Japan national football team

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Japan

Nickname(s)	Japanese Representatives (日本代表, Nippon Daihyō?) Okada Japan (岡田ジャパン, Okada Japan?)[1] Blue Samurai
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	40
Highest FIFA ranking	9 (February 1998)
Lowest FIFA ranking	62 (February 2000)
Elo ranking	T27
Highest Elo ranking	8 (August 2001, March 2002)
Lowest Elo ranking	112 (September 1962)
Home colours Away colours Third 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	3 (First in 1998)
Best result	Round of 16, 2002
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances	6 (First in 1988)
Best result	Winners, 1992, 2000, 2004
Confederations Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1995)
Best result	Runner-up, 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. However, in late 2007 Osim suffered a stroke and was replaced by Takeshi Okada, who had previously served as the manager for Japan leading up to and during the 1998 World Cup.^[2]

The team is commonly known by the fans and media as Nippon Daihyō (日本代表^?, lit. Japanese representatives), Daihyō (代表^?, lit. representatives). 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 is known as Osim Japan. Recently the team has been known or nicknamed as the Blue Samurai.

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 three consecutive World Cup finals.

Contents 1 History 2 Kits 3 Sponsorship 4 Schedule and recent results 5 Players 5.1 Current squad 5.1.1 Recent Call Ups 5.2 Top goalscorers 5.3 Most capped 5.4 Past competition rosters 5.4.1 World Cup Rosters 5.4.2 Asian Cup Rosters 5.4.3 Confederations Cup Rosters 5.4.4 Summer Olympics Rosters 6 Manager history 7 Competition Records 7.1 FIFA World Cup Record 7.2 FIFA Confederations Cup Record 7.3 AFC Asian Cup Record 7.4 Olympic Games Record 7.5 East Asian Cup Record 8 Youth National Progams 8.1 U-20 National Team 8.2 U-17 National Team 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] 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 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, having been invited in 1999 and 2011, along with Mexico^[4].

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.

[edit] 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 yellow trims, white shorts, and blue socks. The away kit consists of a white jersey, blue shorts, and white socks.^[5]

The national team kit design has gone through several alterations in the past. From 1988 to 1991 the kits were red and white, matching the 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 flames. Japan also used a third kit consisting of another white jersey with black shorts and red socks in the J-League vs. K-League match.

[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^[6]. Primary sponsors include Kirin, Adidas, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, Fujifilm, JAL, and Nissan.

[edit] Schedule and recent results

For 2008 results refer to Japan national football team in 2008

Date	Opponent	Result	Score1	Venue	Competition
January 20, 2009	Yemen	W	2-1	Kumamoto Prefectural Athletic Park, Kumamoto	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
January 28, 2009	Bahrain	L	0-1	National Stadium, Madinat 'Isa, Bahrain	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
February 4, 2009	Finland	W	5-1	National Stadium, Tokyo	Friendly Match (Kirin Challenge Cup 2009)
February 11, 2009	Australia	D	0-0	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
March 28, 2009	Bahrain	W	1-0	Saitama Stadium, Saitama	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
May 27, 2009	Chile	W	4-0	Nagai Stadium, Osaka	Kirin Cup 2009
May 31, 2009	Belgium	W	4-0	National Stadium, Tokyo	Kirin Cup 2009
June 6, 2009	Uzbekistan	W	1-0	Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
June 10, 2009	Qatar	D	1-1	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
June 17, 2009	Australia	L	1-2	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
September 5, 2009	Netherlands			De Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands	Friendly Match
September 9, 2009	Ghana			Stadion Galgenwaard, Utrecht, Netherlands	Friendly Match
October 10, 2009	Scotland			International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama	Friendly Match
October 14, 2009	Togo			Ōita Stadium, Ōita	Friendly Match
TBA[7]	Hong Kong			TBA, Japan	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
November 14, 2009	TBA			TBA	Friendly Match
November 18, 2009	Hong Kong			Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
January 6, 2010	Yemen			Ali Mohsen Al-Muraisi Stadium, Sana'a, Yemen	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
February, 2010	TBA			TBA, Japan	East Asian Football Championship 2010
February, 2010	Korea Republic			TBA, Japan	East Asian Football Championship 2010
February, 2010	China PR			TBA, Japan	East Asian Football Championship 2010
March 3, 2010	Bahrain			TBA, Japan	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
June, 2010	TBA			TBA, South Africa	2010 FIFA World Cup
June, 2010	TBA			TBA, South Africa	2010 FIFA World Cup
June, 2010	TBA			TBA, South Africa	2010 FIFA World Cup

¹ Japan score always listed first

[edit] Players

[edit] Current squad

Squad selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification match against Australia in June 17, 2009.

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Seigo Narazaki (captain) April 11, 1976 (1976-04-11) (age 33) 69 -66 Nagoya Grampus 18 GK Ryōta Tsuzuki April 18, 1978 (1978-04-18) (age 31) 5 -3 Urawa Red Diamonds 23 GK Eiji Kawashima March 20, 1983 (1983-03-20) (age 26) 3 -3 Kawasaki Frontale 22 DF Yuji Nakazawa February 25, 1978 (1978-02-25) (age 31) 90 16 Yokohama F. Marinos 5 DF Satoshi Yamaguchi April 17, 1978 (1978-04-17) (age 31) 2 0 Gamba Osaka 4 DF Marcus Tulio Tanaka April 24, 1981 (1981-04-24) (age 28) 26 5 Urawa Red Diamonds 3 DF Yūichi Komano July 25, 1981 (1981-07-25) (age 27) 44 0 Júbilo Iwata 8 DF Yasuyuki Konno January 25, 1983 (1983-01-25) (age 26) 30 0 FC Tokyo 15 DF Yuto Nagatomo September 12, 1986 (1986-09-12) (age 22) 14 2 FC Tokyo 21 DF Tomoaki Makino May 11, 1987 (1987-05-11) (age 22) 0 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 6 DF Atsuto Uchida March 27, 1988 (1988-03-27) (age 21) 22 1 Kashima Antlers 27 MF Hideo Hashimoto May 21, 1979 (1979-05-21) (age 30) 12 0 Gamba Osaka 14 MF Kengo Nakamura October 31, 1980 (1980-10-31) (age 28) 37 4 Kawasaki Frontale 10 MF Daisuke Matsui May 11, 1981 (1981-05-11) (age 28) 17 1 Grenoble 2 MF Yuki Abe September 6, 1981 (1981-09-06) (age 27) 38 3 Urawa Red Diamonds 24 MF Naoki Yamada July 4, 1990 (1990-07-04) (age 19) 1 0 Urawa Red Diamonds 11 FW Keiji Tamada April 11, 1980 (1980-04-11) (age 29) 60 13 Nagoya Grampus 12 FW Kisho Yano April 5, 1984 (1984-04-05) (age 25) 16 2 Albirex Niigata 9 FW Shinji Okazaki April 16, 1986 (1986-04-16) (age 23) 14 7 Shimizu S-Pulse 13 FW Shinzo Koroki July 31, 1986 (1986-07-31) (age 22) 7 0 Kashima Antlers

* Goals for goalkeepers denotes goals allowed.

[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
Takanori Sugeno	May 3, 1984 (1984-05-03) (age 25)	0	0	Kashiwa Reysol	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Australia, February 11, 2009
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi	August 15, 1975 (1975-08-15) (age 33)	116	0	Júbilo Iwata	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Bahrain, 28 January 2009
Shusaku Nishikawa	June 18, 1986 (1986-06-18) (age 23)	0	0	Oita Trinita	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Bahrain, September 6, 2008

Defenders

Player	DoB/Age	Caps	Goals	Team	Most Recent Call up
Shuhei Terada	June 23, 1975 (1975-06-23) (age 34)	6	0	Kawasaki Frontale	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Bahrain, March 28, 2009
Kazumichi Takagi	November 21, 1980 (1980-11-21) (age 28)	5	0	Gamba Osaka	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Australia, February 11, 2009
Michihiro Yasuda	December 20, 1987 (1987-12-20) (age 21)	6	1	Gamba Osaka	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Australia, February 11, 2009
Hiroki Mizumoto	September 12, 1985 (1985-09-12) (age 23)	3	0	Kyoto Sanga	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Bahrain, 28 January 2009
Shohei Abe	December 1, 1983 (1983-12-01) (age 25)	0	0	Nagoya Grampus	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, 20 January 2009
Yosuke Ishibitsu	July 23, 1983 (1983-07-23) (age 25)	0	0	Vissel Kobe	Training session, January 2009
Masato Morishige	May 21, 1987 (1987-05-21) (age 22)	0	0	Oita Trinita	Training session, January 2009

Midfielders

Player	DoB/Age	Caps	Goals	Team	Most Recent Call up
Shunsuke Nakamura	June 24, 1978 (1978-06-24) (age 31)	87	23	Espanyol	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Qatar, June 10, 2009
Keisuke Honda	June 13, 1986 (1986-06-13) (age 23)	6	1	VVV-Venlo	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Qatar, June 10, 2009
Yasuhito Endo	January 28, 1980 (1980-01-28) (age 29)	79	7	Gamba Osaka	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Qatar, June 10, 2009
Makoto Hasebe	January 18, 1984 (1984-01-18) (age 25)	21	0	Wolfsburg	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Uzbekistan, June 6, 2009
Shinji Kagawa	March 17, 1989 (1989-03-17) (age 20)	10	2	Cerezo Osaka	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Uzbekistan, June 6, 2009
Mu Kanazaki	February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16) (age 20)	1	0	Oita Trinita	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Bahrain, March 28, 2009
Junichi Inamoto	September 18, 1979 (1979-09-18) (age 29)	71	4	Rennes	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Australia, February 11, 2009
Takeshi Aoki	September 28, 1982 (1982-09-28) (age 26)	2	0	Kashima Antlers	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Bahrain, 28 January 2009
Takashi Inui	June 2, 1988 (1988-06-02) (age 21)	1	0	Cerezo Osaka	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, 20 January 2009
Hiroyuki Taniguchi	June 27, 1985 (1985-06-27) (age 24)	0	0	Kawasaki Frontale	2011 AFC Asian Cup qual. v. Yemen, 20 January 2009
Kohei Kudo	August 28, 1984 (1984-08-28) (age 24)	0	0	JEF United Ichihara Chiba	Training session, January 2009
Shinji Ono	September 27, 1979 (1979-09-27) (age 29)	56	6	Bochum	Friendly match v. Uruguay, August 20, 2008
Keita Suzuki	July 8, 1981 (1981-07-08) (age 28)	28	0	Urawa Red Diamonds	Friendly match v. Uruguay, August 20, 2008
Koji Yamase	September 22, 1981 (1981-09-22) (age 27)	12	5	Yokohama F. Marinos	Friendly match v. Uruguay, August 20, 2008

Forwards

Player	DoB/Age	Caps	Goals	Team	Most Recent Call up
Yoshito Okubo	June 9, 1982 (1982-06-09) (age 27)	37	5	Vissel Kobe	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Uzbekistan, June 6, 2009
Tatsuya Tanaka	November 27, 1982 (1982-11-27) (age 26)	16	3	Urawa Red Diamonds	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Bahrain, March 28, 2009
Seiichiro Maki	August 7, 1980 (1980-08-07) (age 28)	38	8	JEF United Ichihara Chiba	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Australia, February 11, 2009
Hisato Satō	March 12, 1982 (1982-03-12) (age 27)	25	3	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Qatar, November 19, 2008
Masashi Oguro	May 4, 1980 (1980-05-04) (age 29)	22	5	Tokyo Verdy	2010 FIFA World Cup qual. v. Bahrain, September 6, 2008

[edit] Top goalscorers As of June 11, 2009 the players with the most goals are: Pos Player Goals Tenure 1 Kunishige Kamamoto 75 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– 6 Shunsuke Nakamura 23 2000– 8 Masashi Nakayama 21 1990–2003 9 Teruki Miyamoto 19 1961–1971 10 Atsushi Yanagisawa 17 1998–2006 * The players in bold typeface are currently active. The records are collected based on data from FIFA.

[edit] Most capped As of June 11, 2009 the players with the most caps are: Pos Player Caps Tenure 1 Masami Ihara 122 1988–1999 2 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 116 1997– 3 Yuji Nakazawa 90 1999– 4 Kazuyoshi Miura 89 1990–2000 5 Shunsuke Nakamura 87 2000– 6 Alessandro dos Santos 82 2002–2006 7 Satoshi Tsunami 80 1980–1995 8 Yasuhito Endō 79 2002– 9 Hidetoshi Nakata 77 1997–2006 10 Kunishige Kamamoto 75 1964–1977 10 Hiromi Hara 75 1978–1988 * The players in bold typeface are still active in football. The records are collected based on data from FIFA.

See also Category:Japan international footballers

[edit] Past competition rosters

[edit] World Cup Rosters 1998 World Cup 2002 World Cup 2006 World Cup [edit] Asian Cup Rosters Asian Cup 1988 (Qatar) Asian Cup 1992 (Japan) Asian Cup 1996 (United Arab Emirates) Asian Cup 2000 (Lebanon) Asian Cup 2004 (China) Asian Cup 2007 (Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam)

[edit] Confederations Cup Rosters 1995 King Fahd Cup 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup [edit] Summer Olympics Rosters 1936 Olympic (Berlin) 1956 Olympics (Melbourne) 1964 Olympics (Tokyo) 1968 Olympics (Mexico City) 1996 Olympics (Atlanta) 2000 Olympics (Sydney) 2004 Olympics (Athens) 2008 Olympics (Beijing)

[edit] 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

[edit] Competition Records

[edit] 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 3/18 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

[edit] 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 Semi-finals  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

[edit] 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 Quarter-finals 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 Total 6/14 3 Titles 31 17 9 5 58 31 *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

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 Semi-finals  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 Quarter-finals  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 Quarter-finals  Japan 4 – 1  Iraq Win Semi-finals  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 Quarter-finals  Japan 1 – 1  Jordan Draw Semi-finals  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 Quarter-finals  Japan 1 – 1  Australia Draw Semi-finals  Japan 2 – 3  Saudi Arabia Loss Third Place  Japan 0 – 0  Korea Republic Draw *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

[edit] 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 Quarter-finals 8/16 2 1 0 1 3 10 1948 Banned - - - - - - - 1952 Did Not Enter - - - - - - - 1956 Round 1 10/11 1 0 0 1 0 2 1960 Did Not Qualify - - - - - - - 1964 Quarter-finals 8/14 3 1 0 2 5 9 1968 Third Place 3/16 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 9/16 3 2 0 1 4 4 2000 Quarter-finals 5/16 4 2 1 1 6 5 2004 Round 1 13/16 3 1 0 2 6 7 2008 Round 1 15/16 3 0 0 3 1 4 Total 8/24 1 Third Place 25 10 3 12 34 49 *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Olympic Games History Year Round Score Result 1936 Round 1  Japan 3 – 2  Sweden Win Quarter-finals  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 Quarter-finals  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 Quarter-finals  Japan 3 – 1  France Win Semi-finals  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 Quarter-finals  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 *Eliminated on penalty kicks.

[edit] East Asian Cup Record

See: East Asian Football Championship

Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
2003	Second Place	3	2	1	0	4	1
2005	Second Place	3	1	1	1	3	3
2008	Second Place	3	1	2	0	3	2
2010	Qualified	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		9	4	4	1	10	6

[edit] Youth National Progams

[edit] U-20 National Team

See: Japan national under-20 football team

[edit] U-17 National Team

See: Japan national under-17 football team

[edit] See also

• Football in Japan
• List of Japanese footballers with foreign heritage
• List of Japanese footballers playing outside Japan

[edit] References

[edit] 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

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1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008
v • d • e 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
v • d • e 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 · Oman · Pakistan · Palestine · Philippines · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen *FIFA and AFC use Hong Kong and Macau; the EAFF uses Hong Kong, China and Macau, China.
v • d • e National football teams of East Asia (EAFF) China PR · Chinese Taipei · Guam · Hong Kong, China · Japan · Korea DPR · Korea Republic · Macau, China · Mongolia · Northern Mariana Islands† †OFC Associate Member All teams are part of the AFC, apart from the Northern Mariana Islands, who are associate part of the OFC. * FIFA and AFC use Hong Kong and Macau; the EAFF uses Hong Kong, China and Macau, China.
v • d • e 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
National sports teams of Japan v • d • e
American football | Association Football (F, M, U-20, U-17) | Australian rules football | Baseball | Basketball (F, M) | Beach Soccer | Billiard/Pool | Boxing | Cricket | Fencing | Field hockey (F, M) | Futsal | Golf (F, M) | Handball | Ice hockey (F, M) | Korfball | Rugby Union (F, M) | Rugby league | Softball | Taekwondo | Tennis (F, M) | Volleyball (F, M)