Japan national football team

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Japan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Nippon Daihyo(日本代表)
Okada Japan(岡田ジャパン)[1]
Association Japan Football Association
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Head coach Flag of Japan Takeshi Okada
Captain Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
Most caps Masami Ihara (122)
Top scorer Kunishige Kamamoto (73)
FIFA code JPN
FIFA ranking 38
Highest FIFA ranking 9 (February 1998)
Lowest FIFA ranking 62 (February 2000)
Elo ranking 28
Highest Elo ranking 8 (August 2001, March 2002)
Lowest Elo ranking 112 (September 1962)
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
First kit
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Second kit
First international
Flag of Japan Japan 0 - 5 Republic of China Flag of the Republic of China
(Tokyo, Japan; May 9, 1917)
Biggest win
Flag of Japan Japan 15 - 0 Philippines Flag of the Philippines
(Tokyo, Japan; September 27, 1967)
Biggest defeat
Flag of Japan Japan 2 - 15 Philippines Flag of the Philippines
(Tokyo, Japan; September 10, 1917)
World Cup
Appearances 3 (First in 1998)
Best result Round 2, 2002
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances 6 (First in 1988)
Best result Winners, 1992, 2000, 2004
Confederations Cup
Appearances 4 (First in 1995)
Best result 2nd, 2001
Olympic medal record
Men’s Football
Bronze 1968 Mexico City Team

The Japan national football team is the national football team of Japan and is controlled by the Japan Football Association.

On July 21, 2006, Bosnian Ivica Osim, who previously coached Yugoslavia and most recently JEF United Ichihara Chiba, took over as manager, succeeding Zico, who had coached Japan from 2002 through the end of Japan's 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign. Osim fell ill in late 2007 and he was replaced by Takeshi Okada, who had taken Japan to the 1998 World Cup.[2]

The team is commonly known by the fans and media as Nippon Daihyo (日本代表 "Japanese representatives"), Daihyo (代表 "representatives". Although the team does not have an official nickname, it is often known by the name of the manager. For example, under Ivica Osim, the team is known as Osim Japan. Recently the team has been known or nicknamed as the Blue Samurai.

Japan has qualified for the last three consecutive World Cup finals and is a three-time Asian Cup trophy winner.

Contents

[edit] History

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Japan's former kit

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.[3]

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. With the launch of the new league in 1993, interest in football and the national team grew.

However, in its first attempt to qualify with professional players, Japan narrowly missed a ticket to the 1994 FIFA World Cup after failing to beat Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the Agony of Doha.

The nation's first FIFA World Cup appearance was in 1998, where they lost all three matches. Japan's first two fixtures went 1-0 in favor of Argentina and Croatia, despite playing well in both games. Their campaign ended with an unexpected 2-1 defeat to rank outsiders Jamaica.

Four years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. Despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in their opening game, 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.

On June 8, 2005, Japan qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, its third consecutive World Cup, by beating North Korea 2-0 in Bangkok, Thailand. However, Japan failed to advance to the Round of 16 after finishing group play without a win, losing to Australia 1-3, drawing Croatia 0-0 and losing to Brazil 1-4.

Japan has had considerably more success in the Asian Cup, taking home the winner's trophy in three of the last four finals, in 1992, 2000 and 2004. Their principal continental rivals are South Korea, followed by Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Japan is the only team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, being invited in 1999, along with Mexico.

In August 2006, incoming head coach Ivica Osim gave the captaincy to Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, as he felt that the extra responsibilities detracted from former captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto's contributions to his club team.

[edit] Competition Records

[edit] FIFA World Cup Record

FIFA World Cup Record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Flag of Uruguay 1930 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Italy 1934 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of France 1938 Withdrew - - - - - - -
Flag of Brazil 1950 Banned - - - - - - -
Flag of Switzerland 1954 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Sweden 1958 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Chile 1962 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of England 1966 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Mexico 1970 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of West Germany 1974 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Argentina 1978 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Spain 1982 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Mexico 1986 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Italy 1990 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of the United States 1994 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of France 1998 Round 1 31 3 0 0 3 1 4
Flag of South KoreaFlag of Japan 2002 Round 2 9 4 2 1 1 5 3
Flag of Germany 2006 Round 1 28 3 0 1 2 2 7
Total 3/18 - 10 2 2 6 8 14
FIFA World Cup History
Year Round Score Result
1998 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 1 Flag of Argentina Argentina Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 1 Flag of Croatia Croatia Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 2 Flag of Jamaica Jamaica Loss
2002 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 2 Flag of Belgium Belgium Draw
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 0 Flag of Russia Russia Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 0 Flag of Tunisia Tunisia Win
Round 2 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 1 Flag of Turkey Turkey Loss
2006 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 3 Flag of Australia Australia Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 0 Flag of Croatia Croatia Draw
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 4 Flag of Brazil Brazil Loss

[edit] FIFA Confederations Cup Record

FIFA Confederations Cup Record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Flag of Saudi Arabia 1992 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Saudi Arabia 1995 Round 1 6/6 2 0 0 2 1 8
Flag of Saudi Arabia 1997 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Mexico 1999 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of South KoreaFlag of Japan 2001 Runners-up 2/8 5 3 1 1 6 1
Flag of France 2003 Round 1 6/8 3 1 0 2 4 3
Flag of Germany 2005 Round 1 5/8 3 1 1 1 4 4
Flag of South Africa 2009 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Total 4/8 1 Runners-up 13 5 2 6 15 16
FIFA Confederations Cup History
Year Round Score Result
1995 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 3 Flag of Nigeria Nigeria Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 5 Flag of Argentina Argentina Loss
2001 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 0 Flag of Canada Canada Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 0 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 0 Flag of Brazil Brazil Draw
Semi Finals Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 0 Flag of Australia Australia Win
Final Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 1 Flag of France France Loss
2003 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 0 Flag of New Zealand New Zealand Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 2 Flag of France France Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 1 Flag of Colombia Colombia Loss
2005 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 2 Flag of Mexico Mexico Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 0 Flag of Greece Greece Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 2 Flag of Brazil Brazil Draw

[edit] AFC Asian Cup Record

AFC Asian Cup Record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Flag of Hong Kong 1956 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of South Korea 1960 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Israel 1964 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Iran 1968 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Thailand 1972 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Iran 1976 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Kuwait 1980 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Singapore 1984 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Qatar 1988 Round 1 10/10 4 0 1 3 0 6
Flag of Japan 1992 Champions 1/8 5 3 2 0 6 3
Flag of the United Arab Emirates 1996 Quarter-finals 7/12 4 3 0 1 7 3
Flag of Lebanon 2000 Champions 1/12 6 5 1 0 21 6
Flag of the People's Republic of China 2004 Champions 1/16 6 4 2 0 13 6
Flag of IndonesiaFlag of MalaysiaFlag of ThailandFlag of Vietnam 2007 Fourth Place 4/16 6 2 3 1 11 7
Total 6/14 3 Titles 31 17 8 5 58 31
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

[edit] East Asian Cup record

  • 2003 - Second place
  • 2005 - Second place
  • 2008 - Second place

[edit] Olympic Games Record

Olympic Games Record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Flag of France 1900 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of the United States 1904 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of the United Kingdom 1908 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Sweden 1912 ''Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Belgium 1920 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of France 1924 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of the Netherlands 1928 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Germany 1936 Quarter-finals 8/16 2 1 0 1 3 10
Flag of the United Kingdom 1948 Banned - - - - - - -
Flag of Finland 1952 Did Not Enter - - - - - - -
Flag of Australia 1956 Round 1 10/11 1 0 0 1 0 2
Flag of Italy 1960 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Japan 1964 Quarter-finals 8/14 3 1 0 2 5 9
Flag of Mexico 1968 Third Place 3/16 6 3 2 1 9 8
Flag of Germany 1972 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Canada 1976 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of the Soviet Union 1980 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of the United States 1984 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of South Korea 1988 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of Spain 1992 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - -
Flag of the United States 1996 Round 1 9/16 3 2 0 1 4 4
Flag of Australia 2000 Quarter-finals 5/16 4 2 1 1 6 5
Flag of Greece 2004 Round 1 13/16 3 1 0 2 6 7
Flag of the People's Republic of China 2008 Qualified - - - - - - -
Total 8/24 1 Third Place 22 10 3 9 33 45
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Olympic Games History
Year Round Score Result
1936 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 2 Flag of Sweden Sweden Win
Quarter Finals Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 8 Flag of Italy Italy Loss
1956 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 2 Flag of Australia Australia Loss
1964 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 2 Flag of Argentina Argentina Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 3 Flag of Ghana Ghana Loss
Quarter Finals Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 4 Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Loss
1968 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 1 Flag of Nigeria Nigeria Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 1 Flag of Brazil Brazil Draw
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 0 Flag of Spain Spain Draw
Quarter Finals Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 1 Flag of France France Win
Semi Finals Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 5 Flag of Hungary Hungary Loss
Third Place Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 0 Flag of Mexico Mexico Win
1996 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 0 Flag of Brazil Brazil Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 2 Flag of Nigeria Nigeria Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 2 Flag of Hungary Hungary Win
2000 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 1 Flag of South Africa South Africa Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 1 Flag of Slovakia Slovakia Win
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 0 – 1 Flag of Brazil Brazil Loss
Quarter Finals Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 2 Flag of the United States USA Loss*
2004 Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 3 – 4 Flag of Paraguay Paraguay Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 2 – 3 Flag of Italy Italy Loss
Round 1 Flag of Japan Japan 1 – 0 Flag of Ghana Ghana Win
*Eliminated on penalty kicks.

[edit] Kits

Japan's home dress does not match its national flag as it consists of a blue jersey, white shorts, and blue socks. The away kit consists of a white jersey, blue shorts, and white socks. However, Japan formerly wore white and red which matched its national flag.

[edit] Top goalscorers

As of June 10, 2008

Pos Player Goals Tenure
1 Kunishige Kamamoto 74 1964-1977
2 Kazuyoshi Miura 55 1990-2000
3 Hiromi Hara 37 1978-1988
4 Takuya Takagi 27 1992-1997
5 Kazushi Kimura 26 1979-1986
6 Naohiro Takahara 23 2000-present
7 Masashi Nakayama 21 1990-2003
7 Shunsuke Nakamura 21 2000-present
9 Teruki Miyamoto 19 1961-1971
10 Atsushi Yanagisawa 17 1998-2006

* The players in bold typeface are still active in football.

[edit] Most Capped

As of June 10, 2008

Pos Player Caps Tenure
1 Masami Ihara 122 1988-1999
2 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 114 1997-present
3 Kazuyoshi Miura 89 1990-2000
4 Alessandro dos Santos 82 2002-present
5 Satoshi Tsunami 80 1980-1995
6 Hidetoshi Nakata 77 1997-2006
7 Shunsuke Nakamura 76 2000-present
7 Yuji Nakazawa 76 1999-present
9 Kunishige Kamamoto 75 1964-1977
9 Hiromi Hara 75 1978-1988

* The players in bold typeface are still active in football.

[edit] Schedule and recent results

Matches under Takeshi Okada , as well as any future scheduled matches.

Date Opponent Result Score1 Venue Competition
January 26, 2008 Flag of Chile Chile D 0-0 National Stadium, Tokyo Friendly Match (Kirin Challenge Cup 2008)
January 30, 2008 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina W 3-0 National Stadium, Tokyo Friendly Match (Kirin Challenge Cup 2008)
February 6, 2008 Flag of Thailand Thailand W 4-1 Saitama Stadium, Saitama 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
February 17, 2008 Flag of North Korea Korea DPR D 1-1 Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China East Asian Cup 2008
February 20, 2008 Flag of the People's Republic of China China PR W 1-0 Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China East Asian Cup 2008
February 23, 2008 Flag of South Korea Korea Republic D 1-1 Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China East Asian Cup 2008
March 26, 2008 Flag of Bahrain Bahrain L 0-1 Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
May 24, 2008 Flag of Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire W 1-0 Toyota Stadium, Toyota Kirin Cup 2008
May 27, 2008 Flag of Paraguay Paraguay D 0-0 Saitama Stadium, Saitama Kirin Cup 2008
June 2, 2008 Flag of Oman Oman W 3-0 International Stadium, Yokohama 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
June 7, 2008 Flag of Oman Oman D 1-1 Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat, Oman 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
June 14, 2008 Flag of Thailand Thailand Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
June 22, 2008 Flag of Bahrain Bahrain Saitama Stadium, Saitama 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
August 20, 2008 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay TBD Friendly Match
August 31, 2008 TBD TBD Friendly Match
October 11, 2008 TBD TBD Friendly Match
January, 2009 TBD TBD Friendly Match
January, 2009 TBD TBD 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification

1 Japan score always listed first

[edit] Current squad

[edit] Latest squad selected (2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification)

As of June 3, 2008.

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club
GK Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi August 15, 1975 (1975-08-15) (age 32) 114 0 Flag of Japan Júbilo Iwata
GK Seigo Narazaki April 11, 1976 (1976-04-11) (age 32) 56 0 Flag of Japan Nagoya Grampus
GK Eiji Kawashima March 20, 1983 (1983-03-20) (age 25) 1 0 Flag of Japan Kawasaki Frontale
DF Shuhei Terada June 23, 1975 (1975-06-23) (age 32) 1 0 Flag of Japan Kawasaki Frontale
DF Yūichi Komano June 25, 1981 (1981-06-25) (age 26) 36 0 Flag of Japan Júbilo Iwata
DF Marcus Tulio Tanaka April 24, 1981 (1981-04-24) (age 27) 12 2 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
DF Yuji Nakazawa February 25, 1978 (1978-02-25) (age 30) 75 14 Flag of Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
DF Yusuke Igawa October 30, 1982 (1982-10-30) (age 25) 0 0 Flag of Japan Kawasaki Frontale
DF Atsuto Uchida March 27, 1988 (1988-03-27) (age 20) 6 0 Flag of Japan Kashima Antlers
DF Yuto Nagatomo September 21, 1986 (1986-09-21) (age 21) 3 0 Flag of Japan F.C. Tokyo
DF Kazumichi Takagi November 21, 1980 (1980-11-21) (age 27) 0 0 Flag of Japan Shimizu S-Pulse
MF Yasuyuki Konno January 25, 1983 (1983-01-25) (age 25) 21 0 Flag of Japan F.C. Tokyo
MF Yasuhito Endo January 28, 1980 (1980-01-28) (age 28) 67 5 Flag of Japan Gamba Osaka
MF Koji Yamase September 22, 1981 (1981-09-22) (age 26) 9 5 Flag of Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
MF Daisuke Matsui May 11, 1981 (1981-05-11) (age 27) 9 1 Flag of France AS Saint-Étienne
MF Shunsuke Nakamura June 24, 1978 (1978-06-24) (age 29) 75 21 Flag of Scotland Celtic F.C.
MF Keita Suzuki July 8, 1981 (1981-07-08) (age 26) 28 0 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
MF Kengo Nakamura October 24, 1980 (1980-10-24) (age 27) 23 1 Flag of Japan Kawasaki Frontale
MF Makoto Hasebe January 18, 1984 (1984-01-18) (age 24) 9 0 Flag of Germany VfL Wolfsburg
MF Shinji Kagawa March 17, 1989 (1989-03-17) (age 19) 2 0 Flag of Japan Cerezo Osaka
FW Keiji Tamada April 11, 1980 (1980-04-11) (age 28) 44 10 Flag of Japan Nagoya Grampus
FW Seiichiro Maki August 7, 1980 (1980-08-07) (age 27) 32 8 Flag of Japan JEF United Ichihara Chiba
FW Yoshito Okubo June 9, 1982 (1982-06-09) (age 26) 28 4 Flag of Japan Vissel Kobe
FW Kisho Yano April 5, 1984 (1984-04-05) (age 24) 10 1 Flag of Japan Albirex Niigata


[edit] Recent Call Ups

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

Goalkeepers
Player DoB/Age Caps Goals Team Most Recent Call up
Ryōta Tsuzuki April 18, 1978 (1978-04-18) (age 30) 3 0 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds Training session, April 2008
Shusaku Nishikawa June 18, 1986 (1986-06-18) (age 21) 0 0 Flag of Japan Oita Trinita Training session, January 2008
Defenders
Player DoB/Age Caps Goals Team Most Recent Call up
Yuki Abe September 6, 1981 (1981-09-06) (age 26) 29 2 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, June 2008
Michihiro Yasuda December 20, 1987 (1987-12-20) (age 20) 4 0 Flag of Japan Gamba Osaka Kirin Cup, May 2008
Yuzo Kurihara September 18, 1983 (1983-09-18) (age 24) 1 0 Flag of Japan Yokohama F. Marinos Training session, April 2008
Yuhei Tokunaga September 25, 1983 (1983-09-25) (age 24) 0 0 Flag of Japan F.C. Tokyo Training session, April 2008
Hiroki Mizumoto September 12, 1985 (1985-09-12) (age 22) 3 0 Flag of Japan Gamba Osaka 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, March 2008
Akira Kaji January 13, 1980 (1980-01-13) (age 28) 64 2 Flag of Japan Gamba Osaka East Asian Cup 2008, February 2008
Daiki Iwamasa January 30, 1982 (1982-01-30) (age 26) 0 0 Flag of Japan Kashima Antlers East Asian Cup 2008, February 2008
Keisuke Tsuboi September 16, 1979 (1979-09-16) (age 28) 40 0 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds v. Thailand, February 6, 2008
Naoaki Aoyama July 18, 1986 (1986-07-18) (age 21) 0 0 Flag of Japan Shimizu S-Pulse Training session, January 2008
Midfielders
Player DoB/Age Caps Goals Team Most Recent Call up
Naotake Hanyu December 22, 1979 (1979-12-22) (age 28) 17 0 Flag of Japan F.C. Tokyo Training session, April 2008 (declined)
Satoru Yamagishi May 3, 1983 (1983-05-03) (age 25) 11 0 Flag of Japan Kawasaki Frontale Training session, April 2008
Naoshi Nakamura January 27, 1979 (1979-01-27) (age 29) 1 0 Flag of Japan Nagoya Grampus Training session, April 2008
Norihiro Nishi May 9, 1980 (1980-05-09) (age 28) 5 0 Flag of Japan Júbilo Iwata Training session, April 2008
Takehito Shigehara October 6, 1981 (1981-10-06) (age 26) 0 0 - Training session, April 2008
Junichi Inamoto September 18, 1979 (1979-09-18) (age 28) 68 4 Flag of Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, March 2008 (declined)
Hideo Hashimoto May 21, 1979 (1979-05-21) (age 29) 6 0 Flag of Japan Gamba Osaka East Asian Cup 2008, February 2008
Koki Mizuno September 6, 1985 (1985-09-06) (age 22) 4 0 Flag of Scotland Celtic F.C. Training session, January 2008
Keisuke Honda June 13, 1986 (1986-06-13) (age 22) 0 0 Flag of the Netherlands VVV-Venlo Training session, December 19, 2007
Jungo Fujimoto March 24, 1984 (1984-03-24) (age 24) 3 0 Flag of Japan Shimizu S-Pulse v. Egypt, October 17, 2007
Yoshiaki Ota June 11, 1983 (1983-06-11) (age 25) 0 0 Flag of Japan Júbilo Iwata 2007 AFC Asian Cup Finals
Masahiko Inoha August 28, 1985 (1985-08-28) (age 22) 0 0 Flag of Japan Kashima Antlers 2007 AFC Asian Cup Finals
Forwards
Player DoB/Age Caps Goals Team Most Recent Call up
Naohiro Takahara June 4, 1979 (1979-06-04) (age 29) 57 23 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, June 2008 (declined)
Ryoichi Maeda October 9, 1981 (1981-10-09) (age 26) 3 2 Flag of Japan Júbilo Iwata Kirin Cup 2008, May 2008 (declined)
Yuichiro Nagai February 14, 1979 (1979-02-14) (age 29) 4 1 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds Training session, April 2008
Shingo Akamine December 8, 1983 (1983-12-08) (age 24) 0 0 Flag of Japan F.C. Tokyo Training session, April 2008
Daiki Takamatsu September 8, 1981 (1981-09-08) (age 26) 2 0 Flag of Japan Oita Trinita Training session, April 2008 (declined)
Yuzo Tashiro July 22, 1982 (1982-07-22) (age 25) 3 0 Flag of Japan Kashima Antlers 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, March 2008
Ryuji Bando August 2, 1979 (1979-08-02) (age 28) 7 2 Flag of Japan Gamba Osaka East Asian Cup 2008, February 2008
Hisato Satō March 12, 1982 (1982-03-12) (age 26) 19 3 Flag of Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima v. Switzerland, September 11, 2007
Tatsuya Tanaka November 27, 1982 (1982-11-27) (age 25) 8 1 Flag of Japan Urawa Red Diamonds v. Switzerland, September 11, 2007

[edit] Former players

[edit] World Cup Rosters

[edit] Asian Cup Rosters

[edit] Confederations Cup Rosters

[edit] Summer Olympics Rosters

[edit] Youth National Team

[edit] FIFA U-20 World Cup record

[edit] FIFA U-17 World Cup record

[edit] AFC Youth Championship Record

  • 1992 : 3rd Place
  • 1994 : Runners-up
  • 1996 : 4th Place
  • 1998 : Runners-up
  • 2000 : Runners-up
  • 2002 : Runners-up
  • 2004 : 3rd Place
  • 2006 : Runners-up
  • 2008 : Qualified

[edit] AFC U-17 Championship Record

[edit] Licensing for Video Games

The Japanese national team is currently licensed only for portrayal in video games by Konami (for example, Winning Eleven), and thus does not appear in the FIFA series of football videogames made by EA, or SEGA/Sports Interactive's Football Manager games (although the Japanese national team has been featured in FIFA International Soccer until FIFA 2002 and all the FIFA World Cup Games also made by EA).

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Last name of incumbent head coach followed by "Japan". So previously called such as "Osim Japan(オシムジャパン)", "Zico Japan(ジーコジャパン)", "Troussier Japan(トルシエジャパン)"
  2. ^ "Osim unveiled as new coach of Japan", Reuters, 2006-07-21. Retrieved on 2006-07-21. 
  3. ^ Matsushima, Ken. History of the J. League. Rising Sun News. Retrieved on 2006-07-07.

[edit] External links