Japan national football team

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"Japan national association football team" redirects here. For other uses, see Japan national football team (disambiguation).
Japan
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 (80)[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

[edit] History

Japan against Brazil at Signal Iduna Park in the 2006 FIFA World Cup

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]

[edit] Kits and colours

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 AFC Asian Cup consisted of white stripes (stilized to form a wing) 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.

Japan uses blue and white rather than red and white due to a superstition. In its first major international competition, the 1936 Summer Olympics, Japan used a blue kit in the match against Sweden and Japan won the match by 3–2 beating the Swedish team.[7]

Also, the Japanese Football Association logo has some yellow, it represents the fair play (honesty) in japanese tradition, all sorrunding by blue on the jersey that means youth in japanese tradition, that also explains the colours of the uniform which could be translated as "the fair play porpouse supported on the power of youth".

[edit] 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[8] and Audi.[9]

[edit] Fixtures

For more details on this topic, see Japan national football team in 2012.
Date Opponent Result Score* Venue Competition
24 Feb 2012  Iceland Japan Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan International Friendly (2012 Kirin Challenge Cup)
29 Feb 2012  Uzbekistan Japan Toyota Stadium, Toyota, Japan 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Third Round
03 Jun 2012 TBA Japan Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Fourth Round
08 Jun 2012 TBA Japan 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 Japan Sapporo Dome, Hokkaidō, Japan International Friendly (2012 Kirin Challenge Cup)
07 Sep 2012 TBA Japan Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Japan International Friendly (2012 Kirin Challenge Cup)
11 Sep 2012 TBA Japan Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Fourth Round
12 Oct 2012  France 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

[edit] Coaching

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

[edit] Players

[edit] Current squad

Squad selected for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) against Tajikistan on 11 November 2011, and North Korea on 15 November 2011.[10]

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

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

[edit] Records

Most Caps
# Player Caps Goals Career
1 Masami Ihara 122 5 1988–1999
2 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 117 0 1997–2010
3 Yasuhito Endo 113 9 2002–
4 Yuji Nakazawa 112 17 1999–2010
5 Shunsuke Nakamura 98 24 2000–2010
6 Kazuyoshi Miura 89 55 1990–2000
7 Kunishige Kamamoto 84 80 1964–1977
8 Junichi Inamoto 83 5 2000–2010
9 Alessandro Santos 82 7 2002–2006
10 Satoshi Tsunami 78 2 1980–1995
Top Goalscorers
# Player Goals Caps Career
1 Kunishige Kamamoto 80 84 1964–1977
2 Kazuyoshi Miura 55 89 1990–2000
3 Hiromi Hara 38 76 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 54 1990–2003
10 Teruki Miyamoto 19 58 1961–1971

[edit] Rosters

FIFA World Cup
AFC Asian Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
Olympic Games
East Asian Football Championship
Copa América

[edit] Managers

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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
Uruguay 1930 Did Not Enter - - - - - -
Italy 1934 - - - - - -
France 1938 Withdrew - - - - - -
Brazil 1950 Banned - - - - - -
Switzerland 1954 Did Not Qualify 2 0 1 1 3 7
Sweden 1958 Did Not Enter - - - - - -
Chile 1962 Did Not Qualify 2 0 0 2 1 4
England 1966 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 15 9 5 1 51 12
South KoreaJapan 2002 Round of 16 9th 4 2 1 1 5 3 - - - - - -
Germany 2006 Group Stage 28th 3 0 1 2 2 7 12 11 0 1 25 5
South Africa 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

[edit] AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Record
Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA
Hong Kong 1956 Did Not Enter
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968 Did Not Qualify
Thailand 1972 Did Not Enter
Iran 1976 Did Not Qualify
Kuwait 1980 Did Not Enter
Singapore 1984
Qatar 1988 Group Stage 10th 4 0 1 3 0 6
Japan 1992 Champions 1st 5 3 2 0 6 3
United Arab Emirates 1996 Quarter-Finals 5th 4 3 0 1 7 3
Lebanon 2000 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 21 6
China 2004 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 13 6
IndonesiaMalaysiaThailandVietnam 2007 Fourth Place 4th 6 2 3 1 11 7
Qatar 2011 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 14 6
Australia 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

[edit] FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round 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 Qualified
Russia 2017 To Be Determined
Qatar 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

[edit] 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
United Kingdom 1908 Did Not Enter
Sweden 1912
Belgium 1920
France 1924
Netherlands 1928
Germany 1936 Quarter-Finals 8th 2 1 0 1 3 10
United Kingdom 1948 Banned
Finland 1952 Did Not Enter
Australia 1956 Group Stage 10th 1 0 0 1 0 2
Italy 1960 Did Not Qualify
Japan 1964 Quarter-Finals 8th 3 1 0 2 5 9
Mexico 1968 Third Place 3rd 6 3 2 1 9 8
Germany 1972 Did Not Enter
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Spain 1992
United States 1996 Group Stage 9th 3 2 0 1 4 4
Australia 2000 Quarter-Finals 5th 4 2 1 1 6 5
Greece 2004 Group Stage 13th 3 1 0 2 6 7
China 2008 Group Stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 4
United Kingdom 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

[edit] 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
Paraguay 1999 Group Stage 10th 3 0 1 2 3 8
Argentina 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

[edit] Honors

[edit] International

Bronze Medal (1): 1968
Runners-Up (1): 2001

[edit] Continental

Champions (4): 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011
Years (5): 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010

[edit] Regional

Champions (3): 1992, 1995, 1998
Champions (1): 1930

[edit] Other

Champions (2): 1993, 2007
Champions (1): 2001
Champions (11): 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
Years (1): 2002

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Mamrud, Roberto (2011-07-15). "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/century.html. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
  2. ^ 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?).
  3. ^ Matsushima, Ken. "History of the J. League". Rising Sun News. Archived from the original on 2006-05-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20060512150136/http://www.wldcup.com/Asia/jleague/history.html. Retrieved 2006-07-07. 
  4. ^ a b Japan Invited To Copa America 2011 Along With Mexico Goal.com 2 Jun 2009
  5. ^ Hongo, Jun, "SOCCER IN JAPAN: Japan team has foot in World Cup door but can it kick?", Japan Times, February 9, 2010, p. 3.
  6. ^ "Australia 0-1 Japan (AET". Daily Telegraph. 2011-01-29. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/8290841/Australia-0-Japan-1-aet-match-report.html. Retrieved 2011-02-02. 
  7. ^ . http://www.kansas.com/2011/07/17/1936597/how-have-previous-johnny-bench.html. 
  8. ^ Brand Republic News. "World's richest teams: Cup overfloweth". Rising Sun News. http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/558306/Worlds-richest-teams-Cup-overfloweth/. Retrieved 2009-02-07. 
  9. ^ "Audi Japan signs with JFA". Japan Football Association. 25 May 2011. http://www.jfa.or.jp/eng/topics/2011/209.html. Retrieved 6 June 2011. 
  10. ^ [http://samuraiblue.jp/newscenter/press_release/news_000369.html "2014 FIFAワールドカップブラジル　アジア3次予選 タジキスタン代表　対　SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）　（11/11＠ドゥシャンベ・セントラルスタジアム） 朝鮮民主主義人民共和国代表　対　SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）　（11/15＠金日成スタジアム） ＳＡＭＵＲＡＩ ＢＬＵＥ（日本代表）メンバー"]. samuraiblue.jp. http://samuraiblue.jp/newscenter/press_release/news_000369.html. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  11. ^ "SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）　安田理大選手（フィテッセ）を追加招集". samuraiblue.jp. http://samuraiblue.jp/newscenter/press_release/news_000385.html. Retrieved 2011-11-06. 
  12. ^ "SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）　長友佑都選手（インテル）が不参加". samuraiblue.jp. http://samuraiblue.jp/newscenter/press_release/news_000384.html. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 

[edit] External links

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 KoreaJapan South Korea / Japan
2006:  Germany
2010:  South Africa
2014:  Brazil
2018:  Russia
2022:  Qatar
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* FIFA and AFC use Hong Kong and Macau; the EAFF uses Hong Kong, China and Macau, China.
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