Question: Does Japan have a football team?

Japan national football team





The Japan national football team(サッカー日本代表,Sakkā Nippon Daihyō) represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan. The current head coach is former footballer and current coach of the Japan national under-23 football team: Hajime Moriyasu.
Japan is one of the most successful teams in Asia, having qualified for the last six consecutive FIFA World Cups with second round advancements in 2002, 2010, and 2018, and having won the AFC Asian Cup a record four times, in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011. The team has also finished second in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Their principal continental rivals are South Korea 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.[6] Although they initially accepted the invitation for the 2011 tournament, the JFA later withdrew following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[7]
History
Pre-war Era (1910s–1930s)
Japan's earliest international matches were at the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo, where it was represented by a team from the Tokyo Higher Normal School. Although Japan made strong showings in swimming, baseball, and track and field, its football team suffered resounding defeats to the Republic of China and the Philippines.[8] Nevertheless, the game was promoted in Japanese schools in the 1920s.[9] The Japan Football Association was formed in 1921,[10] and Japan joined FIFA in May 1929.[9]
Japan's first "true" national team (as opposed to a university team chosen to represent the country) was fielded at the 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games, and drew with China for the championship title.[9] Shigeyoshi Suzuki coached the national team to its first Olympic appearance at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.[10] Japan was an entrant for the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification, but withdrew before its scheduled qualifying match against the Dutch East Indies.[11]
After World War II began in earnest, Japan did not play in international competition, except for a handful of matches against Manchuria and other colonies.[9] Its last prewar match for purposes of Elo ratings was a friendly against the Philippines in June 1940.[12]
While Korea was under Japanese rule, several Koreans played in international competition for Japan, including Kim Yong-sik (1936–40), Kim Sung-gan (1940) and Lee Yoo-hyung (1940).
Post-war Era (1950s–1980s)
Japan's postwar debut was in the 1951 Asian Games in India.[12] Japan re-joined FIFA in 1950 and played in qualifiers for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, but lost the AFC qualifying berth to South Korea after two matches, beginning an intense rivalry.[10] Japan also joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.[9]
Dettmar Cramer joined the Japan national team as coach in 1960, and helped lead the team to the round of eight at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[13] 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.[14]
Japan made its first appearance in the Asian Cup in 1988, where they were eliminated in the group stage following a draw with Iran and losses to South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
The late 1980s saw concrete moves to professionalize the sport in Japan. JFA introduced a Special Licensed Player system in 1986, allowing a limited number of professional players to compete in the domestic semi-professional league. Action committees were held in 1988 and 1989 to discuss the introduction of a full professional league in Japan.[13]
1990s
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. The following year Japan hosted and won the Asian Cup in their second appearance, defeating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final. The J.League was officially launched in 1993, causing interest in football and the national team to grow.
However, in its first attempt to qualify with professional players, Japan narrowly missed a ticket to the 1994 World Cup after drawing with Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the "Agony of Doha". Japan's next tournament was a defence of their continental title at the 1996 Asian Cup. The team won all their games in the group stage but were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 2–0 loss to Kuwait.
The nation's first ever World Cup appearance was in 1998, where Japan lost all their games. The first two fixtures went 1–0 in favour of Argentina and Croatia, despite playing well in both matches. Their campaign ended with a 2–1 defeat to Jamaica.
2000s

In the 2000 Asian Cup, Japan managed to reclaim their title after defeating Saudi Arabia in the final, becoming Asian Champions for the second time.
Two years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea. After a 2–2 draw with Belgium in their opening match, 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 8 June 2005, Japan qualified for the 2006 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, losing to Australia 1–3, drawing Croatia 0–0 and losing to Brazil 1–4.
2010s
During the 2010 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.[15] Japan won its opening match of the 2010 World Cup 1–0 against Cameroon, 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 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 and allowing them to qualify for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.[16]
Japan then started their road to 2014 World Cup in Brazil with numerous qualifiers. Throughout, they suffered only two losses to Uzbekistan and Jordan, and drawing against Australia. Afterwards, on 12 October, Japan earned a historic 1–0 victory over France, a team they had never before defeated. After a 1–1 draw with Australia they qualified for the 2014 World Cup, becoming the first nation (outside of Brazil, who hosted the tournament and qualified automatically) to qualify.
Japan started their 2013 Confederations Cup campaign with a 3–0 loss to Brazil. They were then eliminated from the competition after losing to Italy 3–4 in a hard-fought match but received praise for their style of play in the match. They lost their final match 1–2 against Mexico and finished in fourth place in Group A. One month later, in the EAFF East Asian Cup, they started out with a 3–3 draw to China. They then beat Australia 3–2 and beat South Korea 2–1 in the third and final match in the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup to claim the title. The road to Brazil looked bright as Japan managed a 2–2 draw with the Netherlands and a 2–3 victory over Belgium. This was followed by three straight wins against Cyprus, Costa Rica and Zambia.
Japan was placed into Group C at the 2014 World Cup alongside the Ivory Coast, Greece and Colombia. They fell in their first match to Ivory Coast 2–1 despite initially taking the lead, allowing two goals in a two-minute span. They drew their second game to Greece 0–0. To qualify for the second round, they needed a victory against Colombia and needed Greece to beat Ivory Coast. Greece beat Ivory Coast 2–1, but Japan could not perform well against Colombia and were beaten 4–1, eliminating them from the World Cup. Alberto Zaccheroni resigned as head coach after the World Cup. In July 2014, former Mexico and Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre took over and Japan lost 0–2 to Uruguay in the first game he managed.
Aguirre would begin a strong revamp of the team, switching out Zaccheroni's long-used 4–2–3–1 formation for his own 4–3–3 and applied this with a roster of the J.League's finest, dropping many regulars. A 2–2 draw against Venezuela was followed by a 1–0 victory over Jamaica. However, they lost their following match to Brazil 4–0, with Neymar scoring all four goals. Japan's sights turned to January and their title defense at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Japan won its opening match at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Group D against Asian Cup debutantes Palestine 4–0, with goals from Yasuhito Endō, Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda via a penalty and Maya Yoshida. Okazaki was named man of the match. They then faced Iraq and Jordan in their next group matches, which they won 1–0 and 2–0 respectively. They qualified to knockout stage as Group D winner with nine points, seven goals scored and no goals conceded. In the quarter-finals, Japan lost to the United Arab Emirates in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw, as Honda and Shinji Kagawa missed their penalty kicks. Japan's elimination marked their worst performance in the tournament in 19 years.
After the Asian Cup, Aguirre was sacked following allegations of corruption during a prior tenure. He was replaced by Vahid Halilhodžić in March 2015. Japan started on a rough note during qualification, losing to the UAE 1-2 at home. They then picked up the pace in their other qualifier games against Iraq, Australia, and Thailand, picking up 5 wins and 2 draws. Then, on 31 August 2017, Japan defeated Australia 2–0 at home thus qualifying them for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, making it their sixth successive World Cup. However, the Japan Football Association decided to sack Halilhodžić on 9 April 2018, only ten weeks before the World Cup finals, citing reasons of a breakdown in relationship between coach and player, and poor recent friendly results, and appoint the Technical Director, Japanese coach Akira Nishino, who had managed the Japanese Under-23 team at the 1996 Olympics, as the new manager.[17]

Japan made history in the 2018 FIFA World Cup by defeating Colombia 2–1, their first ever victory by any AFC team against a CONMEBOL team in an official tournament,[18] as well as Japan's first ever victory at the FIFA World Cup finals in UEFA nations. Their second match ended in a draw against Senegal, with one goal scored by Takashi Inui and the other by Keisuke Honda.[19] Japan were defeated in their last group game in the Group H against Poland 0–1,[20] leaving Japan and Senegal tied for second with an identical record, however, as Japan had received two fewer yellow cards, Japan advanced to the knockout stage on the Fair Play Points tiebreaker, the first team to do so.[21] The match with Poland caused controversy; as Japan were made aware of their advantage over Senegal with ten minutes left and decided to play an extremely conservative game, passing the ball around to one another and keeping it in their own box, seeking to avoid any bookings and didn't attempt to take any serious shots on goal, despite losing 0–1, with some fans booing the players.[22][23][24] The match received comparison to the 1982 World Cup Disgrace of Gijón, in which a similar game was played.[25] Japan were the only AFC team to have qualified to the knockout stage.[26] In the Round of 16 against Belgium, Japan took a surprising 2–0 lead with a goal in the 48th minute by Genki Haraguchi and another in the 52nd by Takashi Inui, but yielded 3 goals afterwards, including the winner by Nacer Chadli on the counter attack in the 94th minute. This was Japan's third time having reached the last 16, equaling their best result at a World Cup.[27] Japan's defeat to eventual third-place finishers Belgium was the first time a nation had lost a knockout match at the World Cup after taking a two-goal advantage since England lost to West Germany 2–3 in extra-time in the quarter-final of the 1970 edition.[28][29] However, Japan's impressive performance was praised by fans, pundits and medias for their fighting spirits, as demonstrated by Japan's win over Colombia, a draw to Senegal and a strong counter offensive against heavyweight Belgium.[30]
Rivalries
South Korea

Japan maintains a strong football rivalry with South Korea. Japan has played 78 matches against the South Korean football team with 14 victories, 22 draws, and 41 losses. The football rivalry is long-seated and is often seen as an extension of an overall historic rivalry between the two nations.
Australia

Japan began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Australia, shortly after the latter joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[31] The rivalry is regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries.[32] The rivalry is a relatively recent one, born from a number of highly competitive matches between the two teams since Australia joined the AFC in 2006.[33] The rivalry began at the 2006 World Cup where the two countries were grouped together, and continued with the two countries meeting regularly in various AFC competitions, such as the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Final and the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup.[34]
China

Japan also has a long standing rivalry with China, because of historical tensions between two countries in the past. China is leading the series with 16 wins, with Japan only has 14 wins; however Japan has achieved more successes than China.
Team image
Names
The Japanese team is commonly known by the fans and media as Sakkā 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).[35] Recently, the team has been known or nicknamed as the "Samurai Blue", while Japanese news media during the 2018 FIFA World Cup still referred it to by the recently departed manager's (Akira Nishino) last name, as "Nishino Japan"(西野ジャパン,Nishino Japan).[36][37]
Fan chanting

Japanese national team supporters are known for chanting "Nippon Ole" (Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan) at home matches.[38]
Kits


The national team kit design has gone through several alterations in the past. In the early 1980s, the kit was white with blue trim. The kits worn for the 1992 Asian Cup consisted of white stripes (stylized to form a wing) with red diamonds. During Japan's first World Cup appearance in 1996 Asian Cup and in 1998, the national team kits were blue jerseys with red and white flame designs on the sleeves, and were designed by JFA (with the sponsor alternating each year between Asics, Puma, and Adidas). The 1996 design was reproduced in a special kit used against Syria on 7 June 2017.
Japan uses blue and white rather than red and white due to a superstition. Japan used blue shirts in a 3–2 victory over Sweden in the first game of its maiden major international competition, the 1936 Summer Olympics.[39] When Japan was coached by Kenzo Yokoyama (1988–1992) the kits were red and white, matching the colors of Japan's national flag. After failures at 1990 FIFA World Cup and 1992 Summer Olympics qualifications, the red shirt was scrapped.
In the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Japan temporarily switched the colour of the numbers from white to gold.
Japan's kit is provided by German company Adidas, the team's exclusive kit supplier since April 1999.[40] Before that, Asics and Puma had been the team's official apparel sponsor alongside Adidas.
Kit suppliers


Crest

The crest or emblem of the national team was adopted in late 2017 as part of a larger rebranding by the Japan Football Association.[41] The crest features the Yatagarasu, a three-legged crow from Japanese mythology , holding a solid red football. The text "JFA" (for the Japan Football Association) is inscribed at the bottom of the crow. A red stripe is also present at the center of the shield behind the crow. The shield has a metallic gold trim and has a thicker black outline. The name of the country represented by the national team "Japan" is also inscribed within the black border.[42][43]
The previous crest had a shield with a more complex shape. The ball held by the Yatagarasu had white details. The text "Japan" is absent and "JFA" is written in a different typeface.[42]
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, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, JAL, MS&AD Insurance Group, Asahi Shinbun, Mizuho Financial, Daito Trust Construction and KDDI.
Mascot
The mascots are "Karappe" (カラッペ) and "Karara" (カララ), two Yatagarasu wearing the Japan national football team uniform. The mascots were designed by Japanese manga artist Susumu Matsushita. Each year when a new kit is launched, the mascots change uniforms.
For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Pokémon character Pikachu served as the mascot.[44]
Recent results and fixtures

2018
Japan v Mali




23 March 2018 International FriendlyJapan1–1MaliLiège, Belgium13:20 (UTC+1)Nakajima 90+4'Diaby 43'(pen.)Stadium: Stade Maurice Dufrasne
Attendance: 250
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium)
Japan v Ukraine




27 March 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup 2018 in EuropeJapan1–2UkraineLiège, Belgium14:20 (UTC+2)Makino 41'Rakitskiy 21' 
 Karavayev 69'Stadium: Stade Maurice Dufrasne
Attendance: 2,529
Referee: Bart Vertenten (Belgium)
Japan v Ghana




30 May 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup 2018Japan0–2GhanaYokohama, Japan19:25 (UTC+9)Partey 9' 
 Boateng 51'(pen.)Stadium: Nissan Stadium (Yokohama)
Attendance: 64,520
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)
Switzerland v Japan




8 June 2018 International FriendlySwitzerland2–0JapanLugano, Switzerland19:00 (UTC+2)Rodriguez 42'(pen.)
Seferović 82'Stadium: Cornaredo Stadium
Referee: Amaury Delerue (France)
Japan v Paraguay




12 June 2018 International FriendlyJapan4–2ParaguayInnsbruck, Austria15:05 (UTC+2)Inui 51',63'
Santander 77'(o.g.)
Kagawa 90+1'Romero 32'
Ortiz 90'Stadium: Tivoli-Neu
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Oliver Drachta (Austria)
Colombia v Japan




19 June 2018 2018 FIFA World CupColombia1–2JapanSaransk, Russia15:00UTC+3Quintero 39'Kagawa 6'(pen.)
Osako 73'Stadium: Mordovia Arena
Attendance: 40,842
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Japan v Senegal




24 June 2018 2018 FIFA World CupJapan2–2SenegalYekaterinburg, Russia20:00UTC+5Inui 34'
Honda 78'Mané 11'
Wagué 71'Stadium: Central Stadium
Attendance: 32,572
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
Japan v Poland




28 June 2018 2018 FIFA World CupJapan0–1PolandVolgograd, Russia17:00UTC+3Bednarek 59'Stadium: Volgograd Arena
Attendance: 42,189
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
Belgium v Japan




2 July 2018 2018 FIFA World CupBelgium3–2JapanRostov-on-Don, Russia21:00UTC+3Vertonghen 69'
Fellaini 74'
Chadli 90+4'Haraguchi 48'
Inui 52'Stadium: Rostov Arena
Attendance: 41,466
Referee: Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
Japan v Costa Rica




11 September 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup 2018Japan3–0Costa RicaSuita, Japan19:20 (UTC+9)Oviedo 16'(o.g.)
Minamino 66'
J. Ito 90+3'Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Suita
Attendance: 33,891
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
Japan v Panama




12 October 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup 2018Japan3–0PanamaNiigata, Japan19:35 (UTC+9)Minamino 42'
J. Ito 66'
Cummings 85'(o.g.)Stadium: Denka Big Swan Stadium
Attendance: 38,322
Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)
Japan v Uruguay




16 October 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup 2018Japan4–3UruguaySaitama, Japan19:35 (UTC+9)Minamino 10',66'
Osako 36'
Doan 59'Pereiro 28' 
 Cavani 57' 
 Rodríguez 75'Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002
Attendance: 57,239
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
Japan v Venezuela




16 November 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup 2018Japan1–1VenezuelaŌita, Japan19:30 (UTC+9)Sakai 40'Rincón 81'(pen.)Stadium: Ōita Bank Dome
Attendance: 33,369
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Japan v Kyrgyzstan




20 November 2018 Kirin Challenge Cup 2018Japan4–0KyrgyzstanToyota, Japan19:20 (UTC+9)Yamanaka 2'
Haraguchi 19'
Osako 72'
Nakajima 73'Stadium: Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 38,353
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
2019
Japan v Turkmenistan




9 January 2019 2019 AFC Asian Cup (Group F)Japan3–2TurkmenistanAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates15:00 (UTC+4)Osako 56',60'
Doan 71'Amanow 26'
Ataýew 79'(pen.)Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Attendance: 5,725
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
Oman v Japan




13 January 2019 2019 AFC Asian Cup (Group F)Oman0–1JapanAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates17:30 (UTC+4)Haraguchi 28'(pen.)Stadium: Zayed Sports City Stadium
Attendance: 12,110
Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)
Japan v Uzbekistan




17 January 2019 2019 AFC Asian Cup (Group F)Japan2–1UzbekistanAl Ain, United Arab Emirates17:30 (UTC+4)Muto 43'
Shiotani 58'Shomurodov 40'Stadium: Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium
Attendance: 7,005
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
Japan v Saudi Arabia




21 January 2019 2019 AFC Asian Cup (Round of 16)Japan1–0Saudi ArabiaSharjah, United Arab Emirates15:00 (UTC+4)Tomiyasu 20'Stadium: Sharjah Stadium
Attendance: 6,832
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Vietnam v Japan




24 January 2019 2019 AFC Asian Cup (Quarter-finals)Vietnam0–1JapanDubai, United Arab Emirates17:00 (UTC+4)Doan 57'(pen.)Stadium: Al Maktoum Stadium
Attendance: 8,954
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
Iran v Japan




28 January 2019 2019 AFC Asian Cup (Semi-finals)Iran0–3JapanAl Ain, United Arab Emirates18:00 (UTC+4)Osako 56',67'(pen.)
Haraguchi 90+1'Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)
Japan v Qatar




1 February 2019 2019 AFC Asian Cup (Final)JapanvQatarAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates18:00 (UTC+4)Stadium: Zayed Sports City Stadium
Japan v Colombia




22 March 2019 Kirin Challenge Cup 2019JapanvColombiaYokohama, JapanStadium: Nissan Stadium
Japan v Bolivia




26 March 2019 Kirin Challenge Cup 2019JapanvBoliviaKobe, JapanStadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe
Japan v Australia




5 June 2019 Kirin Asia Challenge Cup 2019JapanvAustraliaToyota, JapanStadium: Toyota Stadium
Japan v China PR




9 June 2019 Kirin Asia Challenge Cup 2019JapanvChina PRRifu, JapanStadium: Miyagi Stadium
Japan v Chile




17 June 2019 2019 Copa América (Group C)JapanvChileSão Paulo, BrazilStadium: Estádio do Morumbi
Uruguay v Japan




20 June 2019 2019 Copa América (Group C)UruguayvJapanPorto Alegre, BrazilStadium: Arena do Grêmio
Ecuador v Japan




24 June 2019 2019 Copa América (Group C)EcuadorvJapanBelo Horizonte, BrazilStadium: Estádio Mineirão
Japan v Hong Kong




7 December 2019 2019 EAFF E-1 Football ChampionshipJapanvHong KongUlsan, South KoreaStadium: Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium
South Korea v Japan




11 December 2019 2019 EAFF E-1 Football ChampionshipSouth KoreavJapanSeogwipo, South KoreaStadium: Jeju World Cup Stadium
China PR v Japan




14 December 2019 2019 EAFF E-1 Football ChampionshipChina PRvJapanGoyang, South KoreaStadium: Goyang Stadium
Coaching Staff


Players
Current squad
The following 23 players have been called up for 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[45]

Caps and goals as of 28 January 2019 after the match against Iran.

Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up to the Japan squad in last 12 months.


Records
Statistics below are from matches which the Japan Football Association consider as official.[1][46][47][48]
Updated to 28 January 2019:

Rosters






FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
2018 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
2015 AFC Asian Cup
2019 AFC Asian Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup
1995 FIFA Confederations Cup
2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup
Olympic Games
1936 Olympics
1956 Olympics
1964 Olympics
1968 Olympics

EAFF East Asian Cup
2003 East Asian Football Championship
2005 East Asian Football Championship
2008 East Asian Football Championship
2010 East Asian Football Championship
2013 EAFF East Asian Cup
2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
Copa América
1999 Copa América

Coaches
As of 28 January 2019[49]

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


AFC Asian Cup





FIFA Confederations Cup

Olympic Games
Since 1992, the Olympic team has been drawn from a squad with a maximum of three players over 23 years 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.

Copa América
Japan is the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in both 1999 and 2011.[6] However, Japan declined their invitation on 16 May 2011, after events related to the difficulty of releasing some Japanese players from European teams to play as replacements. On 17 May 2011, CONMEBOL invited Costa Rica to replace Japan in the competition; the Costa Rican Football Federation accepted their invitation later that day.
On 16 August 2013, CONMEBOL president Eugenio Figueredo announced that Japan was invited to the 2015 Copa América.[50] However, Japan later declined the invitation due to scheduling problems.[51]
On 14 May 2018, CONMEBOL annunced that Japan, alongside Qatar, will be the two invited teams for the 2019 Copa América.[52]

Asian Games
Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.


Head-to-head records against other countries

As of 24 January 2018.

FIFA Rankings
Last updated 25 October 2018


Team records

As of 23 January 2015[53]
Biggest victory
15–0 vs Philippines, 27 September 1967
Heaviest defeat
15–2 vs Philippines, 10 May 1917
Most consecutive victories
8, 8 August 1970 vs. Indonesia – 17 December 1970 vs. India
8, 14 March 1993 vs. United States – 5 May 1995 vs. Sri Lanka
8, 26 May 1996 vs. Yugoslavia – 12 December 1996 vs. China
Most consecutive matches without defeat
20, 24 June 2010 vs. Denmark – 11 November 2011 vs. Tajikistan
Most consecutive defeats
6, 10 June 1956 vs. South Korea – 28 December 1958 vs. Malaya
Most consecutive matches without victory
11, 13 August 1976 vs. Burma – 15 June 1976 vs. South Korea
Most consecutive draws
4, 13 August 1976 vs. Burma – 20 August 1976 vs. Malaya
Most consecutive matches scoring
13, 19 December 1966 vs. Singapore – 16 October 1969 vs. Australia
13, 7 February 2004 vs. Malaysia – 24 July 2004 vs. Thailand
Most consecutive matches without scoring
6, 18 June 1989 vs. Hong Kong – 31 July 1990 vs. North Korea
Most consecutive matches conceding a goal
28, 6 November 1960 vs. South Korea – 11 December 1966 vs. Iran
Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal
7, 19 November 2003 vs. Cameroon – 18 February 2004 vs. Oman
Honors
International
Olympic Games
Bronze Medal: 1968
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runners-Up: 2001
Continental
AFC Asian Cup
Champions: 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011
Regional
Dynasty Cup
Champions: 1992, 1995, 1998
EAFF East Asian Cup
Champions: 2013
Far Eastern Games
Champions: 1930
Other
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
Champions: 1993, 2007
AFC – OFC Challenge Cup
Champions: 2001
Minor-Friendly
Kirin Cup
Champions (11): 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
Individual awards
Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize
Years: 2002
AFC National Team of the Year
Years: 2000, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011
See also
List of Japan international footballers
Japan–South Korea football rivalry
Japan Football Association
Football in Japan
Japan national under-23 football team
Sport in Japan




 (in Japanese)
 (in Japanese)