Japan National Football 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.

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.



Competitive Record

FIFA World Cup record
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
2002 - Round 2
2006 - Round 1
2010 - Qualified

FIFA Confederations Cup record
1992 - Did Not Qualify
1995 - Round 1
1997 - Did Not Qualify
1999 - Did Not Qualify
2001 - Second Place
2003 - Round 1
2005 - Round 1
2009 - Did Not Qualify

AFC Asian Cup record
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
1992 - Champions
1996 - Quarter-finals
2000 - Champions
2004 - Champions
2007 - Fourth Place

Olympic Games record
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
1948 - Banned
1952 - Did Not Enter
1956 - Round 1
1960 - Did Not Qualify
1964 - Quarter-finals
1968 - Third Place
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
2000 - Quarter-finals
2004 - Round 1
2008 - Round 1

East Asian Cup record
2003 - Second Place
2005 - Second Place
2008 - Second Place