Japan

Nickname(s) Samurai Blue Japanese Representatives (of soccer) ((????)????, (Sakka) Nippon Daihyo?) Okada Japan (??????, Okada Japan?) Association Japan Football Association Confederation AFC (Asia) Head coach Takeshi Okada Captain Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi Most caps Masami Ihara (122) Top scorer Kunishige Kamamoto (75) FIFA code JPN FIFA ranking 45 Highest FIFA ranking 9 (February 1998) Lowest FIFA ranking 62 (February 2000) Elo ranking 43 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 3 (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 Olympic medal record Men’s Football Bronze 1968 Mexico City Team

The Japan national football team is the national association 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 Daihyo (?????????, lit. Japanese representatives of soccer), or Nippon Daihyo (?????, lit. Japanese representatives), Daihyo (???, 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 the "Samurai Blue". Japan is one of the most successful national teams in Asia, being a three-time winner of the AFC Asian Cup and having qualified for the last four consecutive FIFA 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. 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. 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. Kits 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. Schedule 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 Oita Stadium, Oita, Japan International Friendly (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 L 0-3 Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan International Friendly (2010 Kirin Challenge Cup) 24 May 2010  Korea Republic L 0-2 Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Japan International Friendly (2010 Kirin Challenge Cup) 30 May 2010  England L 1-2 UPC-Arena, Graz, Austria International Friendly 04 Jun 2010  Côte d'Ivoire L 0-2 Stade Tourbillon, Sion, Switzerland International Friendly 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 12 Oct 2010  Korea Republic Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, Korea Republic International Friendly 09 Jan 2011  Jordan Qatar SC Stadium, Doha, Qatar 2011 AFC Asian Cup 13 Jan 2011  Syria Qatar SC Stadium, Doha, Qatar 2011 AFC Asian Cup 17 Jan 2011  Saudi Arabia Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Ar Rayyan, Qatar 2011 AFC Asian Cup * Japan score always listed first Players Current squad The 23 man squad selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa from 11 June 2010 to 11 July 2010 as announced by head coach Takeshi Okada on 10 May 2010. No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Seigo Narazaki April 15, 1976 (1976-04-15) (age 34) 76 0 Nagoya Grampus 2 MF Yuki Abe September 6, 1981 (1981-09-06) (age 28) 45 3 Urawa Red Diamonds 3 DF Yuichi Komano July 25, 1981 (1981-07-25) (age 28) 53 0 Júbilo Iwata 4 DF Marcus Tulio Tanaka April 24, 1981 (1981-04-24) (age 29) 39 8 Nagoya Grampus 5 DF Yuto Nagatomo September 12, 1986 (1986-09-12) (age 23) 26 3 F.C. Tokyo 6 DF Atsuto Uchida March 27, 1988 (1988-03-27) (age 22) 31 1 Kashima Antlers 7 MF Yasuhito Endo January 28, 1980 (1980-01-28) (age 30) 94 8 Gamba Osaka 8 MF Daisuke Matsui May 11, 1981 (1981-05-11) (age 29) 23 1 Grenoble 9 FW Shinji Okazaki April 16, 1986 (1986-04-16) (age 24) 28 16 Shimizu S-Pulse 10 MF Shunsuke Nakamura June 24, 1978 (1978-06-24) (age 31) 97 24 Yokohama F. Marinos 11 FW Keiji Tamada April 11, 1980 (1980-04-11) (age 30) 70 16 Nagoya Grampus 12 FW Kisho Yano April 5, 1984 (1984-04-05) (age 26) 18 2 Albirex Niigata 13 DF Daiki Iwamasa January 30, 1982 (1982-01-30) (age 28) 2 0 Kashima Antlers 14 MF Kengo Nakamura October 31, 1980 (1980-10-31) (age 29) 47 5 Kawasaki Frontale 15 DF Yasuyuki Konno January 25, 1983 (1983-01-25) (age 27) 37 0 F.C. Tokyo 16 FW Yoshito Okubo June 9, 1982 (1982-06-09) (age 28) 49 5 Vissel Kobe 17 MF Makoto Hasebe (c) January 18, 1984 (1984-01-18) (age 26) 31 1 Wolfsburg 18 MF Keisuke Honda June 13, 1986 (1986-06-13) (age 23) 15 4 CSKA Moscow 19 FW Takayuki Morimoto May 7, 1988 (1988-05-07) (age 22) 6 1 Catania 20 MF Junichi Inamoto September 18, 1979 (1979-09-18) (age 30) 80 5 Kawasaki Frontale 21 GK Eiji Kawashima March 20, 1983 (1983-03-20) (age 27) 10 0 Kawasaki Frontale 22 DF Yuji Nakazawa February 15, 1978 (1978-02-15) (age 32) 105 17 Yokohama F. Marinos 23 GK Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi August 15, 1975 (1975-08-15) (age 34) 116 0 Júbilo Iwata Recent call-ups The following players have also been called up to the Japan squad within the last 12 months. Name Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Most Recent Callup Goalkeepers Shusaku Nishikawa June 18, 1986 (1986-06-18) (age 23) 1 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2010 East Asian Football Championship v Korea Republic 14 Feb 2010 Shuichi Gonda March 3, 1989 (1989-03-03) (age 21) 1 0 F.C. Tokyo 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Kaito Yamamoto July 10, 1985 (1985-07-10) (age 24) 0 0 Shimizu S-Pulse International Friendly v Togo 14 Oct 2009 Ryota Tsuzuki April 18, 1978 (1978-04-18) (age 32) 6 0 Urawa Red Diamonds International Friendly v Ghana 09 Sep 2009 Defenders Yuzo Kurihara September 18, 1983 (1983-09-18) (age 26) 2 0 Yokohama F. Marinos International Friendly v Serbia 07 Apr 2010 Yuhei Tokunaga September 25, 1983 (1983-09-25) (age 26) 7 0 F.C. Tokyo International Friendly v Serbia 07 Apr 2010 Tomoaki Makino May 11, 1987 (1987-05-11) (age 23) 2 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima International Friendly v Serbia 07 Apr 2010 Taisuke Muramatsu December 16, 1989 (1989-12-16) (age 20) 0 0 Shonan Bellmare Kagoshima Training Session 25 - 31 Jan 2010 Naoya Kikuchi November 24, 1984 (1984-11-24) (age 25) 1 0 Oita Trinita 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Kosuke Ota July 23, 1987 (1987-07-23) (age 22) 1 0 Shimizu S-Pulse 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Maya Yoshida August 24, 1988 (1988-08-24) (age 21) 1 0 VVV-Venlo 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Gotoku Sakai March 14, 1991 (1991-03-14) (age 19) 0 0 Albirex Niigata 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Keisuke Iwashita September 24, 1986 (1986-09-24) (age 23) 0 0 Shimizu S-Pulse International Friendly v Togo 14 Oct 2009 Satoshi Yamaguchi April 17, 1978 (1978-04-17) (age 32) 2 0 Gamba Osaka 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification v Australia 17 Jun 2009 Midfielders Koji Yamase September 22, 1981 (1981-09-22) (age 28) 13 5 Yokohama F. Marinos International Friendly v Serbia 07 Apr 2010 Naohiro Ishikawa May 12, 1981 (1981-05-12) (age 29) 5 0 F.C. Tokyo International Friendly v Serbia 07 Apr 2010 Mitsuo Ogasawara April 5, 1979 (1979-04-05) (age 31) 55 7 Kashima Antlers 2010 East Asian Football Championship v Korea Republic 14 Feb 2010 Mu Kanazaki February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16) (age 21) 4 0 Nagoya Grampus 2010 East Asian Football Championship v Korea Republic 14 Feb 2010 Shinji Kagawa March 17, 1989 (1989-03-17) (age 21) 13 2 Borussia Dortmund 2010 East Asian Football Championship v Korea Republic 14 Feb 2010 Takashi Inui June 2, 1988 (1988-06-02) (age 22) 2 0 Cerezo Osaka International Friendly v Venezuela 02 Feb 2010 Yosuke Kashiwagi December 15, 1987 (1987-12-15) (age 22)} 1 0 Urawa Red Diamonds 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Takuya Aoki September 16, 1990 (1990-09-16) (age 19) 0 0 Omiya Ardija 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Kazuya Yamamura December 2, 1989 (1989-12-02) (age 20) 1 0 Ryutsu Keizai University F.C. 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Naoki Yamada July 4, 1990 (1990-07-04) (age 19) 2 0 Urawa Red Diamonds 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Takuji Yonemoto December 3, 1990 (1990-12-03) (age 19) 1 0 F.C. Tokyo 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Hideo Hashimoto May 21, 1979 (1979-05-21) (age 31) 13 0 Gamba Osaka International Friendly v Togo 14 Oct 2009 Forwards Shinzo Koroki July 31, 1986 (1986-07-31) (age 23) 11 0 Kashima Antlers International Friendly v Serbia 07 Apr 2010 Kensuke Nagai March 5, 1989 (1989-03-05) (age 21) 1 0 Fukuoka University International Friendly v Serbia 07 Apr 2010 Sota Hirayama June 6, 1985 (1985-06-06) (age 25) 4 3 F.C. Tokyo 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Bahrain 03 Mar 2010 Hisato Sato March 12, 1982 (1982-03-12) (age 28) 31 4 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2010 East Asian Football Championship v Korea Republic 14 Feb 2010 Kazuma Watanabe August 10, 1986 (1986-08-10) (age 23) 1 0 Yokohama F. Marinos 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Yuya Osako May 18, 1990 (1990-05-18) (age 20) 0 0 Kashima Antlers 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification v Yemen 06 Jan 2010 Ryoichi Maeda October 9, 1981 (1981-10-09) (age 28) 5 2 Júbilo Iwata International Friendly v Togo 14 Oct 2009 Most Capped # Player Caps Goals Career 1 Masami Ihara 122 5 1988–1999 2 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 116 0 1997- 3 Yuji Nakazawa 105 17 1999– 4 Shunsuke Nakamura 97 24 2000– 5 Yasuhito Endo 94 8 2002– 6 Kazuyoshi Miura 89 55 1990–2000 7 Alessandro dos Santos 82 7 2002–2006 8 Junichi Inamoto 80 5 2000– 9 Satoshi Tsunami 78 2 1980–1995 10 Hidetoshi Nakata 77 11 1997–2006 Top Goalscorers # Player Goals Caps Career 1 Kunishige Kamamoto 75 76 1964–1977 2 Kazuyoshi Miura 55 89 1990–2000 3 Hiromi Hara 37 75 1978–1988 4 Takuya Takagi 27 44 1992–1997 5 Kazushi Kimura 26 54 1979–1986 6 Shunsuke Nakamura 24 97 2000– 7 Naohiro Takahara 23 57 2000–2008 8 Masashi Nakayama 21 53 1990–2003 9 Teruki Miyamoto 18 58 1961–1971 10 Atsushi Yanagisawa 17 58 1998–2006 10 Yuji Nakazawa 17 105 1999– Competition Rosters FIFA World Cup Rosters 1998 FIFA World Cup 2002 FIFA World Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Cup Rosters 1988 AFC Asian Cup 1992 AFC Asian Cup 1996 AFC Asian Cup 2000 AFC Asian Cup 2004 AFC Asian Cup 2007 AFC Asian Cup FIFA Confederations Cup Rosters 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Olympic Games Rosters 1936 Olympics 1956 Olympics 1964 Olympics 1968 Olympics 1996 Olympics 2000 Olympics 2004 Olympics 2008 Olympics East Asian Football Championship Rosters 2003 East Asian Football Championship 2005 East Asian Football Championship 2008 East Asian Football Championship 2010 East Asian Football Championship Copa América Rosters 1999 Copa América Managers Manager Tenure 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 Saburo Kawabuchi 1980–1981 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. 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. FIFA World Cup Record FIFA World Cup Finals Record Qualifications Record Hosts / Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA GP W D L GS GA 1930 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1934 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1938 Withdrew - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1950 Banned - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1954 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 2 0 1 1 3 7 1958 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1962 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 2 0 0 2 1 4 1966 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1970 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 4 0 2 2 4 8 1974 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 4 1 0 3 5 4 1978 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 4 1 0 3 0 5 1982 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 4 2 0 2 4 2 1986 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 8 5 1 2 15 5 1990 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 6 2 3 1 7 3 1994 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 13 9 3 1 35 6 1998 Round 1 31 3 0 0 3 1 4 15 9 5 1 51 12 2002 Round of 16 9 4 2 1 1 5 3 - - - - - - 2006 Round 1 28 3 0 1 2 2 7 12 11 0 1 25 5 2010 Qualified - - - - - - - 14 8 4 2 23 9 Total 4/19 Round of 16 10 2 2 6 8 14 88 47 20 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 –  Cameroon - Round 1  Japan –  Netherlands - Round 1  Japan –  Denmark - AFC Asian Cup Record AFC Asian Cup Record Hosts / Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1956 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1960 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1964 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1968 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1972 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1976 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1980 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1984 Didn't 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 2011 Round 1  Japan –  Jordan Round 1  Japan –  Syria Round 1  Japan –  Saudi Arabia FIFA Confederations Cup Record FIFA Confederations Cup Record Hosts / Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA 1992 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1995 Round 1 6 2 0 0 2 1 8 1997 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1999 Didn't 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 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 2013 - - - - - - - - Total 4/8 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 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 Hosts / Year Result Position GP W D* L GS GA 1900 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1904 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1908 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1912 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1920 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1924 Didn't Enter - - - - - - - 1928 Didn't 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 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1964 Quarterfinals 8 3 1 0 2 5 9 1968 Third Place 3 6 3 2 1 9 8 1972 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1976 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1980 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1984 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1988 Didn't Qualify - - - - - - - 1992 Didn't 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 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 Hosts / Year Result 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. Copa América Record Hosts / Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA 1999 Round 1 10 3 0 1 2 3 8 2011 Invited - - - - - - - Total 2 Round 1 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 Honors International Summer Olympics Bronze Medal (1): 1968 FIFA Confederations Cup Runners-Up (1): 2001 Continental AFC Asian Cup Champions (3): 1992, 2000, 2004 Fourth Place (1): 2007 Regional Dynasty Cup Champions (3): 1992, 1995, 1998 Other Afro-Asian Cup of Nations Champions (2): 1993, 2007 AFC/OFC Challenge Cup Champions (1): 2001 Youth Under-23 See: Japan national under-23 football team Under-20 See: Japan national under-20 football team Under-17 See: Japan national under-17 football team Source : wikipedia