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For current information on this topic, see Japan national football team in 2010.

Japan

Nickname(s)	Samurai Blue Japanese Representatives (of soccer) ((サッカー)日本代表, (Sakkā) Nippon Daihyō?) Okada Japan (岡田ジャパン, Okada Japan?)[1]
Association	Japan Football Association
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Takeshi Okada
Captain	Yuji Nakazawa
Most caps	Masami Ihara (123)
Top scorer	Kunishige Kamamoto (75)
FIFA code	JPN
FIFA ranking	46
Highest FIFA ranking	9 (February 1998)
Lowest FIFA ranking	62 (February 2000)
Elo ranking	31
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; May 9, 1917)
Biggest win
Japan 15 - 0 Philippines  (Tokyo, Japan; September 27, 1967)
Biggest defeat
Japan 2 - 15 Philippines  (Tokyo, Japan; May 10, 1917)
World Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1998)
Best result	Round of 16, 2002
Asian Cup
Appearances	6 (First in 1988)
Best result	Champions, 1992, 2000, 2004
Confederations Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1995)
Best result	Runners-Up, 2001

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

Takeshi Okada, who had previously served as the manager for Japan leading up to and during the 1998 FIFA World Cup is the current coach for the team.

The Japanese team is commonly known by the fans and media as Soccer Nippon Daihyō (サッカー日本代表^?, lit. Japanese representatives of soccer), or Nippon Daihyō (日本代表^?, lit. Japanese representatives), Daihyō (代表^?, lit. representatives) 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 Ivica Osim, the team was known as Osim Japan. Recently the team has been known or nicknamed as "Samurai Blue."

Japan is one of the most successful national teams in Asia, being a three-time winner of the Asian Cup and having qualified for the last four consecutive World Cup finals.

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.^[2]

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 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^[3].

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.

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, in Tashkent. Japan is in Group E along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon.^[4]

Kits

Japan's 1988 kit

Japan's current uniforms are 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.

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 Kirin, Adidas, Sony, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, Fujifilm, JAL, and Nissan. ^[5]

Schedule and recent results

For a detailed list of 2010 schedule fixtures and results refer to Japan national football team in 2010

Date	Opponent	Result	Score*	Venue	Competition
06 Jan 2010	Yemen	W	3-2	Ali Muhesen Stadium, Sana'a, Yemen	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
02 Feb 2010	Venezuela	D	0-0	Ōita Stadium, Ōita, Japan	Friendly Match (2010 Kirin Challenge Cup)
06 Feb 2010	China PR	D	0-0	Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	2010 East Asian Football Championship
11 Feb 2010	Hong Kong	W	3-0	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	2010 East Asian Football Championship
14 Feb 2010	Korea Republic	L	1-3	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	2010 East Asian Football Championship
03 Mar 2010	Bahrain	W	2-0	Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Japan	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
07 Apr 2010	Serbia			Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan	Friendly Match (2010 Kirin Challenge Cup)
24 May 2010	Korea Republic			Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Japan	Friendly Match (2010 Kirin Challenge Cup)
30 May 2010	England			UPC-Arena, Graz, Austria	Friendly Match
04 Jun 2010	Côte d'Ivoire			Switzerland	Friendly Match
14 Jun 2010	Cameroon			Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa	2010 FIFA World Cup
19 Jun 2010	Netherlands			Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa	2010 FIFA World Cup
24 Jun 2010	Denmark			Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa	2010 FIFA World Cup

* Japan score always listed first

Players

Current Squad

Squad selected for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification match on 3 March 2010 in Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Aichi, Japan. ^[6]

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 18 GK Seigo Narazaki April 15, 1976 (1976-04-15) (age 33) 74 0 Nagoya Grampus 23 GK Eiji Kawashima March 20, 1983 (1983-03-20) (age 26) 8 0 Kawasaki Frontale 3 DF Yūichi Komano July 25, 1981 (1981-07-25) (age 28) 51 0 Júbilo Iwata 4 DF Marcus Tulio Tanaka April 24, 1981 (1981-04-24) (age 28) 37 7 Nagoya Grampus 15 DF Yasuyuki Konno January 25, 1983 (1983-01-25) (age 27) 34 0 F.C. Tokyo 20 DF Atsuto Uchida March 27, 1988 (1988-03-27) (age 21) 31 1 Kashima Antlers 22 DF Yuji Nakazawa (C) February 25, 1978 (1978-02-25) (age 32) 101 17 Yokohama F. Marinos 25 DF Yuto Nagatomo September 12, 1986 (1986-09-12) (age 23) 22 3 F.C. Tokyo 5 MF Junichi Inamoto September 18, 1979 (1979-09-18) (age 30) 78 5 Kawasaki Frontale 6 MF Yuki Abe September 6, 1981 (1981-09-06) (age 28) 41 3 Urawa Red Diamonds 7 MF Yasuhito Endō January 28, 1980 (1980-01-28) (age 30) 90 8 Gamba Osaka 8 MF Daisuke Matsui May 11, 1981 (1981-05-11) (age 28) 22 1 Grenoble Foot 38 10 MF Shunsuke Nakamura June 24, 1978 (1978-06-24) (age 31) 94 24 Yokohama F. Marinos 17 MF Makoto Hasebe January 18, 1984 (1984-01-18) (age 26) 28 1 VfL Wolfsburg 57 MF Keisuke Honda June 13, 1986 (1986-06-13) (age 23) 12 4 CSKA Moscow 11 FW Keiji Tamada April 11, 1980 (1980-04-11) (age 29) 67 16 Nagoya Grampus 19 FW Shinzo Koroki July 31, 1986 (1986-07-31) (age 23) 10 0 Kashima Antlers 33 FW Shinji Okazaki April 16, 1986 (1986-04-16) (age 23) 24 16 Shimizu S-Pulse 59 FW Takayuki Morimoto May 7, 1988 (1988-05-07) (age 21) 3 1 Catania 81 FW Sōta Hirayama June 6, 1985 (1985-06-06) (age 24) 4 3 F.C. Tokyo

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
Shusaku Nishikawa	June 18, 1986 (1986-06-18) (age 23)	1	0	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Shuichi Gonda	March 3, 1989 (1989-03-03) (age 21)	1	0	F.C. Tokyo	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Kaito Yamamoto	July 10, 1985 (1985-07-10) (age 24)	0	0	Shimizu S-Pulse	Friendly v. Togo, October 14, 2009
Ryōta Tsuzuki	April 18, 1978 (1978-04-18) (age 31)	6	0	Urawa Red Diamonds	Friendly v. Ghana, September 9, 2009

Defenders

Player	DoB/Age	Caps	Goals	Team	Most Recent Call up
Daiki Iwamasa	January 30, 1982 (1982-01-30) (age 28)	2	0	Kashima Antlers	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Yuhei Tokunaga	September 25, 1983 (1983-09-25) (age 26)	6	0	F.C. Tokyo	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Taisuke Muramatsu	December 16, 1989 (1989-12-16) (age 20)	0	0	Shonan Bellmare	training session, January 2010
Naoya Kikuchi	November 24, 1984 (1984-11-24) (age 25)	1	0	Oita Trinita	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Tomoaki Makino	May 11, 1987 (1987-05-11) (age 22)	1	0	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Kosuke Ota	July 23, 1987 (1987-07-23) (age 22)	1	0	Shimizu S-Pulse	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Maya Yoshida	August 24, 1988 (1988-08-24) (age 21)	1	0	VVV-Venlo	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Gotoku Sakai	March 14, 1991 (1991-03-14) (age 19)	0	0	Albirex Niigata	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Keisuke Iwashita	September 24, 1986 (1986-09-24) (age 23)	0	0	Shimizu S-Pulse	Friendly v. Togo, October 14, 2009
Satoshi Yamaguchi	April 17, 1978 (1978-04-17) (age 31)	2	0	Gamba Osaka	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Australia, June 17, 2009
Shuhei Terada	June 23, 1975 (1975-06-23) (age 34)	6	0	Kawasaki Frontale	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Bahrain, March 28, 2009

Midfielders

Player	DoB/Age	Caps	Goals	Team	Most Recent Call up
Mitsuo Ogasawara	April 5, 1979 (1979-04-05) (age 30)	55	7	Kashima Antlers	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Kengo Nakamura	October 31, 1980 (1980-10-31) (age 29)	45	5	Kawasaki Frontale	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Yoshito Okubo	June 9, 1982 (1982-06-09) (age 27)	46	5	Vissel Kobe	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Mu Kanazaki	February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16) (age 21)	4	0	Nagoya Grampus	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Shinji Kagawa	March 17, 1989 (1989-03-17) (age 20)	13	2	Cerezo Osaka	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Naohiro Ishikawa	May 12, 1981 (1981-05-12) (age 28)	4	0	F.C. Tokyo	training session, January 2010
Takashi Inui	June 2, 1988 (1988-06-02) (age 21)	2	0	Cerezo Osaka	training session, January 2010
Yosuke Kashiwagi	December 15, 1987 (1987-12-15) (age 22)	1	0	Urawa Red Diamonds	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Takuya Aoki	September 16, 1990 (1990-09-16) (age 19)	0	0	Omiya Ardija	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Kazuya Yamamura	December 2, 1989 (1989-12-02) (age 20)	1	0	Ryutsu Keizai University F.C.	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Naoki Yamada	July 4, 1990 (1990-07-04) (age 19)	2	0	Urawa Red Diamonds	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Takuji Yonemoto	December 3, 1990 (1990-12-03) (age 19)	1	0	F.C. Tokyo	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Hideo Hashimoto	May 21, 1979 (1979-05-21) (age 30)	13	0	Gamba Osaka	Friendly v. Togo, October 14, 2009

Forwards

Player	DoB/Age	Caps	Goals	Team	Most Recent Call up
Hisato Satō	March 12, 1982 (1982-03-12) (age 28)	31	4	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	2010 East Asian Football Championship v. Korea Republic, February 14, 2010
Kazuma Watanabe	August 10, 1986 (1986-08-10) (age 23)	1	0	Yokohama F. Marinos	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Kensuke Nagai	March 5, 1989 (1989-03-05) (age 21)	1	0	Fukuoka University	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Yuya Osako	May 18, 1990 (1990-05-18) (age 19)	0	0	Kashima Antlers	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, January 6, 2010
Ryoichi Maeda	October 9, 1981 (1981-10-09) (age 28)	5	2	Júbilo Iwata	Friendly v. Togo, October 14, 2009
Kisho Yano	April 5, 1984 (1984-04-05) (age 25)	16	2	Albirex Niigata	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Australia, June 17, 2009
Tatsuya Tanaka	November 27, 1982 (1982-11-27) (age 27)	16	3	Urawa Red Diamonds	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Bahrain, March 28, 2009

Category:Japan international footballers

Past Competition Rosters

Manager History

Manager Period Takeshi Okada 2007–present 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 Period 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

Competition Records

*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

FIFA World Cup Record

FIFA World Cup Record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1930 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1934 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1938 Withdrew - - - - - - - 1950 Banned - - - - - - - 1954 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1958 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1962 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1966 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1970 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1974 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1978 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1982 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1986 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1990 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1994 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1998 Round 1 31 3 0 0 3 1 4 2002 Round of 16 9 4 2 1 1 5 3 2006 Round 1 28 3 0 1 2 2 7 2010 Qualified - - - - - - - Total 4/19 1 Round of 16 10 2 2 6 8 14

FIFA World Cup 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 –  Cameroon - Round 1  Japan –  Netherlands - Round 1  Japan –  Denmark -

FIFA Confederations Cup Record

FIFA Confederations Cup Record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1992 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1995 Round 1 6 2 0 0 2 1 8 1997 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1999 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 2001 Runners-Up 2 5 3 1 1 6 1 2003 Round 1 6 3 1 0 2 4 3 2005 Round 1 5 3 1 1 1 4 4 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  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

AFC Asian Cup Record

AFC Asian Cup Record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1956 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1960 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1964 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1968 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1972 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1976 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1980 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1984 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1988 Round 1 10 4 0 1 3 0 6 1992 Champions 1 5 3 2 0 6 3 1996 Quarterfinals 7 4 3 0 1 7 3 2000 Champions 1 6 5 1 0 21 6 2004 Champions 1 6 4 2 0 13 6 2007 Fourth Place 4 6 2 3 1 11 7 2011 Qualified - - - - - - - Total 7/15 3 Titles 31 17 9 5 58 31

AFC Asian Cup History Year Round Score Result 1988 Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  Iran Draw Round 1  Japan 0 – 2  Korea Republic Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 1  United Arab Emirates Loss Round 1  Japan 0 – 3  Qatar Loss 1992 Round 1  Japan 0 – 0  United Arab Emirates Draw Round 1  Japan 1 – 1  Korea DPR 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  United Arab Emirates 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  Korea Republic Draw

Olympic Games Record

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 teams records, nor are the statistics credited to the players' international records.

Olympic Games Record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1900 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1904 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1908 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1912 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1920 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1924 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1928 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1936 Quarterfinals 8 2 1 0 1 3 10 1948 Banned - - - - - - - 1952 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1956 Round 1 10 1 0 0 1 0 2 1960 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1964 Quarterfinals 8 3 1 0 2 5 9 1968 Third Place 3 6 3 2 1 9 8 1972 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1976 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1980 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1984 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1988 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1992 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1996 Round 1 9 3 2 0 1 4 4 2000 Quarterfinals 5 4 2 1 1 6 5 2004 Round 1 13 3 1 0 2 6 7 2008 Round 1 15 3 0 0 3 1 4 Total 8/24 1 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

East Asian Football Championship Record

East Asian Football Championship Record Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA 2003 Runners-Up 2 3 2 1 0 3 0 2005 Runners-Up 2 3 1 1 1 3 3 2008 Runners-Up 2 3 1 2 0 3 2 2010 Third Place 3 3 1 1 1 4 3 Total 4/4 3 Runners-Up 12 5 5 2 13 8

East Asian Football Championship History Year Round Score Result 2003 Finals  Japan 2 – 0  China PR Win Finals  Japan 1 – 0  Hong Kong Win Finals  Japan 0 – 0  Korea Republic Draw 2005 Finals  Japan 0 – 1  Korea DPR Loss Finals  Japan 2 – 2  China PR Draw Finals  Japan 1 – 0  Korea Republic Win 2008 Finals  Japan 1 – 1  Korea DPR Draw Finals  Japan 1 – 0  China PR Win Finals  Japan 1 – 1  Korea Republic Draw 2010 Finals  Japan 0 – 0  China PR Draw Finals  Japan 3 – 0  Hong Kong Win Finals  Japan 1 – 3  Korea Republic Loss

Copa América Record

Japan is the only team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in 1999 and 2011^[3].

Copa América Record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1999 Round 1 10 3 0 1 2 3 8 2011 Invited - - - - - - - Total 2 10 3 0 1 2 3 8

Copa América 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

• Summer Olympics

Bronze Medal (1): 1968

• FIFA Confederations Cup

Runners-Up (1): 2001

Regional

• AFC Asian Cup

Champions (3): 1992, 2000, 2004

Fourth Place (1): 2007

• East Asian Football Championship

Runners-Up (3): 2003, 2005, 2008

Third Place (1): 2010

Youth National Programs

U-20 National Team

See: Japan national under-20 football team

U-17 National Team

See: Japan national under-17 football team

See also

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

References

External links

• Japan Football Association national teams (Japanese)
• Japan Football Association national teams (English)
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• RSSSF archive of national team results up to 2005
• Rising Sun News: Japan NT history and news

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

National sports teams of Japan American football · Association Football (F, M, U-20, U-17)  · Australian rules football · Badminton · Baseball · Basketball (F, M)  · Beach Soccer · Boxing · Cricket · Field hockey (F, M)  · Futsal (F, M) · Handball (F, M)  · Ice hockey (F, M, F U-18, M Junior)  · Korfball · Olympics  · Rugby Union (F, M)  · Rugby league · Softball · Tennis (F, M)  · Volleyball (F, M)  · Water polo

Japan national football team yearly records 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009  · 2010

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AFC Asian Cup winners 3 titles  Iran (1968 · 1972 · 1976)  Japan (1992 · 2000 · 2004)  Saudi Arabia (1984 · 1988 · 1996) 2 titles  Korea Republic (1956 · 1960) 1 title  Iraq (2007)  Israel (1964)  Kuwait (1980)

1998 FIFA World Cup finalists Champions France Runners-up Brazil Third place Croatia Fourth place Netherlands Eliminated in quarter-finals Argentina · Denmark · Germany · Italy Eliminated in round of 16 Chile · England · Mexico · Nigeria · Norway · Paraguay · Romania · FR Yugoslavia Eliminated in group stage Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · Cameroon · Colombia · Iran · Jamaica · Japan · Korea Republic · Morocco · Scotland · Saudi Arabia · South Africa · Spain · Tunisia · United States 2002 FIFA World Cup finalists Champions Brazil Runners-up Germany Third place Turkey Fourth place Korea Republic Eliminated in quarter-finals England · Senegal · Spain · USA Eliminated in round of 16 Belgium · Denmark · Italy · Japan · Mexico · Paraguay · Republic of Ireland · Sweden Eliminated in group stage Argentina · Cameroon · Costa Rica · China PR · Croatia · Ecuador · France · Nigeria · Poland · Portugal · Saudi Arabia · Russia · Slovenia · South Africa · Tunisia · Uruguay 2006 FIFA World Cup finalists Champions Italy Runners-up France Third place Germany Fourth place Portugal Eliminated in quarter-finals Argentina · Brazil · England · Ukraine Eliminated in round of 16 Australia · Ecuador · Ghana · Mexico · Netherlands · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland Eliminated in group stage Angola · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Croatia · Czech Republic · Iran · Japan · Korea Republic · Paraguay · Poland · Saudi Arabia · Serbia & Montenegro · Togo · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · United States 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists     Group A  France ·  Mexico ·  South Africa ·  Uruguay Group C  Algeria ·  England ·  Slovenia ·  United States Group E  Cameroon ·  Denmark ·  Japan ·  Netherlands Group G  Brazil ·  Côte d'Ivoire ·  Korea DPR ·  Portugal Group B  Argentina ·  Greece ·  Korea Republic ·  Nigeria Group D  Australia ·  Germany ·  Ghana ·  Serbia Group F  Italy ·  New Zealand ·  Paraguay ·  Slovakia Group H  Chile ·  Honduras ·  Spain ·  Switzerland International football FIFA · World Cup · Confederations Cup · U-20 World Cup · U-17 World Cup · Olympics · Asian Games · All-Africa Games · Pan American Games · Minor tournaments · World Rankings · Player of the Year · Teams · Competitions · Federations · Codes Asia AFC – Asian Cup Africa CAF – Africa Cup of Nations North America CONCACAF – Gold Cup South America CONMEBOL – Copa América Oceania OFC – Nations Cup Europe UEFA – European Championship Non-FIFA NF Board – Viva World Cup

National football teams of Asia (AFC) Afghanistan · Australia · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · China PR · Chinese Taipei · Guam · Hong Kong* · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Japan · Jordan · Korea DPR · Korea Republic · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Macau* · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · Northern Mariana Islands† · Oman · Pakistan · Palestine · Philippines · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen † Provisional Associate Member - Not a member of FIFA *FIFA 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.

Japan FIFA World Cup Squads & Managers Navigation Boxes Japan squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Kojima • 2 Narahashi • 3 Soma • 4 Ihara • 5 Omura • 6 Yamaguchi • 7 Ito • 8 Nakata • 9 Nakayama • 10 Nanami • 11 Ono • 12 Lopes • 13 Hattori • 14 Okano • 15 Morishima • 16 Saito • 17 Akita • 18 Jo • 19 Nakanishi • 20 Kawaguchi • 21 Narazaki • 22 Hirano • Coach: Okada Japan squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Kawaguchi • 2 Akita • 3 Matsuda • 4 Morioka • 5 Inamoto • 6 Hattori • 7 H. Nakata • 8 Morishima • 9 Nishizawa • 10 Nakayama • 11 Suzuki • 12 Narazaki • 13 Yanagisawa • 14 Alex • 15 Fukunishi • 16 K. Nakata • 17 Miyamoto • 18 Ono • 19 Ogasawara • 20 Myojin • 21 Toda • 22 Ichikawa • 23 Sogahata • Coach: Troussier Japan squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Narazaki • 2 Moniwa • 3 Komano • 4 Endō • 5 Miyamoto • 6 K. Nakata • 7 H. Nakata • 8 Ogasawara • 9 Takahara • 10 Nakamura • 11 Maki • 12 Doi • 13 Yanagisawa • 14 Alex • 15 Fukunishi • 16 Oguro • 17 Inamoto • 18 Ono • 19 Tsuboi • 20 Tamada • 21 Kaji • 22 Nakazawa • 23 Kawaguchi • Coach: Zico Japan national football team – Managers Ninomiya (1951) · Takenokoshi (1951–56) · Takahashi (1957) · Takenokoshi (1958–59) · Kawamoto (1958) · Takahashi (1960–62) · Naganuma (1962–69) · Okano (1970–71) · Naganuma (1972–76) · Ninomiya (1976–78) · Shimomura (1979–80) · Watanabe (1980) · Kawabuchi (1980–81) · Mori (1981–85) · Ishii (1986–87) · Yokoyama (1988–91) · Ooft (1992–93) · Falcão (1994) · Kamo (1994–97) · Okada (1997–98) · Troussier (1998–02) · Zico (2002–06) · Osim (2006–07) · Okada (2007–)