Japan national football team

Japan

Nickname(s)	サムライ・ブルー (Samurai Blue) ザック・ジャパン (Zac Japan)
Association	日本サッカー協会 (Japan Football Association)
Sub-confederation	EAFF (East Asia)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Alberto Zaccheroni
Captain	Makoto Hasebe
Most caps	Masami Ihara (122)[1]
Top scorer	Kunishige Kamamoto Kazuyoshi Miura (55)[1]
FIFA code	JPN
FIFA ranking	19
Highest FIFA ranking	9 (February 1998)
Lowest FIFA ranking	66 (December 1992)
Elo ranking	15
Highest Elo ranking	8 (August 2001, March 2002)
Lowest Elo ranking	112 (September 1962)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Japan 0–5 Republic of China  (Tokyo, Japan; 9 May 1917)
Biggest win
Japan 15–0 Philippines  (Tokyo, Japan; 27 September 1967)
Biggest defeat
Japan 2–15 Philippines  (Tokyo, Japan; 10 May 1917)
World Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1998)
Best result	Round 2, 2002, 2010
Asian Cup
Appearances	7 (First in 1988)
Best result	Champions, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011
Copa América
Appearances	1 (First in 1999)
Best result	Round 1, 1999
Confederations Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1995)
Best result	Runners-Up, 2001

Olympic medal record
Men’s Football
Bronze	1968 Mexico City	Team

The Japan national football team (Japanese: サッカー日本代表, Soccer Nippon Daihyō) represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan. Their head coach is Alberto Zaccheroni.

Japan is one of the most successful teams in Asia having qualified for the last four consecutive FIFA World Cup finals with second round advancements in 2002 & 2010 and having won the AFC Asian Cup a record four times with championships in 1992, 2000, 2004 & 2011. To this they add a FIFA Confederations Cup second place in 2001.

The Japanese team is commonly known by the fans and media as Soccer Nippon Daihyō (サッカー日本代表^?), Nippon Daihyō (日本代表^?), or Daihyō (代表^?) as abbreviated expressions. Although the team does not have an official nickname as such, it is often known by the name of the manager. For example, under Takeshi Okada, the team was known as Okada Japan (岡田ジャパン, Okada Japan^?).^[2] Recently the team has been known or nicknamed as the "Samurai Blue", while news media still refer it to by manager's last name, as "Zaccheroni Japan" (ザッケローニジャパン, Zakkerōni Japan^?), or "Zac Japan" (ザックジャパン, Zakku Japan^?) in short.

Japan were the Unofficial Football World Champions for about a year, until a 1-0 defeat at Kim Il-Sung Stadium to North Korea in November 2011 saw them relinquish their title and 20-match unbeaten run.

Contents 1 History 2 Kits 3 Sponsorship 4 Fixtures 5 Coaching 6 Players 6.1 Current squad 6.2 Recent call-ups 6.3 Records 6.4 Rosters 7 Managers 8 Competitions 8.1 FIFA World Cup 8.2 AFC Asian Cup 8.3 FIFA Confederations Cup 8.4 Olympic Games 8.5 Copa América 9 Honors 9.1 International 9.2 Continental 9.3 Regional 9.4 Other 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

History

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 on neutral ground. However, Japan failed to advance to the Round of 16 after finishing the group 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 four of the last six finals, in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011. Their principal continental rivals are South Korea, followed by Saudi Arabia, and most recently Australia.

Japan is the only team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in 1999 and 2011.^[4]

During the 2010 FIFA 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 put in Group E along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon.^[5] Japan won its opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup defeating Cameroon 1–0 but subsequently lost to the Netherlands 0-1 before defeating Denmark 3–1 to advance to the next round against Paraguay. In the first knockout round Japan were eliminated from the competition following penalties after a 0–0 draw against Paraguay.

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

At the start of 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.^[6]

Kits

Japan's current kit is provided by Adidas, the team's official apparel sponsor. The home kit consists of a blue jersey with a red square on the neck and feather designs, white shorts, and blue socks. The away kit consists of a white jersey, blue shorts, and white socks.In 2011, Japan switched the color of the numbers from white to gold.

The national team kit design has gone through several alterations in the past. In the early 80s, the kit was white with blue trim. When Japan was coached by Kenzo Yokoyama (1988–1991) the kits were red and white, matching the colors of Japan's national flag. The kits worn for the 1992 Asian Cup consisted of white stripes with red diamonds. During Japan's first World Cup appearance in 1998, the national team kits were blue jerseys with red and white flame designs on the sleeves.

Sponsorship

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, Panasonic, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, Fujifilm, ANA, JAL, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Sony, Bank of Yokohama, NTT DoCoMo, Asahi Shinbun, Nissan^[7] and Audi.^[8]

Fixtures

Date	Opponent	Result	Score*	Venue	Competition
24 Feb 2012	Iceland			Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan	International Friendly (2012 Kirin Challenge Cup)
29 Feb 2012	Uzbekistan			Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Japan	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Third Round
03 Jun 2012	TBA			Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Fourth Round
08 Jun 2012	TBA			Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Fourth Round
12 Jun 2012	TBA			TBA	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Fourth Round
15 Aug 2012	TBA			Sapporo Dome, Hokkaidō, Japan	International Friendly (2012 Kirin Challenge Cup)
07 Sep 2012	TBA			Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Japan	International Friendly (2012 Kirin Challenge Cup)
11 Sep 2012	TBA			Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Fourth Round
12 Oct 2012	TBA			TBA	International Friendly
16 Oct 2012	TBA			TBA	International Friendly
14 Nov 2012	TBA			TBA	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Fourth Round

* Japan score always listed first

Coaching

Position	Name
Head Coach	Alberto Zaccheroni
Assistant Coach	Takashi Sekizuka
Assistant Coach	Stefano Agresti
Fitness Coach	Eugenio Albarella
Goalkeeping Coach	Maurizio Guido
Technical Assistant	Ichiro Wada
Technical Assistant	Giampolo Colautti

Players

Current squad

Squad selected for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) against Tajikistan on 11 November 2011, and North Korea on 15 November 2011.^[9]

Caps and goals as of 15 November 2011.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Eiji Kawashima 20 March 1983 (1983-03-20) (age 28) 28 0 Lierse 12 GK Shusaku Nishikawa 18 June 1986 (1986-06-18) (age 25) 8 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 23 GK Kaito Yamamoto 10 July 1985 (1985-07-10) (age 26) 0 0 Shimizu S-Pulse 2 DF Masahiko Inoha 28 August 1985 (1985-08-28) (age 26) 9 1 Hajduk Split 3 DF Yūichi Komano 25 July 1981 (1981-07-25) (age 30) 67 1 Júbilo Iwata 4 DF Yuzo Kurihara 18 September 1983 (1983-09-18) (age 28) 8 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 5 DF Tomoaki Makino 11 May 1987 (1987-05-11) (age 24) 8 0 Köln 6 DF Atsuto Uchida 27 March 1988 (1988-03-27) (age 23) 45 1 Schalke 04 8 DF Michihiro Yasuda[10] 20 December 1987 (1987-12-20) (age 24) 7 1 Vitesse 15 DF Yasuyuki Konno 25 January 1983 (1983-01-25) (age 29) 55 1 FC Tokyo 20 DF Maya Yoshida 24 August 1988 (1988-08-24) (age 23) 13 2 VVV-Venlo 7 MF Yasuhito Endō 28 January 1980 (1980-01-28) (age 32) 113 9 Gamba Osaka 13 MF Hajime Hosogai 10 June 1986 (1986-06-10) (age 25) 10 1 Augsburg 14 MF Kengo Nakamura 31 October 1980 (1980-10-31) (age 31) 56 6 Kawasaki Frontale 17 MF Makoto Hasebe (C) 18 January 1984 (1984-01-18) (age 28) 52 2 Wolfsburg 22 MF Yuki Abe 6 September 1981 (1981-09-06) (age 30) 53 3 Leicester City 9 FW Shinji Okazaki 16 April 1986 (1986-04-16) (age 25) 49 26 Stuttgart 10 FW Shinji Kagawa 17 March 1989 (1989-03-17) (age 22) 28 9 Borussia Dortmund 11 FW Hiroshi Kiyotake 12 November 1989 (1989-11-12) (age 22) 5 0 Cerezo Osaka 16 FW Mike Havenaar 20 May 1987 (1987-05-20) (age 24) 5 2 Vitesse 18 FW Ryoichi Maeda 9 October 1981 (1981-10-09) (age 30) 16 6 Júbilo Iwata 19 FW Tadanari Lee 19 December 1985 (1985-12-19) (age 26) 10 2 Southampton 21 FW Genki Haraguchi 9 May 1991 (1991-05-09) (age 20) 1 0 Urawa Red Diamonds

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Japan squad within the last 6 months.

Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Call-up GK Shuichi Gonda 3 March 1989 (1989-03-03) (age 22) 1 0 FC Tokyo v. Tajikistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 11 October, 2011 GK Masaaki Higashiguchi 12 May 1986 (1986-05-12) (age 25) 0 0 Albirex Niigata v.  South Korea, 10 August, 2011 DF Yuto Nagatomo[11] 12 September 1986 (1986-09-12) (age 25) 44 3 Internazionale v. Tajikistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 11 October, 2011 DF Hiroki Sakai 12 April 1990 (1990-04-12) (age 21) 0 0 Kashiwa Reysol v. Tajikistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 11 October, 2011 DF Daiki Iwamasa 30 January 1982 (1982-01-30) (age 30) 8 0 Kashima Antlers Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 DF Ryota Moriwaki 6 April 1986 (1986-04-06) (age 25) 1 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 DF Kosuke Ota 23 July 1987 (1987-07-23) (age 24) 1 0 Shimizu S-Pulse Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 DF Daigo Nishi 28 August 1987 (1987-08-28) (age 24) 1 0 Kashima Antlers Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 DF Daisuke Suzuki 29 January 1990 (1990-01-29) (age 22) 0 0 Albirex Niigata Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 MF Chikashi Masuda 19 June 1985 (1985-06-19) (age 26) 0 0 Kashima Antlers v. Tajikistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 11 October, 2011 MF Yosuke Kashiwagi 15 December 1987 (1987-12-15) (age 24) 3 0 Urawa Red Diamonds v.  Uzbekistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 6 September, 2011 MF Keisuke Honda 13 June 1986 (1986-06-13) (age 25) 31 8 CSKA Moscow Training Session for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), August 2011 MF Daisuke Matsui 11 May 1981 (1981-05-11) (age 30) 31 1 Dijon v.  South Korea, 10 August, 2011 MF Akihiro Ienaga 13 June 1986 (1986-06-13) (age 25) 3 0 Leverkusen v.  South Korea, 10 August, 2011 MF Naoki Yamada 4 July 1990 (1990-07-04) (age 21) 2 0 Urawa Red Diamonds Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 MF Kensuke Nagai 5 March 1989 (1989-03-05) (age 22) 1 0 Nagoya Grampus Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 MF Hiroyuki Taniguchi 27 June 1985 (1985-06-27) (age 26) 0 0 Yokohama F. Marinos Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 MF Toshihiro Aoyama 22 February 1986 (1986-02-22) (age 25) 0 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 MF Keigo Higashi 20 July 1990 (1990-07-20) (age 21) 0 0 Omiya Ardija Sapporo Training Session, August 2011 FW Jungo Fujimoto 24 March 1984 (1984-03-24) (age 27) 10 0 Nagoya Grampus v. Tajikistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 11 October, 2011 FW Junya Tanaka 5 July 1987 (1987-07-05) (age 24) 0 0 Kashiwa Reysol v.  Uzbekistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), 6 September, 2011 FW Takayuki Morimoto 7 May 1988 (1988-05-07) (age 23) 9 3 Novara v.  South Korea, 10 August, 2011

Records

Most Caps # Player Caps Goals Career 1 Masami Ihara 122 5 1988–1999 2 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 116 0 1997–2010 3 Yasuhito Endō 113 9 2002– 4 Yuji Nakazawa 110 17 1999– 5 Shunsuke Nakamura 98 24 2000–2010 6 Kazuyoshi Miura 89 55 1990–2000 7 Alessandro Santos 82 7 2002–2006 7 Junichi Inamoto 82 5 2000– 9 Satoshi Tsunami 78 2 1980–1995 10 Hidetoshi Nakata 77 11 1997–2006 10 Seigo Narazaki 77 0 1998–2010

Top Goalscorers # Player Goals Caps Career = Kunishige Kamamoto 55 61 1964–1977 = Kazuyoshi Miura 55 89 1990–2000 3 Hiromi Hara 37 75 1978–1988 4 Takuya Takagi 27 44 1992–1997 5 Kazushi Kimura 26 54 1979–1986 5 Shinji Okazaki 26 48 2008– 7 Shunsuke Nakamura 24 98 2000–2010 8 Naohiro Takahara 23 57 2000–2008 9 Masashi Nakayama 21 53 1990–2003 10 Teruki Miyamoto 19 58 1961–1971

Rosters

FIFA World Cup 1998 FIFA World Cup 2002 FIFA World Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Cup 1988 AFC Asian Cup 1992 AFC Asian Cup 1996 AFC Asian Cup 2000 AFC Asian Cup 2004 AFC Asian Cup 2007 AFC Asian Cup 2011 AFC Asian Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Olympic Games 1936 Olympics 1956 Olympics 1964 Olympics 1968 Olympics 1996 Olympics 2000 Olympics 2004 Olympics 2008 Olympics

East Asian Football Championship 2003 East Asian Football Championship 2005 East Asian Football Championship 2008 East Asian Football Championship 2010 East Asian Football Championship Copa América 1999 Copa América

Managers

Manager Tenure Alberto Zaccheroni 2010– Takeshi Okada 2007–2010 Ivica Osim 2006–2007 Zico 2002–2006 Philippe Troussier 1998–2002 Takeshi Okada 1997–1998 Shu Kamo 1994–1997 Falcão 1994 Hans Ooft 1992–1993 Kenzo Yokoyama 1988–1991 Yoshinobu Ishii 1986–1987 Takaji Mori 1981–1985 Saburō Kawabuchi 1980–1981

Manager Tenure Masashi Watanabe 1980 Yukio Shimomura 1979–1980 Hiroshi Ninomiya 1976–1978 Ken Naganuma 1972–1976 Shunichiro Okano 1970–1971 Ken Naganuma 1962–1969 Hidetoki Takahashi 1960–1962 Shigemaru Takenokoshi 1958–1959 Taizo Kawamoto 1958 Hidetoki Takahashi 1957 Shigemaru Takenokoshi 1951–1956 Hirokazu Ninomiya 1951

Competitions

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

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup Finals Record Qualifications Record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA GP W D L GS GA 1930 Did Not Enter - - - - - - 1934 - - - - - - 1938 Withdrew - - - - - - 1950 Banned - - - - - - 1954 Did Not Qualify 2 0 1 1 3 7 1958 Did Not Enter - - - - - - 1962 Did Not Qualify 2 0 0 2 1 4 1966 Did Not Enter - - - - - - 1970 Did Not Qualify 4 0 2 2 4 8 1974 4 1 0 3 5 4 1978 4 0 1 3 0 5 1982 4 2 0 2 4 2 1986 8 5 1 2 15 5 1990 6 2 3 1 7 3 1994 13 9 3 1 35 6 1998 Group Stage 31st 3 0 0 3 1 4 15 9 5 1 51 12 2002 Round of 16 9th 4 2 1 1 5 3 - - - - - - 2006 Group Stage 28th 3 0 1 2 2 7 12 11 0 1 25 5 2010 Round of 16 9th 4 2 1 1 4 2 14 8 4 2 23 9 Total 4/19 9th 14 4 3 7 12 16 88 46 21 21 173 70

FIFA World Cup Finals History Year Round Score Result 1998 Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  Argentina Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  Croatia Loss Round 1  Japan 1 – 2  Jamaica Loss 2002 Round 1  Japan 2 – 2  Belgium Draw Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  Russia Win Round 1  Japan 2 – 0  Tunisia Win Round 2  Japan 0 – 1  Turkey Loss 2006 Round 1  Japan 1 – 3  Australia Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  Croatia Draw Round 1  Japan 1 – 4  Brazil Loss 2010 Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  Cameroon Win Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  Netherlands Loss Round 1  Japan 3 – 1  Denmark Win Round 2  Japan 0 – 0  Paraguay Draw

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1956 Did Not Enter 1960 1964 1968 Did Not Qualify 1972 Did Not Enter 1976 Did Not Qualify 1980 Did Not Enter 1984 1988 Group Stage 10th 4 0 1 3 0 6 1992 Champions 1st 5 3 2 0 6 3 1996 Quarter-Finals 5th 4 3 0 1 7 3 2000 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 21 6 2004 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 13 6 2007 Fourth Place 4th 6 2 3 1 11 7 2011 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 14 6 2015 Qualified Total 8/16 1st 37 21 11 5 72 37

AFC Asian Cup History Year Round Score Result 1988 Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  Iran Draw Round 1  Japan 0 – 2  South Korea Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  UAE Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 3  Qatar Loss 1992 Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  UAE Draw Round 1  Japan 1 – 1  North Korea Draw Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  Iran Win Semifinals  Japan 3 – 2  China PR Win Finals  Japan 1 – 0  Saudi Arabia Win 1996 Round 1  Japan 2 – 1  Syria Win Round 1  Japan 4 – 0  Uzbekistan Win Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  China PR Win Quarterfinals  Japan 0 – 2  Kuwait Loss 2000 Round 1  Japan 4 – 1  Saudi Arabia Win Round 1  Japan 8 – 1  Uzbekistan Win Round 1  Japan 1 – 1  Qatar Draw Quarterfinals  Japan 4 – 1  Iraq Win Semifinals  Japan 3 – 2  China PR Win Finals  Japan 1 – 0  Saudi Arabia Win 2004 Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  Oman Win Round 1  Japan 4 – 1  Thailand Win Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  Iran Draw Quarterfinals  Japan 1 – 1  Jordan Draw Semifinals  Japan 4 – 3  Bahrain Win Finals  Japan 3 – 1  China PR Win 2007 Round 1  Japan 1 – 1  Qatar Draw Round 1  Japan 3 – 1  UAE Win Round 1  Japan 4 – 1  Vietnam Win Quarterfinals  Japan 1 – 1  Australia Draw Semifinals  Japan 2 – 3  Saudi Arabia Loss Third Place  Japan 0 – 0  South Korea Draw 2011 Round 1  Japan 1 – 1  Jordan Draw Round 1  Japan 2 – 1  Syria Win Round 1  Japan 5 – 0  Saudi Arabia Win Quarterfinals  Japan 3 – 2  Qatar Win Semifinals  Japan 2 – 2  South Korea Draw Finals  Japan 1 – 0  Australia Win

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1992 Did Not Qualify 1995 Group Stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 8 1997 Did Not Qualify 1999 2001 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 6 1 2003 Group Stage 6th 3 1 0 2 4 3 2005 Group Stage 5th 3 1 1 1 4 4 2009 Did Not Qualify 2013 Qualified 2017 To Be Determined 2021 Total Runners-up 5/9 13 5 2 6 15 16

FIFA Confederations Cup History Year Round Score Result 1995 Round 1  Japan 0 – 3  Nigeria Loss Round 1  Japan 1 – 5  Argentina Loss 2001 Round 1  Japan 3 – 0  Canada Win Round 1  Japan 2 – 0  Cameroon Win Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  Brazil Draw Semifinals  Japan 1 – 0  Australia Win Final  Japan 0 – 1  France Loss 2003 Round 1  Japan 3 – 0  New Zealand Win Round 1  Japan 1 – 2  France Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  Colombia Loss 2005 Round 1  Japan 1 – 2  Mexico Loss Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  Greece Win Round 1  Japan 2 – 2  Brazil Draw 2013 Round 1  Japan – TBD Round 1  Japan – TBD Round 1  Japan – TBD

Olympic Games

Since 1992, the Olympic team has been drawn from a squad with a maximum of three players over 23 years of age, and the achievements of this team are not generally regarded as part of the national team's records, nor are the statistics credited to the players' international records.

Olympic Games Record Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1908 Did Not Enter 1912 1920 1924 1928 1936 Quarter-Finals 8th 2 1 0 1 3 10 1948 Banned 1952 Did Not Enter 1956 Group Stage 10th 1 0 0 1 0 2 1960 Did Not Qualify 1964 Quarter-Finals 8th 3 1 0 2 5 9 1968 Third Place 3rd 6 3 2 1 9 8 1972 Did Not Enter 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 Group Stage 9th 3 2 0 1 4 4 2000 Quarter-Finals 5th 4 2 1 1 6 5 2004 Group Stage 13th 3 1 0 2 6 7 2008 Group Stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 4 2012 To Be Determined Total 8/23 Third Place 25 10 3 12 34 49

Olympic Games History Year Round Score Result 1936 Round 1  Japan 3 – 2  Sweden Win Quarterfinals  Japan 0 – 8  Italy Loss 1956 Round 1  Japan 0 – 2  Australia Loss 1964 Round 1  Japan 3 – 2  Argentina Win Round 1  Japan 2 – 3  Ghana Loss Quarterfinals  Japan 0 – 4  Czechoslovakia Loss 1968 Round 1  Japan 3 – 1  Nigeria Win Round 1  Japan 1 – 1  Brazil Draw Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  Spain Draw Quarterfinals  Japan 3 – 1  France Win Semifinals  Japan 0 – 5  Hungary Loss Third Place  Japan 2 – 0  Mexico Win 1996 Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  Brazil Win Round 1  Japan 0 – 2  Nigeria Loss Round 1  Japan 3 – 2  Hungary Win 2000 Round 1  Japan 2 – 1  South Africa Win Round 1  Japan 2 – 1  Slovakia Win Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  Brazil Loss Quarterfinals  Japan 2 – 2  United States Draw 2004 Round 1  Japan 3 – 4  Paraguay Loss Round 1  Japan 2 – 3  Italy Loss Round 1  Japan 1 – 0  Ghana Win 2008 Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  United States Loss Round 1  Japan 1 – 2  Nigeria Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  Netherlands Loss

Copa América

Japan is the only team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in both 1999 and 2011.^[4] However, Japan declined their invitation on May 16th, 2011 after events related with the Tōhoku earthquake and difficulty to release some Japanese players from European teams to play as a replacement. On May 17, 2011, CONMEBOL invited Costa Rica to replace Japan in the competition, the Costa Rican Football Federation accepted their invitation later that day.

CONMEBOL Copa América record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1999 Group Stage 10th 3 0 1 2 3 8 2011 Withdrew Total Group Stage 1/43 3 0 1 2 3 8

Copa América History Year Round Score Result 1999 Round 1  Japan 2 – 3  Peru Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 4  Paraguay Loss Round 1  Japan 1 – 1  Bolivia Draw

Honors

International

• Olympic Games

Bronze Medal (1): 1968

• FIFA Confederations Cup

Runners-Up (1): 2001

Continental

• AFC Asian Cup

Champions (4): 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011

• AFC National Team of the Year

Years (5): 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010

Regional

• Dynasty Cup

Champions (3): 1992, 1995, 1998

• Far Eastern Games

Champions (1): 1930

Other

• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations

Champions (2): 1993, 2007

• AFC – OFC Challenge Cup

Champions (1): 2001

• Kirin Cup

Champions (11): 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

• Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize

Years (1): 2002

See also

• Japan Football Association
• Football in Japan
• Sport in Japan
• Japan

References

External links

• Japan Football Association (Japanese)
• Japan Football Association (English)
• Japan Samurai Blue (Japanese)
• Japan Adidas (Japanese)
• Japan FIFA (English)

Preceded by 1988 Saudi Arabia	Champions Of Asia 1992 Japan  (1st Title)	Succeeded by 1996 Saudi Arabia
Preceded by 1996 Saudi Arabia	Champions Of Asia 2000 Japan  (2nd Title)	Succeeded by 2004 Japan
Preceded by 2000 Japan	Champions Of Asia 2004 Japan  (3rd Title)	Succeeded by 2007 Iraq
Preceded by 2007 Iraq	Champions Of Asia 2011 Japan  (4th Title)	Succeeded by Incumbent

Preceded by 2001 Ichiro Suzuki

Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize 2002 Japan National Football Team

Succeeded by 2003 Hideki Matsui

FIFA World Cup · Host nations     1930:  Uruguay 1934:  Italy 1938:  France 1942: cancelled 1946: cancelled 1950:  Brazil 1954:  Switzerland 1958:  Sweden 1962:  Chile 1966:  England 1970:  Mexico 1974:  West Germany 1978:  Argentina 1982:  Spain 1986:  Mexico 1990:  Italy 1994:  United States 1998:  France 2002: South Korea / Japan 2006:  Germany 2010:  South Africa 2014:  Brazil 2018:  Russia 2022:  Qatar

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Football in Japan Japan Football Association National teams Men's · Women's · Men's U-23 · Men's U-20 · Men's U-17 · Men's Futsal · Women's Futsal · Beach Soccer League System Men: J. League Division 1  · J. League Division 2  · Japan Football League · Regional Leagues Women: L. League Futsal: F. League Domestic Cups Emperor's Cup · Women's Cup · J. League Cup · Super Cup · JOMO Cup  · Shakaijin Cup Reserve & Academy Prince Takamado Cup · High School Tournament List of clubs · List of venues · Champions (J1 · J2) · Kirin Cup  · Regional Promotion Series

International association football FIFA · World Cup · Confederations Cup · U-20 World Cup · U-17 World Cup · Olympics · Minor tournaments · World Rankings · Player of the Year · FIFA Ballon d'Or · Teams · Debuts · Competitions · Federations · Codes Asia AFC – Asian Cup Africa CAF – Africa Cup of Nations North, Central America and Caribbean CONCACAF – Gold Cup South America CONMEBOL – Copa América Oceania OFC – Nations Cup Europe UEFA – European Championship Non-FIFA NF-Board – Viva World Cup · IGA · Island Games Games All-Africa Games · Asian Games · CARIFTA Games · East Asian Games · Francophonie Games · IOIG · Lusophony Games · Mediterranean Games · Pan American Games · Pan Arab Games · Pacific Games · South Asian Games · Southeast Asian Games See also International women's football.

National football teams of Asia (AFC) Southeast Asia (ASEAN) Australia · Brunei · Cambodia · Indonesia · Laos · Malaysia · Myanmar · Philippines · Singapore · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Vietnam Central and South Asia (CSAFF) Afghanistan · Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Kyrgyzstan · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan · Uzbekistan East Asia (EAFF) China PR · Chinese Taipei · Guam · Hong Kong2 · Japan · Korea DPR · Korea Republic · Macau2 · Mongolia · Northern Mariana Islands1 West Asia (WAFF) Bahrain · Iran · Iraq · Jordan · Kuwait · Lebanon · Oman · Palestine · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Syria · United Arab Emirates · Yemen Defunct North Vietnam · South Yemen · South Vietnam Former Israel (moved to UEFA in 1994) · New Zealand (formed the OFC in 1966) · Kazakhstan (moved to UEFA in 2002). 1 Provisional Associate Member - Not a member of FIFA 2FIFA and AFC use Hong Kong and Macau; the EAFF uses Hong Kong, China and Macau, China.

National football teams of East Asia (EAFF) Men's China PR · Chinese Taipei · Guam · Hong Kong, China · Japan · Korea DPR · Korea Republic · Macau, China · Mongolia · Northern Mariana Islands† Women's China PR · Chinese Taipei · Guam · Hong Kong, China · Japan · Korea DPR · Korea Republic · Macau, China · Mongolia · Northern Mariana Islands† †AFC provisional Associate Member * FIFA and AFC use Hong Kong and Macau; the EAFF uses Hong Kong, China and Macau, China.

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