<p><span class="strongInContent">The curtain has been raised on the World Cup year. The current &#8220;Moriyasu Japan&#8221; team is the fastest in the world to qualify for the World Cup in North and Central America, and its strength is recognized around the world, as evidenced by its victory over Brazil in a friendly match last October. Writer Etsuko Motokawa, who has covered the World Cup on the field, looks back on the history of the fierce battles that have brought Japan to this level.</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_452134" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452134" style="width: 1626px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e55837ae"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/a913da09fa9e255ab64b6bca67c38918.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452134" class="wp-caption-text"> The Japan national team has shown us various dramas on the dream stage of the World Cup. Let&#8217;s look back at the history of the World Cup.</figcaption></figure>
<p> The Japanese national soccer team is seriously aiming to win the World Cup in North and Central America in 2014. This time, they are in the same group as the Netherlands, Tunisia, and the winner of Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, and Albania. Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has just been selected to join the prestigious Dutch club Ajax, said, &#8220;Personally, I prefer to play against European countries,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Personally, I find it easier to play European countries, and I can read them better,&#8221; he said confidently.</span></p>
<p> I personally find it easier to play against European countries, and I can read them better,&#8221; he said confidently. In fact, there are high expectations for Moriyasu Japan to reach the last eight of the World Cup, a long-cherished dream of the Japanese soccer world. In the past, Japan&#8217;s national team has repeatedly challenged this hurdle and bounced back. In anticipation of Moriyasu&#8217;s Japan&#8217;s breakthrough, we would like to take a look back at the &#8220;record of battles&#8221; established by our predecessors.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Japan&#8217;s first appearance at the 1998 tournament in France</span></h3>
<p> Japan&#8217;s first appearance on the big stage at the 1998 World Cup in France was with an &#8220;all-domestic&#8221; team. Hidetoshi Nakata went to Perugia after the tournament, paving the way for Japanese players to move to Europe, but overall, the team still lacked international experience.</p>
<p> This was symbolized by the three defeats in the tournament. Japan, led by coach Takeshi Okada (now vice president of the JFA), was paired with Argentina, Croatia, and Jamaica. Japan, led by Takeshi Okada (now vice president of the JFA), was paired with Argentina, Croatia, and Jamaica, all of whom were strong nations. Japan showed tenacity in both the Argentina and Croatia matches, but lost both games in a row, the former to Gabriel Batistuta and the latter to Dabor Suker, both of whom were superstars. At that point, the team was already eliminated.</p>
<p> Even under such circumstances, there was a strong sense of optimism that Jamaica would win. Many Japanese supporters who gathered at the Gerland Stadium in Lyon expected to see Japan&#8217;s first World Cup victory. However, the Latin American powerhouse was no easy opponent. Two goals by Theodore Whitmore in the 39th minute and the 9th minute of the second half put the three points out of reach. Although they got a goal back in the last 30 minutes with Masashi Nakayama (former Numazu coach) suffering from a broken leg, the hurdle to win one World Cup was high.</p>
<p> The hope for the future then came in the 34th minute of the second half, when 18-year-old Shinji Ono (J. League Specially Appointed Director) came on. As soon as he appeared on the field, he took another opponent out of the game with his brilliant technique. He dodged another one and flashed his left foot in the air. He then hit a mid-range shot.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I went in with the intention of getting the equalizer,&#8221; said a glazed-over young warrior.</span></p>
<p> The presence of these young warriors was undoubtedly a lifesaver for Japan. It is an undeniable fact that Ono and his generation, if they play a central role in Japan&#8217;s success, will be able to win the World Cup.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The whole of Japan rejoiced at advancing to the last 16."></div>
<p>In the fall of 1998, Philippe Troussier took over as coach. In the fall of 1998, Philippe Troussier took over as coach, and the team succeeded in making it to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea for the first time in its history. Although there were a few controversial actions prior to the tournament, such as the omission of Shunsuke Nakamura (coach of Yokohama FC), who was a candidate for No. 10, it should be noted that the team made great strides with a core group of players under 25, including Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (JFA president), Atsushi Yanagisawa (Kashima coach), Kazuyuki Toda (commentator), and Ono.</p>
<p> In the first match against Belgium, Troussier&#8217;s &#8220;big baby&#8221; bolted into action as the 60,000-plus crowd at Saitama Stadium turned blue. In the 23rd minute, he took the ball, passed it to Yanagisawa, received the return, and swept past the defender with a powerful left-foot strike. The ground-shaking cheers of Saitama at that moment remain with me to this day, nearly 24 years later.</p>
<p> Inamoto followed up his goal against Belgium with another against Russia. He became the first player in history to score two goals in one tournament. Only three other players have equaled this record: Keisuke Honda, Takashi Inui (Shimizu), and Ritsu Doan (Frankfurt). For some strange reason, all of them are from the Kansai region, and three of them are from the Gamba Osaka Academy, but Inamoto&#8217;s mark is overwhelming. From a foreign journalist visiting Japan,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Tell me about Inamoto.</span></p>
<p> I have fond memories of being asked day after day by foreign journalists visiting Japan to &#8220;tell me about Inamoto.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Zico Japan, the Best Team in the World, Failed Disastrously</span></h3>
<p> The following World Cup in Germany in 2006 was expected to be the best in the history of Japan, as the main players selected by Troussier and who had achieved results in 2002 were entering a period of maturity. The popularity of the Japanese national team led by Zico (Kashima advisor) was also high, and the temporary training camp at J-Village in Fukushima for the World Cup was packed with over 10,000 enthusiastic fans every day. Japan&#8217;s test match against Germany just prior to the World Cup was so close to a win that some thought that if they continued on this path, they might even finish in the top eight or higher.</p>
<p> However, in their first match against Australia, Japan led by a single goal, only to suffer a shocking three-goal defeat in the final minutes of the game. The shock was too much, and the entire team lost its momentum. The following game against Croatia was also un-winnable, and in the final game against Brazil, Keiji Tamada (Nagoya coach) scored the first goal from 45 degrees to the left, his specialty, but on the contrary, the opponent became more serious and eventually crushed them 1-4.</p>
<p> The sight of Hidetoshi Nakata lying on the pitch in tears at Dortmund&#8217;s Westfalen Stadium (now the Signal Iduna Parc), where the defeat had been decided, undoubtedly left a lasting impression on many people, but for this writer, it was the first time Nakamura, wearing ace number 10, participated on the big stage that he had dreamed of. However, I was more impressed by Shunsuke Nakamura&#8217;s anguish at his first appearance on the big stage, which he had dreamed of playing on with his ace number 10.</p>
<figure id="attachment_452135" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452135" style="width: 1207px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a942b6c7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/a5479ce7bf99a82a012dc623425b6ea5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452135" class="wp-caption-text"> At the moment of defeat, Nakata collapsed on the pitch and looked up to the heavens. The sight struck a chord with many fans.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Shunsuke Nakamura&#39;s true feelings at the 2006 tournament"></div>
<p>Nakamura was lucky to score a goal against Australia, and succeeded in making a name for himself as a World Cup scorer, but he was unaccountably ill throughout the tournament and his performance did not improve. Even in the coverage zone the day before the Brazil match,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I did all the routines I usually do on overseas tours, such as filling the hotel bathtub with hot water and improving ventilation, and I paid close attention to my condition, but I kept having a slight fever,&#8221; he revealed.</span></p>
<p> I took great care of the conditions, but I had a slight fever the whole time,&#8221; he said. After all was said and done, Zico said, &#8220;Nakamura had a physical problem, and unfortunately he could not show his strength. Nineteen years later, he is still greatly regretted.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Mental Monster Keisuke Honda Reveals His True Feelings</span></h3>
<p> In contrast to Nakamura, Keisuke Honda peaks at the World Cup. <wbr></wbr>His rise to stardom came at the World Cup in South Africa in 1998. The blonde-haired number 18 was selected as the first-choice striker by Takeshi Okada, who was on his second stint as coach after the sudden illness of Ivica Osim, just before the tournament, and scored a priceless header in the first match against Cameroon. The blonde number 18 scored a priceless header in the first game against Cameroon to give Japan the three points.</p>
<p> After a 0-1 loss to the Netherlands, Honda scored a direct left-footed FK in the 17th minute of the first half of the third game against Denmark. Honda scored a direct left-footed FK goal to give Japan a one-goal lead. Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka coach) followed with another direct FK, and Shinji Okazaki (Basara Mainz coach) got the go-ahead goal. The team, which had looked like it would fall apart before the tournament, made a V-shaped comeback to finish first in its group.</p>
<p> As you know, the Round of 16 match against Paraguay ended in a penalty shootout, with the third man, Yuichi Komano, missing, but there is no doubt that Keisuke Honda&#8217;s impact was too strong.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I am grateful that so many people criticized me. I don&#8217;t know if I would have even made it this far if it weren&#8217;t for the people who criticized me. Some people may have been disappointed, but I want to say &#8216;thank you&#8217; to those who seriously supported me.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> The fearlessness with which Keisuke Honda is able to speak out in such a toothless manner is what makes him so appealing. The emergence of someone with a monstrous mentality has given the impression that the Japanese national team is about to go one step higher. This may have been the major achievement of the fourth World Cup.</p>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-start"></div>
<p><a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/452137"> Read the second part】Uchida&#8217;s solitary struggle, Kagawa&#8217;s true value, Qatar&#8217;s joy&#8230; World Cup highlights from &#8220;Japan&#8217;s Fierce Struggles&#8221;.</a></p>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-end"></div>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>


 Kyodo News

 The World Cup in North and Central America begins in June. Etsuko Motokawa, a writer who has covered the World Cup on the field, looks back on the history of the fierce battles.

Japan&#8217;s World Cup Year Begins] Inamoto&#8217;s left foot, which brought joy to all of Japan, and the tragic fate of Shunsuke Nakamura&#8230; World Cup Famous Scenes from &#8220;The Fierce Struggles of Japan&#8217;s National Team

Japan’s World Cup Year Begins] Inamoto’s left foot, which brought joy to all of Japan, and the tragic fate of Shunsuke Nakamura… World Cup Famous Scenes from “The Fierce Struggles of Japan’s National Team

Access Ranking