002 (age 22) 16 0 Italy Parma
12 1GK Keisuke Osako (1999-07-28) 28 July 1999 (age 25) 8 0 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima
23 1GK Kosei Tani (2000-11-20) 20 November 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Japan Machida Zelvia
2 2DF Yukinari Sugawara (2000-06-28) 28 June 2000 (age 24) 14 2 England Southampton
3 2DF Daiki Hashioka (1999-05-17) 17 May 1999 (age 25) 11 0 England Luton Town
4 2DF Ko Itakura (1997-01-27) 27 January 1997 (age 27) 35 2 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach
16 2DF Kōki Machida (1997-08-25) 25 August 1997 (age 27) 16 0 Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise
22 2DF Ayumu Seko (2000-06-07) 7 June 2000 (age 24) 4 0 Switzerland Grasshopper
2DF Yuto Nagatomo (1986-09-12) 12 September 1986 (age 38) 142 4 Japan FC Tokyo
2DF Kota Takai (2004-09-04) 4 September 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Japan Kawasaki Frontale
2DF Hiroki Sekine (2002-08-11) 11 August 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Japan Kashiwa Reysol
5 3MF Hidemasa Morita (1995-05-10) 10 May 1995 (age 29) 39 6 Portugal Sporting CP
6 3MF Wataru Endō (captain) (1993-02-09) 9 February 1993 (age 31) 67 4 England Liverpool
7 3MF Kaoru Mitoma (1997-05-20) 20 May 1997 (age 27) 26 8 England Brighton & Hove Albion
8 3MF Takumi Minamino (1995-01-16) 16 January 1995 (age 29) 65 24 France Monaco[c]
10 3MF Ritsu Dōan (1998-06-16) 16 June 1998 (age 26) 55 10 Germany SC Freiburg
13 3MF Keito Nakamura (2000-07-28) 28 July 2000 (age 24) 14 8 France Reims
14 3MF Junya Itō (1993-03-09) 9 March 1993 (age 31) 60 14 France Reims
15 3MF Daichi Kamada (1996-08-05) 5 August 1996 (age 28) 38 8 England Crystal Palace
17 3MF Ao Tanaka (1998-09-10) 10 September 1998 (age 26) 30 8 England Leeds United
20 3MF Takefusa Kubo (2001-06-04) 4 June 2001 (age 23) 40 5 Spain Real Sociedad
21 3MF Reo Hatate (1997-11-21) 21 November 1997 (age 27) 10 0 Scotland Celtic
3MF Joel Chima Fujita (2002-02-16) 16 February 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Belgium Sint-Truiden
9 4FW Kyogo Furuhashi (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 29) 22 5 Scotland Celtic
11 4FW Daizen Maeda (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 27) 22 4 Scotland Celtic
18 4FW Yuki Ohashi (1996-07-27) 27 July 1996 (age 28) 1 0 England Blackburn Rovers
19 4FW Koki Ogawa (1997-08-08) 8 August 1997 (age 27) 9 9 Netherlands NEC Nijmegen

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last twelve months.[126]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Daiya Maekawa (1994-09-08) 8 September 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Japan Vissel Kobe v.  Syria, 11 June 2024
GK Taishi Brandon Nozawa (2002-12-25) 25 December 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Japan FC Tokyo 2023 AFC Asian Cup
DF Shogo Taniguchi (1991-07-15) 15 July 1991 (age 33) 32 1 Belgium Sint-Truiden v.  Indonesia, 15 November 2024 INJ
DF Henry Heroki Mochizuki (2001-09-20) 20 September 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Japan Machida Zelvia v.  Australia, 15 October 2024
DF Yūta Nakayama (1997-02-16) 16 February 1997 (age 27) 22 0 Japan Machida Zelvia v.  Bahrain, 10 September 2024
DF Takehiro Tomiyasu (1998-11-05) 5 November 1998 (age 26) 42 1 England Arsenal v.  Syria, 11 June 2024
DF Hiroki Itō (1999-05-12) 12 May 1999 (age 25) 19 1 Germany Bayern Munich v.  Syria, 11 June 2024
DF Seiya Maikuma (1997-10-16) 16 October 1997 (age 27) 8 0 Netherlands AZ v.  North Korea, 21 March 2024
DF Tsuyoshi Watanabe (1997-02-05) 5 February 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Belgium Gent v.  North Korea, 21 March 2024
DF Ryoya Morishita (1997-04-11) 11 April 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Poland Legia Warsaw v.  Thailand, 1 January 2024
DF Haruya Fujii (2000-12-26) 26 December 2000 (age 23) 1 0 Belgium Kortrijk v.  Thailand, 1 January 2024
DF Sota Miura (2000-09-07) 7 September 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Japan Kawasaki Frontale v.  Thailand, 1 January 2024
MF Yuki Soma (1997-02-25) 25 February 1997 (age 27) 14 5 Japan Machida Zelvia v.  Syria, 11 June 2024
MF Takumu Kawamura (1999-08-28) 28 August 1999 (age 25) 3 1 Austria Red Bull Salzburg v.  Syria, 11 June 2024
MF Kaishū Sano (2000-12-30) 30 December 2000 (age 23) 4 0 Germany Mainz 05 v.  North Korea, 21 March 2024 INJ
MF Ryotaro Ito (1998-02-06) 6 February 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Belgium Sint-Truiden v.  Thailand, 1 January 2024
MF Kanji Okunuki (1999-08-11) 11 August 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Germany 1. FC Nürnberg v.  Thailand, 1 January 2024
FW Ayase Ueda (1998-08-28) 28 August 1998 (age 26) 30 14 Netherlands Feyenoord v.  Australia, 15 October 2024
FW Takuma Asano (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 30) 53 9 Spain Mallorca v.  Bahrain, 10 September 2024
FW Mao Hosoya (2001-09-07) 7 September 2001 (age 23) 6 1 Japan Kashiwa Reysol v.  Bahrain, 10 September 2024
FW Yuito Suzuki (2001-10-25) 25 October 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Denmark Brøndby v.  Syria, 11 June 2024

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.

Records

[edit]
Main article: Japan national football team records and statistics
As of 19 November 2024.[127]
Players in bold are still active with Japan.

Most appearances

[edit]
Yasuhito Endō is Japan's most capped player with 152 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Pos Career Ref.
1 Yasuhito Endō 152 15 MF 2002–2015 [128]
2 Yuto Nagatomo 142 4 DF 2008–present [129]
3 Maya Yoshida 126 12 DF 2010–2022 [130]
4 Masami Ihara 122 5 DF 1988–1999
5 Shinji Okazaki 119 50 FW 2008– 2019 [131]
6 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 116 0 GK 1997–2010
7 Makoto Hasebe 114 2 MF 2006–2018 [132]
8 Yuji Nakazawa 110 17 DF 1999–2010
9 Keisuke Honda 98 37 MF 2008–2018 [133]
Shunsuke Nakamura 98 24 MF 2000–2010

Top goalscorers

[edit]
See also: List of Japan national football team hat-tricks
Kunishige Kamamoto is Japan's top scorer with 75 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career Ref.
1 Kunishige Kamamoto (list) 75 76 0.99 1964–1977
2 Kazuyoshi Miura 55 89 0.62 1990–2000
3 Shinji Okazaki 50 119 0.42 2008–2019 [131]
4 Hiromi Hara 37 75 0.49 1978–1988
Keisuke Honda 98 0.38 2008–2018 [133]
6 Shinji Kagawa 31 97 0.32 2008–2019 [134]
7 Takuya Takagi 27 44 0.61 1992–1997
8 Kazushi Kimura 26 54 0.48 1979–1986
9 Yuya Osako 25 57 0.44 2013–2022 [135]
10 Takumi Minamino 24 64 0.38 2015–present [136]

Captains

[edit]
Name Pos Period Note
Shigeo Yaegashi MF 1968 Summer Olympics bronze medalist leading captain (1968)
Aritatsu Ogi MF 1969–1974
Kunishige Kamamoto FW 1975–1977
Nobuo Fujishima MF 1978
Hiroshi Ochiai MF DF 1978–1979
Hideki Maeda MF 1980–1981
Mitsuhisa Taguchi GK 1982–1984
Kazushi Kimura MF 1986
Hisashi Kato DF 1985–1987
Hiromi Hara FW 1988
Shigetatsu Matsunaga GK 1989
Shinichi Morishita 1990
Tetsuji Hashiratani MF 1991–1995 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (1992)
Masami Ihara DF 1996–1999
Masashi Nakayama FW 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup runners-up leading captain (2001)
Ryuzo Morioka CB 2000–2002 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (2000)
Hidetoshi Nakata CM 2002–2004
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto CB 2003–2006 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (2004), East Asian Football Championship runners-up leading captain (2003) (2005)
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi GK 2006–2008 East Asian Football Championship runners-up leading captain (2008)
Yuji Nakazawa CB 2008–2010 East Asian Football Championship third place leading captain (2010)
Makoto Hasebe DM 2010–2018 AFC Asian Cup winning captain (2011)
Yuichi Komano DF 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup winning captain (2013)
Gen Shoji CB 2017 EAFF E-1 Championship runners-up leading captain (2017)
Maya Yoshida CB 2018–2022 AFC Asian Cup runners-up leading captain (2019)
Sho Sasaki LB 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship runners-up leading captain (2019)
Shogo Taniguchi CB 2022 EAFF E-1 Championship winning captain (2022)
Wataru Endo DM 2023–present

Competitive record

[edit]

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty shootouts. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicate 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the FIFA World Cup
See also: FIFA World Cup records and statistics
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Withdrew Qualified as invitees
Italy 1934 Did not enter Did not enter
France 1938 Withdrew Withdrew
Brazil 1950 Suspended from FIFA Suspended from FIFA
Switzerland 1954 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 3 7
Sweden 1958 Did not enter Did not enter
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 4
England 1966 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 4 0 2 2 4 8
West Germany 1974 4 1 0 3 5 4
Argentina 1978 4 0 1 3 0 5
Spain 1982 4 2 0 2 4 2
Mexico 1986 8 5 1 2 15 5
Italy 1990 6 2 3 1 7 3
United States 1994 13 9 3 1 35 6
France 1998 Group stage 31st 3 0 0 3 1 4 Squad 15 9 5 1 51 12
South Korea Japan 2002 Round of 16 9th 4 2 1 1 5 3 Squad Qualified as co-hosts
Germany 2006 Group stage 28th 3 0 1 2 2 7 Squad 12 11 0 1 25 5
South Africa 2010 Round of 16 9th 4 2 1 1 4 2 Squad 14 8 4 2 23 9
Brazil 2014 Group stage 29th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad 14 8 3 3 30 8
Russia 2018 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 6 7 Squad 18 13 3 2 44 7
Qatar 2022 9th 4 2 1 1 5 4 Squad 18 15 1 2 58 6
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 9 8 1 0 37 1
Spain Portugal Morocco 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Round of 16 7/22 25 7 6 12 25 33 — 147 91 28 28 342 92

Match history

[edit]
FIFA World Cup history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
1998 Group stage  Argentina 0–1 Loss
 Croatia 0–1 Loss
 Jamaica 1–2 Loss
2002 Group stage  Belgium 2–2 Draw
 Russia 1–0 Win
 Tunisia 2–0 Win
Round of 16  Turkey 0–1 Loss
2006 Group stage  Australia 1–3 Loss
 Croatia 0–0 Draw
 Brazil 1–4 Loss
2010 Group stage  Cameroon 1–0 Win
 Netherlands 0–1 Loss
 Denmark 3–1 Win
Round of 16  Paraguay 0–0 (3–5 p) Draw (Loss)
2014 Group stage  Ivory Coast 1–2 Loss
 Greece 0–0 Draw
 Colombia 1–4 Loss
2018 Group stage  Colombia 2–1 Win
 Senegal 2–2 Draw
 Poland 0–1 Loss
Round of 16  Belgium 2–3 Loss
2022 Group stage  Germany 2–1 Win
 Costa Rica 0–1 Loss
 Spain 2–1 Win
Round of 16  Croatia 1–1 (1–3 p) Draw (Loss)

AFC Asian Cup

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the AFC Asian Cup
See also: AFC Asian Cup records and statistics
AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Withdrew Withdrew
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968 Did not qualify 4 3 1 0 8 4
Thailand 1972 Withdrew Withdrew
Iran 1976 Did not qualify 5 2 1 2 4 4
Kuwait 1980 Withdrew Withdrew
Singapore 1984
Qatar 1988 Group stage 10th 4 0 1 3 0 6 Squad 4 2 1 1 6 3
Japan 1992 Champions 1st 5 3 2 0 6 3 Squad Qualified as hosts
United Arab Emirates 1996 Quarter-finals 5th 4 3 0 1 7 3 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Lebanon 2000 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 21 6 Squad 3 3 0 0 15 0
China 2004 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 13 6 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Fourth place 4th 6 2 3 1 11 7 Squad 6 5 0 1 15 2
Qatar 2011 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 14 6 Squad 6 5 0 1 17 4
Australia 2015 Quarter-finals 5th 4 3 1 0 8 1 Squad Qualified as defending champions
United Arab Emirates 2019 Runners-up 2nd 7 6 0 1 12 6 Squad 8 7 1 0 27 0
Qatar 2023 Quarter-finals 7th 5 3 0 2 12 8 Squad 8 8 0 0 46 2
Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualified 6 6 0 0 24 0
Total 4 Titles 11/19 53 33 12 8 104 52 — 50 41 4 5 162 19

Match history

[edit]
AFC Asian Cup history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
1988 Group stage  Iran 0–0 Draw
 South Korea 0–2 Loss
 United Arab Emirates 0–1 Loss
 Qatar 0–3 Loss
1992 Group stage  United Arab Emirates 0–0 Draw
 North Korea 1–1 Draw
 Iran 1–0 Win
Semi-finals  China 3–2 Win
Final  Saudi Arabia 1–0 Win
1996 Group stage  Syria 2–1 Win
 Uzbekistan 4–0 Win
 China 1–0 Win
Quarter-finals  Kuwait 0–2 Loss
2000 Group stage  Saudi Arabia 4–1 Win
 Uzbekistan 8–1 Win
 Qatar 1–1 Draw
Quarter-finals  Iraq 4–1 Win
Semi-finals  China 3–2 Win
Final  Saudi Arabia 1–0 Win
2004 Group stage  Oman 1–0 Win
 Thailand 4–1 Win
 Iran 0–0 Draw
Quarter-finals  Jordan 1–1 (4–3 p) Draw (Win)
Semi-finals  Bahrain 4–3 Win
Final  China 3–1 Win
2007 Group stage  Qatar 1–1 Draw
 United Arab Emirates 3–1 Win
 Vietnam 4–1 Win
Quarter-finals  Australia 1–1 (4–3 p) Draw (Win)
Semi-finals  Saudi Arabia 2–3 Loss
Third place play-off  South Korea 0–0 (5–6 p) Draw (Loss)
2011 Group stage  Jordan 1–1 Draw
 Syria 2–1 Win
 Saudi Arabia 5–0 Win
Quarter-finals  Qatar 3–2 Win
Semi-finals  South Korea 2–2 (3–0 p) Draw (Win)
Final  Australia 1–0 Win
2015 Group stage  Palestine 4–0 Win
 Iraq 1–0 Win
 Jordan 2–0 Win
Quarter-finals  United Arab Emirates 1–1 (4–5 p) Draw (Loss)
2019 Group stage  Turkmenistan 3–2 Win
 Oman 1–0 Win
 Uzbekistan 2–1 Win
Round of 16  Saudi Arabia 1–0 Win
Quarter-finals  Vietnam 1–0 Win
Semi-finals  Iran 3–0 Win
Final  Qatar 1–3 Loss
2023 Group stage  Vietnam 4–2 Win
 Iraq 1–2 Loss
 Indonesia 3–1 Win
Round of 16  Bahrain 3–1 Win
Quarter-finals  Iran 1–2 Loss

Copa América

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the Copa América

Japan was the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited to the 1999 tournament.[14] Japan was also invited in 2011 and initially accepted the invitation. However, following the Tōhoku earthquake, the JFA later withdrew on 16 May 2011, citing the difficulty of releasing some Japanese players from European teams to play as replacements.[137] 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.[138] However, Japan later declined the invitation due to scheduling problems.[139]

On 14 May 2018, CONMEBOL announced that Japan, alongside Qatar, would be the two invited teams for the 2019 Copa América.[140]

FIFA Confederations Cup

[edit]
See also: FIFA Confederations Cup records and statistics and FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup record
year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 8 Squad
Saudi Arabia 1997 Did not qualify
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 6 1 Squad
France 2003 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 4 3 Squad
Germany 2005 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 4 4 Squad
South Africa 2009 Did not qualify
Brazil 2013 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 4 9 Squad
Russia 2017 Did not qualify
Total Runners-up 5/10 16 5 2 9 19 25 —

Match history

[edit]

Olympic Games

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the Olympics
See also: Japan national under-23 football team
Summer Olympics record Qualification record
Year Result Position M W D L GF GA Squad M W D L GF GA
United Kingdom 1908 Did not enter Did not enter
Sweden 1912
Belgium 1920
France 1924
Netherlands 1928
Germany 1936 Quarter-finals 8th 2 1 0 1 3 10 Squad No qualification
United Kingdom 1948 Did not enter Did not enter
Finland 1952
Australia 1956 First round 10th 1 0 0 1 0 2 Squad No qualification
Italy 1960 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 1 2
Japan 1964 Quarter-finals 8th 3 1 0 3 6 15 Squad Qualified as hosts
Mexico 1968 Bronze medalists 3rd 6 3 2 1 9 8 Squad 5 4 1 0 26 4
West Germany 1972 Did not qualify 4 2 0 2 14 7
Canada 1976 6 2 1 3 9 11
Soviet Union 1980 5 3 1 1 16 5
United States 1984 10 3 1 6 26 17
South Korea 1988 8 6 1 1 19 3
1992–present See Japan national under-23 team See Japan national under-23 team
Total Bronze medalists 4/17 12 5 2 6 18 35 — 40 21 5 14 111 49

Match history

[edit]

Asian Games

[edit]
Main article: Japan at the Asian Games
See also: Japan national under-23 football team

EAFF E-1 Championship

[edit]
EAFF E-1 Championship record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Japan 2003 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 1 0 3 0 Squad
South Korea 2005 3 1 1 1 3 3 Squad
China 2008 3 1 2 0 3 2 Squad
Japan 2010 Third Place 3rd 3 1 1 1 4 3 Squad
South Korea 2013 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 8 6 Squad
China 2015 Fourth Place 4th 3 0 2 1 3 4 Squad
Japan 2017 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 4 5 Squad
South Korea 2019 3 2 0 1 7 2 Squad
Japan 2022 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 9 0 Squad
Total Champions 9/9 27 13 9 5 44 25 —

Match history

[edit]
EAFF E-1 Championship history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
2003 First match  China 2–0 Win
Second match  Hong Kong 1–0
Third match  South Korea 0–0 Draw
2005 First match  North Korea 0–1 Loss
Second match  China 2–2 Draw
Third match  South Korea 1–0 Win
2008 First match  North Korea 1–1 Draw
Second match  China 1–0 Win
Third match  South Korea 1–1 Draw
2010 First match  China 0–0 Draw
Second match  Hong Kong 3–0 Win
Third match  South Korea 1–3 Loss
2013 First match  China 3–3 Draw
Second match  Australia 3–2 Win
Third match  South Korea 2–1 Win
2015 First match  North Korea 1–2 Loss
Second match  South Korea 1–1 Draw
Third match  China 1–1 Draw
2017 First match  North Korea 1–0 Win
Second match  China 2–1
Third match  South Korea 1–4 Loss
2019 First match  China 2–1 Win
Second match  Hong Kong 5–0
Third match  South Korea 0–1 Loss
2022 First match  Hong Kong 6–0 Win
Second match  China 0–0 Draw
Third match  South Korea 3–0 Win

Honours

[edit]

Summary

[edit]

Only official senior honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

Senior Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
FIFA Confederations Cup 0 1 0 1
Olympic Games 0 0 1 1
AFC Asian Cup 4 1 0 5
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations 2 0 0 2
AFC–OFC Challenge Cup 1 0 0 1
Dynasty Cup2 3 0 0 3
Total 10 2 1 13
Notes
  1. Competition organized by the OCA, officially not recognized by FIFA.
  2. Official regional competition organized by the AFC, from 1990 to 1998.

Worldwide

[edit]

Intercontinental

[edit]

Continental

[edit]

Regional

[edit]

Friendly

[edit]

Awards

[edit]

See also

[edit]
National teams
Men's
Women's

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ A common methodology of nickname creation is done by taking the last name of incumbent head coach followed by "Japan". Past teams have been referred to as, "Osim Japan" (オシムジャパン, Oshimu Japan), "Zico Japan" (ジーコジャパン, Jīko Japan), "Troussier Japan" (トルシエジャパン, Torushie Japan)
  2. ^ North Korea were originally scheduled to play host to Japan in Kim Il-sung Stadium. However, North Korea then decided against hosting it due to "a malignant infectious disease" spreading in Japan.[118] Due to the time gap and North Korea's inability to provide an alternative venue, FIFA subsequently decided that the match shall neither be played nor rescheduled, and the matter will be decided by FIFA Disciplinary Committee.[119] It was later announced that Japan would be awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit.[120]
  3. ^ Monaco is a Monégasque club playing in the French football league system.

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[edit]
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