Moriyasu assisted coach Akira Nishino in the last 16 in the recent World Cup finals in Russia. On 26 July 2018, with the current coach stepping down, the Japan Football Association appointed Hajime Moriyasu as the new coach of the men's national team, with an eye to the World Cup in 2022. He led Japan to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Final after defeated Iran 3–0 at semi-finals, but defeated at the final 3–1 to Qatar to mark Japan's first defeat at a continental final.