Japan National Team Codexery
An unofficial fan history of Japan National Team — its eras, legends, honours, iconic matches, and rivalries.
Club History & Eras
1951 Asian Games Gold Medal · Kozo Yamamoto Coaching Era · Nippon Football Association Founding · Philippe Troussier Appointment · 1998 France World Cup Debut · Zico Technical Director Era · 2004 AFC Asian Cup Triumph · 1992 AFC Asian Cup Victory · Ivica Osim Coaching Period · Alberto Zaccheroni Appointment · The Dawn Era (1917-1936) · The Post-War Rebirth (1950s) · The Mexico City Miracle (1968) · The Asian Cup Drought (1970s) · The JFA Reform Era (1980s) · The Zico Golden Generation (2002-2006) · The Okada Defensive Revolution (2010) · The 2011 Asian Cup Triumph · The Aguirre Scandal & Fallout (2014-2015) · The Vahid Halilhodžić Era (2015-2018) · The 2018 World Cup 'Samurai Blue' Upset (vs Colombia) · The Moriyasu Dynasty Begins (2018) · The 2019 Asian Cup Final Heartbreak · The 2022 World Cup 'Miracle of Doha' (vs Germany & Spain) · all 36 →
Legendary Players & Icons
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi · Shinji Ono · Keisuke Honda · Shinji Kagawa · Tsuneyasu Miyamoto · Masami Ihara · Junichi Inamoto · Yasuhito Endo · Naohiro Takahara · Eiji Kawashima · Shinji Okazaki · Kazuyoshi Miura · Hidetoshi Nakata · Shunsuke Nakamura · Takumi Minamino · Masashi Nakayama · Yasuhito Endō · Makoto Hasebe · Maya Yoshida · Yuji Nakazawa · Atsushi Yanagisawa · Yuki Abe · Yuto Nagatomo · Yuya Osako · all 33 →
Honours & Records
1968 Summer Olympics Bronze Medal · EAFF East Asian Cup 2003 Winners · EAFF East Asian Cup 2013 Winners · All-Time Top Scorer Shinji Okazaki Record · Seven Consecutive FIFA World Cup Qualifications · FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 Participation · 4× Asian Cup Champions (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) · 3× AFC Asian Cup Player of the Tournament (Kazuyoshi Miura 1992, Shunsuke Nakamura 2000, Keisuke Honda 2011) · FIFA World Cup Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022) · Most Japan National Team Goals (Kunishige Kamamoto, 75 goals) · Most Japan National Team Caps (Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, 116 caps) · Youngest Japan World Cup Goalscorer (Keisuke Honda, 2010) · First Asian Team to Beat Argentina (1998 friendly) · First Asian Team to Beat Brazil (2005 Confederations Cup) · AFC Asian Cup Record: Most Goals in a Single Tournament (Ali Daei 1996 – shared, but Japan's highest: Naohiro Takahara 2000 – 5 goals) · FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up (2001) · AFC Asian Cup All-Time Top Scorer (Ali Daei – not Japan, but Japan's record: Kunishige Kamamoto 7 goals) · Longest Unbeaten Run in AFC Asian Cup (Japan, 11 matches, 2000–2007) · Most Assists in a Single World Cup for Japan (Keisuke Honda, 3 assists in 2010) · Japan's Biggest World Cup Win (4–0 vs Saudi Arabia, 1994 qualifier; 3–1 vs Denmark, 2010) · Fastest Goal in World Cup History (Hakan Şükür – not Japan; Japan's fastest: Keisuke Honda 8 min vs Denmark 2010) · 2000 AFC Asian Cup Title · 2004 AFC Asian Cup Title · 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup Title · all 35 →
Iconic Matches & Battles
1997 World Cup Qualifier Play-off vs China · 1998 World Cup Group Stage vs Croatia · 2000 AFC Asian Cup Final vs South Korea · 2004 AFC Asian Cup Final vs China · 2006 World Cup Qualifier vs Australia (Kobe) · 2002 World Cup Opener vs Belgium · 2014 World Cup Qualifier vs China (Shanghai) · 2018 World Cup Group Stage vs Belgium · 2019 AFC Asian Cup Final vs Qatar · 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Semi-Final vs Argentina · 2022 World Cup Group Stage vs Germany · 2002 World Cup Round of 16 vs Turkey · 2002 World Cup Round of 16: Japan vs Turkey (0-1) · 2010 World Cup Group E: Japan vs Cameroon (1-0) · 2010 World Cup Round of 16: Japan vs Paraguay (0-0, 3-5 pens) · 2011 Asian Cup Final: Japan vs Australia (1-0) · 2013 Confederations Cup Group A: Japan vs Italy (3-4) · 2014 World Cup Group C: Japan vs Ivory Coast (1-2) · 2018 World Cup Group H: Japan vs Colombia (2-1) · 2018 World Cup Round of 16: Japan vs Belgium (2-3) · 2019 Asian Cup Final: Japan vs Qatar (1-3) · 2021 Asian Cup Qualifier: Japan vs Australia (2-1) · 2022 World Cup Group E: Japan vs Germany (2-1) · 2022 World Cup Group E: Japan vs Spain (2-1) · all 41 →
Great Rivalries & Derbies
South Korea · Saudi Arabia · North Korea · Vietnam · France · Colombia · Netherlands · Germany · Argentina · Costa Rica · Brazil · Japan vs South Korea · Japan vs Brazil · Japan vs Saudi Arabia · Japan vs Australia · Japan vs Iran · Japan vs China PR · Japan vs Qatar · Japan vs Iraq · Japan vs North Korea · Japan vs Argentina · Japan vs Mexico · Japan vs Paraguay · Japan vs Belgium · all 31 →
Stadiums & Fan Culture
Osaka Nagai Stadium · National Stadium Tokyo · Nissan Stadium Yokohama · Sapporo Dome · JFA Supporters Club · Saitama Stadium · Yokohama International Stadium · Nagai Stadium · Kashima Soccer Stadium · Toyota Stadium · Nissan Stadium · Hiroshima Big Arch · Miyagi Stadium · Oita Bank Dome · Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa · Kobe Wing Stadium · Ajinomoto Stadium · Kyocera Stadium · Yokohama Stadium · Nippon · Samurai Blue