Japan women's national football team

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Japan

Nickname

Nadeshiko Japan （なでしこジャパン）

Association

Japan Football Association
(日本サッカー協会)

Coach

Kouji Ohashi（大橋浩司）

Most caps

Homare Sawa（澤穂希）(100)

Top scorer

Homare Sawa （澤穂希）(52)

FIFA rank





Home colors





Away colors

First International
Chinese Taipei 1 - 0 Japan
(Hong Kong; 7 June 1981 non-All Japan team)
India 1 - 0 Japan
(Jakarta, Indonesia; 21 January 1986 All Japan team)

Largest win
Japan 21 - 0 Guam
(China; 5 December 1997)

Worst defeat
Japan 0 - 9 Italy
(Kobe,Japan; 9 September 1981)

World Cup

Appearances

4 (First in 1991)

Best result

Quarterfinals, 1995

Olympic Games

Appearances

2 (First in 1996)

Best result

quarter final,2004

AFC Women's Championship

Appearances

10 (First in 1981)

Best result

2nd place - 1986,1991,1995,2001

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The Japan women's national football team, or Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン), is a selection of the best female players in Japan and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA).

1 History of Nadeshiko Japan
2 Honours
3 Notable players
- 3.1 Retired
- 3.2 Active
4 Coaches
5 FIFA ranking
6 External links

[edit] History of Nadeshiko Japan

[edit] The Birth of "Japan women's national football team"

During 1960s and 70s, women's football players and teams were increasing in Japan, and some teams made up a regional league in each places.

In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Championship" was held, and the next year 1981, Japan women's national football team played the first international match in Hong Kong. After while, the team continued playing matches in Japan or in other countries, however it was not "All Japan", but temporarily organized as a selection of members from any regional league.

In 1986, Ryohei Suzuki took office as the coach of Japan women's national football team, the first "All Japan". In 1989, the "Japan Women's Football League"　(abbreviated to "L.League") was established, and the women’s national team attended "FIFA Women's World Championship 1991" in China.

[edit] Crisis years

Japan women's national football team has attended Atlanta Olympic Games, FIFA Women's World Championship 1995 and so on, so the national team and L.Leaugue were very popular.

But in 1999, Japan missed the participation in Sydney Olympic Games, it caused withdrawal of a series of teams from an L.League before long, and the Japanese women’s football was to be on the verge of the decline.

[edit] Regeneration

In August 2002, Japan Football Association appointed Eiji Ueda, who had acted as supervision of representative Macao National Football Team, as director representative, and it should have expected a comeback of women's football and planned team reorganization for the Athens Olympic Games .

At first, the team was always defeated, but Ueda made up the team stronger, and the team gained wide support in Japan. In particular, the game against the hated Korea DPR, which decided the participation in the Olympics, not only made the audiences rush to the National Stadium, but was also a TV program that recorded high rating.

Following the increase in public interest towards women football in Japan, the JFA organized a public contest to select a nickname for the team. "Nadeshiko Japan" was chosen among about 2,700 contestants and was announced on July 7, 2004. "Nadeshiko", a kind of dianthus, come from the phrase "Yamato Nadeshiko"(大和撫子, "ideal Japanese woman").