Japan national football team

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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)
Association 日本サッカー協会
(Japan Football Association)
Sub-confederation EAFF (East Asia)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Head coach Vahid Halilhodžić
Asst coach Jacky Bonnevay
Captain Keisuke Honda
Most caps Yasuhito Endō (152)
Top scorer Kunishige Kamamoto (80)
FIFA code JPN
FIFA ranking 50 Increase 3 (9 April 2015)
Highest FIFA ranking 9 (February 1998)
Lowest FIFA ranking 62 (February 2000)
Elo ranking 22 (31 March 2015)
Highest Elo ranking 8 (August 2001, March 2002)
Lowest Elo ranking 112 (September 1962)
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Japan 0–5 China 
(Tokyo; 9 May 1917)
Biggest win
 Japan 15–0 Philippines 
(Tokyo; 27 September 1967)
Biggest defeat
 Japan 2–15 Philippines 
(Tokyo; 10 May 1917)
World Cup
Appearances 5 (First in 1998)
Best result Round of 16: 2002 and 2010
Asian Cup
Appearances 8 (First in 1988)
Best result Champions: 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011
Copa América
Appearances 3 (First in 1999)
Best result Withdrew: 1999, 2011 and 2015
Confederations Cup
Appearances 4 (First in 1995)
Best result Runners-up: 2001

The Japan national soccer team (サッカー日本代表 Soccer Nippon Daihyō?) represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for association football in Japan. The current head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.[1]

Japan is one of the most successful soccer teams in Asia, having qualified for the last five consecutive FIFA World Cups with second round advancements in 2002 & 2010, and having won the AFC Asian Cup a record four times in 1992, 2000, 2004 & 2011. The team has also finished second in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup.

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 Japanese news media still refer it to by the manager's last name, as "Halilhodžić Japan" (ハリルホジッチジャパン Hariruhojitchi Japan?), or "Halil Japan" (ハリルジャパン Hariru Japan?) in an abbreviated form.[3][4]

History[edit]

Japan against Brazil at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany 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.[5]

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 drawing with Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the Agony of Doha.

The nation's first ever FIFA World Cup appearance was in 1998. Japan's first two fixtures went 1–0 in favor of Argentina and Croatia, despite playing well in both games. Their campaign ended with a 2–1 defeat to Jamaica.

Four years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. After a 2–2 draw with 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, losing to Australia 1–3, drawing Croatia 0–0 and losing to Brazil 1–4.

Japan has had much 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,[citation needed] 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]

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.[7] 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 and allowing them to qualify for FIFA Confederations Cup.[8]

Japan then started their road to 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil with numerous qualifiers. Throughout they suffered only two losses to Uzbekistan and Jordan, and drawing against Australia. Afterwards on October 12, Japan picked up 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 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first nation (outside of Brazil, who is hosting the tournament) to qualify.

Japan started their 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup 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 game 1–2 against Mexico and finished 4th place in Group A in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. 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 3rd 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.

They came into the FIFA World Cup 2014 grouped with 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 FIFA 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.

Javier 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. The J-League call-ups then showed their quality against a strong Brazil roster, holding the World Cup hosts to a 0–1 deficit until half-time. Neymar would however over-power the inexperienced team and complete his 0–4 rout through the second half. Japan's sights turned to January and their title defense at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Japan won its opener match at 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Group D against Palestine, the team that plays in the tournament for the first time 4–0 with goals from Yasuhito Endō, Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda (penalty kick) and Maya Yoshida. Okazaki was also named as man of the match. They faced Iraq and Jordan in their next group matches which won 1–0 and 2–0. They qualified to knockout stage as Group D winner with nine points, seven goals scored and no goal conceding. At quarter-finals, Japan have lost to UAE in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw, as two key players, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa missed the penalty kicks, making their first dropout as early as the quarterfinal of the Asian Cup in 19 years since they have lost to Kuwait 0-2 at the quarterfinal of the 1996 edition, when Japan had never made it to the FIFA World Cup yet.

Team image[edit]

Fan Chanting[edit]

Japanese national team supporters are known for chanting "Nippon Ole" (Nippon is the Japanese term for Japan) at home matches.[9]

Kits and colours[edit]

Japan's current kit is provided by German company Adidas, the team's official apparel sponsor since 1986. The current contract with Adidas is set to end on December 31, 2015.[10]

The current home kit consists of a blue jersey with Japan's crest and flag on the chest, blue shorts with bright pink patches on the side and blue socks with pink tops. The away kit is neon yellow, accented with navy blue and orange. In 2011, Japan temporarily switched the color of the numbers from white to gold.

Prior to Adidas, Asics and Puma had been the team's official apparel sponsor. 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 (stylized 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, and were designed by JFA (with the sponsor alternating each year between Asics, Puma and Adidas).

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 a score of 3–2.[11]

Home
1917
1950-1975
1975-1979
1979-1980
1980-1983
1983-1986
1986-1987
1988–91
1991-1992
1992–96
1996–98
1999–2000
2001
2002–03
2004–05
2006–07
2008–09
2010–11
2012–13
2014–
Away
1980-1981
1984-1985
1985
1999–2000
2001
2002–03
2004–05
2006–07
2008–09
2010–11
2012–13
2014–

Sponsorship[edit]

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, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Sony, Asahi Shinbun, Konami, Mizuho Financial and Audi.[12]

Mascot[edit]

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.

Competitive record[edit]

All time results[edit]

Main article: Japan national football team results and fixtures

Recent results and fixtures[edit]

For more details on this topic, see Japan national football team in 2015.
Date Opponent Result Score* Venue Competition
12 Jan 2015  Palestine 4–0 (W) Endo (8'), Okazaki (25'), Honda (44', pen.), Yoshida (50') Australia Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle, Australia 2015 AFC Asian Cup
16 Jan 2015  Iraq 1–0 (W) Honda (23', pen.) Australia Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane, Australia 2015 AFC Asian Cup
20 Jan 2015  Jordan 2–0 (W) Honda (24'), Kagawa (82') Australia Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia 2015 AFC Asian Cup
23 Jan 2015  United Arab Emirates 1–1, pen: 4–5 (D) Shibasaki (81') Australia Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia 2015 AFC Asian Cup
27 Mar 2015  Tunisia 2–0 (W) Okazaki (78'), Honda (83') Japan Ōita Bank Dome, Ōita, Japan International Friendly (Kirin Challenge Cup 2015)
31 Mar 2015  Uzbekistan 5–1 (W) Aoyama (6'), Okazaki (55'), Shibasaki (79'), Usami (83'), Kawamata (90') Japan Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, Japan International Friendly (JAL Challenge Cup 2015)
11 June 2015 TBD Japan TBD, TBD, Japan 2018 FIFA World Cup (AFC) and 2019 Asian Cup qualification
2 Aug 2015  North Korea China Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan, China 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
5 Aug 2015  South Korea China Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan, China 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
9 Aug 2015  China PR China Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan, China 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup

* Japan score always listed first

      Win       Draw       Loss

Coaching[edit]

Position Name
Head Coach Bosnia and Herzegovina Vahid Halilhodžić
Assistant Coach France Jacky Bonnevay
Fitness Coach France Cyril Moine
Goalkeeping Coach Spain Ricardo

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were called for the friendlies against Tunisia and Uzbekistan.
Caps and goals as of 31 March 2015, after the match against Uzbekistan.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Eiji Kawashima (1983-03-20) 20 March 1983 (age 32) 70 0 Belgium Standard Liège
12 1GK Shusaku Nishikawa (1986-06-18) 18 June 1986 (age 28) 15 0 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
23 1GK Shūichi Gonda (1989-03-03) 3 March 1989 (age 26) 3 0 Japan FC Tokyo
26 1GK Masaaki Higashiguchi (1986-05-12) 12 May 1986 (age 28) 0 0 Japan Gamba Osaka
2 2DF Atsuto Uchida (1988-03-27) 27 March 1988 (age 27) 75 2 Germany Schalke 04
22 2DF Maya Yoshida (1988-08-24) 24 August 1988 (age 26) 54 4 England Southampton
24 2DF Gōtoku Sakai (1991-03-14) 14 March 1991 (age 24) 24 0 Germany Stuttgart
6 2DF Masato Morishige (1987-05-21) 21 May 1987 (age 27) 23 1 Japan FC Tokyo
21 2DF Hiroki Sakai (1990-04-12) 12 April 1990 (age 24) 20 0 Germany Hannover 96
5 2DF Tomoaki Makino (1987-05-11) 11 May 1987 (age 27) 15 1 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
25 2DF Hiroki Mizumoto (1985-09-12) 12 September 1985 (age 29) 6 0 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima
3 2DF Kosuke Ota (1987-07-23) 23 July 1987 (age 27) 4 0 Japan FC Tokyo
27 2DF Hiroki Fujiharu (1988-11-28) 28 November 1988 (age 26) 1 0 Japan Gamba Osaka
19 2DF Gen Shoji (1992-12-11) 11 December 1992 (age 22) 1 0 Japan Kashima Antlers
17 3MF Makoto Hasebe (Captain) (1984-01-18) 18 January 1984 (age 31) 88 2 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
15 3MF Yasuyuki Konno (1983-01-25) 25 January 1983 (age 32) 87 2 Japan Gamba Osaka
10 3MF Shinji Kagawa (1989-03-17) 17 March 1989 (age 26) 69 20 Germany Borussia Dortmund
13 3MF Hiroshi Kiyotake (1989-11-12) 12 November 1989 (age 25) 30 1 Germany Hannover 96
16 3MF Hotaru Yamaguchi (1990-10-06) 6 October 1990 (age 24) 16 0 Japan Cerezo Osaka
28 3MF Toshihiro Aoyama (1986-02-22) 22 February 1986 (age 29) 8 1 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima
7 3MF Gaku Shibasaki (1992-05-28) 28 May 1992 (age 22) 7 3 Japan Kashima Antlers
9 4FW Shinji Okazaki (1986-04-16) 16 April 1986 (age 28) 91 43 Germany Mainz 05
4 4FW Keisuke Honda (2nd Captain) (1986-06-13) 13 June 1986 (age 28) 71 28 Italy Milan
8 4FW Takashi Inui (1988-06-02) 2 June 1988 (age 26) 19 2 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
18 4FW Yūya Ōsako (1990-05-18) 18 May 1990 (age 24) 13 3 Germany Köln
14 4FW Yoshinori Muto (1992-07-15) 15 July 1992 (age 22) 11 1 Japan F.C. Tokyo
11 4FW Kensuke Nagai (1989-03-05) 5 March 1989 (age 26) 2 0 Japan Nagoya Grampus
20 4FW Kengo Kawamata (1989-10-14) 14 October 1989 (age 25) 2 1 Japan Nagoya Grampus
30 4FW Takashi Usami (1992-05-06) 6 May 1992 (age 22) 2 1 Japan Gamba Osaka

Recent call-ups[edit]

The following players have also been called up to the Japan squad within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Akihiro Hayashi (1987-05-07) 7 May 1987 (age 27) 0 0 Japan Sagan Tosu v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
DF Yūto Nagatomo (1986-09-12) 12 September 1986 (age 28) 81 3 Italy Internazionale v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015
DF Tsukasa Shiotani (1988-12-05) 5 December 1988 (age 26) 2 0 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
DF Daisuke Suzuki (1990-01-29) 29 January 1990 (age 25) 2 0 Japan Kashiwa Reysol v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
DF Kazuhiko Chiba (1985-06-21) 21 June 1985 (age 29) 1 0 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
DF Shintaro Kurumaya (1992-04-05) 5 April 1992 (age 23) 0 0 Japan Kawasaki Frontale v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
DF Naomichi Ueda (1994-10-24) 24 October 1994 (age 20) 0 0 Japan Kashima Antlers 2015 Asian Cup
DF Ken Matsubara (1993-02-16) 16 February 1993 (age 22) 0 0 Japan Albirex Niigata v.  Australia, 18 November 2014
DF Tatsuya Sakai (1990-11-19) 19 November 1990 (age 24) 1 0 Japan Sagan Tosu v.  Venezuela, 9 September 2014
DF Masahiko Inoha (1985-08-28) 28 August 1985 (age 29) 21 1 Japan Júbilo Iwata 2014 FIFA World Cup
MF Takuji Yonemoto (1990-12-03) 3 December 1990 (age 24) 2 0 Japan FC Tokyo v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
MF Yojiro Takahagi (1990-12-03) 3 December 1990 (age 24) 0 0 Australia Western Sydney Wanderers v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
MF Shogo Taniguchi (1991-07-15) 15 July 1991 (age 23) 0 0 Japan Kawasaki Frontale v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
MF Kotaro Omori (1992-04-28) 28 April 1992 (age 22) 0 0 Japan Gamba Osaka v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
MF Yasuhito Endō (1980-01-28) 28 January 1980 (age 35) 152 15 Japan Gamba Osaka 2015 Asian Cup
MF Ryota Morioka (1991-04-12) 12 April 1991 (age 23) 2 0 Japan Vissel Kobe v.  Australia, 18 November 2014
MF Hajime Hosogai (1986-06-10) 10 June 1986 (age 28) 30 1 Germany Hertha Berlin v.  Brazil, 14 October 2014
MF Junya Tanaka (1987-07-15) 15 July 1987 (age 27) 4 0 Portugal Sporting v.  Brazil, 14 October 2014
MF Taishi Taguchi (1991-03-16) 16 March 1991 (age 24) 3 0 Japan Nagoya Grampus v.  Brazil, 14 October 2014
MF Daigo Nishi (1987-08-28) 28 August 1987 (age 27) 1 0 Japan Kashima Antlers v.  Brazil, 14 October 2014
MF Takahiro Ōgihara (1991-10-05) 5 October 1991 (age 23) 1 0 Japan Cerezo Osaka v.  Venezuela, 9 September 2014
MF Manabu Saitō (1990-04-04) 4 April 1990 (age 25) 5 1 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2014 FIFA World Cup
FW Shinzo Koroki (1986-07-31) 31 July 1986 (age 28) 12 0 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015
FW Yu Kobayashi (1987-09-23) 23 September 1987 (age 27) 2 0 Japan Kawasaki Frontale v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015
FW Yoichiro Kakitani (1990-01-03) 3 January 1990 (age 25) 18 5 Switzerland Basel v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
FW Yōhei Toyoda (1985-04-11) 11 April 1985 (age 29) 8 1 Japan Sagan Tosu v.  Tunisia, 27 March 2015 (backup list)
FW Mike Havenaar (1987-05-20) 20 May 1987 (age 27) 17 4 Finland HJK v.  Brazil, 14 October 2014
FW Yūsuke Minagawa (1991-10-09) 9 October 1991 (age 23) 1 0 Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima v.  Venezuela, 9 September 2014
FW Yoshito Okubo (1982-06-09) 9 June 1982 (age 32) 60 6 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 2014 FIFA World Cup

Records[edit]

As of 31 March 2015
Statistics below are from matches which the Japan Football Association consider as official.[13][14][15]

Rosters[edit]

Managers[edit]

As of 12 March 2015[16]
Manager Period Record
Matches Won Draw Lost Win %
Japan Masujiro Nishida 1923 2 0 0 2 0%
Japan Goro Yamada 1925 2 0 0 2 0%
Vacant 1925 2 1 0 1 50%
Japan Shigeyoshi Suzuki (1st) 1930 2 1 1 0 50%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (1st) 1934 3 1 0 2 33.33%
Japan Shigeyoshi Suzuki (2nd) 1936 2 1 1 0 50%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (2nd) 1940 1 1 0 0 100%
Japan Hirokazu Ninomiya 1951 3 1 1 1 33.33%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (3rd) 1954–56 12 2 4 6 16.66%
Japan Taizo Kawamoto 1958 2 0 0 2 0%
Japan Shigemaru Takenokoshi (4th) 1958–59 12 4 2 6 33.33%
Vacant 1960 1 0 0 1 0%
Japan Hidetoki Takahashi 1961–1962 14 3 2 9 21.43%
Japan Ken Naganuma (1st) 1963–1969 31 18 7 6 58.06%
Japan Shunichiro Okano 1970–1971 19 11 2 6 57.90%
Japan Ken Naganuma (2nd) 1972–1976 42 16 6 20 38.09%
Japan Hiroshi Ninomiya 1976–1978 27 6 6 15 22.22%
Japan Yukio Shimomura 1979–1980 14 8 4 2 57.14%
Japan Masashi Watanabe 1980 3 2 0 1 66.67%
Japan Saburō Kawabuchi 1980–1981 10 3 2 5 30%
Japan Takaji Mori 1981–1985 43 22 5 16 51.16%
Japan Yoshinobu Ishii 1986–1987 17 11 2 4 64.70%
Japan Kenzo Yokoyama 1988–1991 24 5 7 12 20.83%
Netherlands Hans Ooft 1992–1993 27 16 7 4 59.25%
Brazil Falcão 1994 9 3 4 2 33.33%
Japan Shu Kamo 1994–1997 46 23 10 13 50%
Japan Takeshi Okada (1st) 1997–1998 15 5 4 6 33.33%
France Philippe Troussier 1998–2002 50 23 16 11 46%
Brazil Zico 2002–2006 71 37 16 18 52.11%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivica Osim 2006–2007 20 13 5 3 65%
Japan Takeshi Okada (2nd) 2007–2010 50 26 13 11 52%
Japan Hiromi Hara (caretaker) 2010 2 2 0 0 100%
Italy Alberto Zaccheroni 2010–2014 55 30 12 13 54.54%
Mexico Javier Aguirre 2014–2015 10 7 1 2 70%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Vahid Halilhodžić 2015– 2 2 0 0 100%

Competitions[edit]

*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.

FIFA World Cup[edit]

Main article: Japan at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup Finals Record Qualifications Record
Hosts / 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 3 2 1 0 8 1
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
Brazil 2014 Group Stage 29th 3 0 1 2 2 6 14 8 3 3 30 8
Russia 2018 To be determined - - - - - -
Qatar 2022 To be determined - - - - - -
Total Round of 16 5/20 17 4 4 9 14 22 102 54 24 24 203 78

AFC Asian Cup[edit]

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