Japan women's national football team

The Japan women's national football team (Japanese: サッカー日本女子代表, Hepburn: Sakkā Nippon Joshi Daihyō), or nicknamed Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン), represents Japan in women's association football and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA). It is the most successful women's national team from the Asian Football Confederation. Its highest ranking in the FIFA Women's World Rankings is 3rd, achieved in December 2011.[3]

Japan

Nickname(s)	なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan)
Association	Japan Football Association
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach	Asako Takakura
Captain	Saki Kumagai
Most caps	Homare Sawa (205)
Top scorer	Homare Sawa (83)
FIFA code	JPN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	10 1 (18 December 2020)[1]
Highest	3 (December 2011)
Lowest	14 (July 2003)
First international
Chinese Taipei 1–0 Japan  (Hong Kong; 7 June 1981)
Biggest win
Japan 21–0 Guam  (Guangzhou, China; 5 December 1997)
Biggest defeat
Italy 9–0 Japan  (Tokyo, Japan; 9 September 1981)[2]  United States 9–0 Japan  (Charlotte, United States; 29 April 1999)[2]
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1991)
Best result	Champions (2011)
Olympic Games
Appearances	4 (first in 1996)
Best result	Runners-up (2012)
Asian Cup
Appearances	16 (first in 1977)
Best result	Champions (2014, 2018)
Medal record World Cup 2011 Germany Team 2015 Canada Team Olympic Games 2012 London Team Asian Cup 2014 Vietnam Team 2018 Jordan Team 1986 Hong Kong Team 1991 Japan Team 1995 Malaysia Team 2001 Chinese Taipei Team 1989 Hong Kong Team 1993 Malaysia Team 1997 China Team 2008 Vietnam Team 2010 China Team Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou Team 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Team 1990 Beijing Team 1994 Hiroshima Team 2006 Doha Team 2014 Incheon Team 1998 Bangkok Team 2002 Busan Team

Nadeshiko Japan defeated the United States in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, thus claiming their first FIFA Women's World Cup title, becoming the first Asian team to do so and only the fourth women's world champions.[4] It won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the only Asian team to have three combined medals from international championships.[5] It also won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cups, the 2010 and 2018 Asian Games, and the 2008, 2010, and 2019 EAFF Football Championships.

History

1970s and 1980s

During the 1970s, the number of women football players and teams increased in Japan, and teams made up regional leagues in various parts of Japan. In 1977, the Japan team participated its first international tournament, 1977 AFC Women's Championship. But, this Japan team was not a national team, Japan Football Association dispatched club team, FC Jinnan as a Japan team. In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held. In 1981, Japan Football Association formed first national team for 1981 AFC Women's Championship[6] and Seiki Ichihara managed as first Japan national team manager.[2] The first match against Chinese Taipei on 7 June at this tournament is the first match for Japan national team history.[2] In 1984, national team was formed for the first time in three years for a China expedition, and Takao Orii managed national team.[2]

In January 1986, Ryohei Suzuki became first full-time manager for national team. In December, Japan won the 2nd place at 1986 AFC Women's Championship. In 1989, the "Japan Women's Football League" (abbreviated to "L. League") was established, and the women's national team qualified for the "1991 FIFA Women's World Cup" in China.

Verge of decline

Japan women's national football team attended various championship tournaments such as the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup which had made the national team and the L.League very popular. However, in 1999, Japan failed to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, and this helped to cause with economic stagnation (Lost Decade) the withdrawal of a series of teams from the L. League. Japanese women's football was on the verge of decline.

Regeneration

In August 2002, the Japan Football Association appointed Eiji Ueda, who had been coach for the Macau national football team, as the new head coach. Officials expected a revitalization of women's football and planned a team reorganization, aiming for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team at first went through a losing streak, but Ueda gradually improved the team, and it eventually gained wide support in Japan. In particular, a game against Korea DPR, which decided who would participate in the 2004 Olympics, not only made fans rush to the National Stadium but also was widely watched on TV.

Following the increase in public interest in women's football in Japan, the JFA organized a public contest to select a nickname for the team. "Nadeshiko Japan" was chosen from among about 2,700 entries and was announced on 7 July 2004. "Nadeshiko", a kind of dianthus, comes from the phrase "Yamato Nadeshiko" (大和撫子, "ideal Japanese woman").

2003 and 2007 World Cup

Japan was dropped with Germany, Canada and Argentina during 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Beginning by a 6–0 thrash to newcomer Argentina, but later Japan fell on 0–3 loss to later champion Germany, and 1–3 to Canada, who later won 4th place.

Again, in 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup held in China, they again faced Germany, Argentina and England. They started with a 2–2 draw over England, before beating Argentina 1–0 after 90'. But a 0–2 loss over reigning champion Germany again eliminated Japan from the group stage. Japan's disappointing campaign through two decisive Women's World Cup would not have expected to lead to a 2011 triumph.

2011 World Cup

The Japan team thanking fans for their support for the humanitarian response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami after their World Cup win[7][8]

Japan qualified for the finals by finishing third in the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup. After finishing second in their group behind England, Japan beat two-time defending champion and host nation Germany 1–0 in the quarterfinals, before easily defeating Sweden 3–1 to reach the final.

After the final game finished 2–2 after extra time, Japan beat the United States 3–1 in a penalty shootout, becoming the first Asian team to win the FIFA Women's World Cup, and the first Asian team to win a senior FIFA title.[9][10] It came right after men's team won the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, marked their most successful year in Japanese football.

2012 Summer Olympics

Japan qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics by finishing first in the Asian qualifier in September 2011, only 6 weeks after winning the Women's World Cup. At the Olympics, after finishing second in their group behind Sweden, Nadeshiko Japan defeated Brazil 2–0 in the quarterfinals, followed by a 2–1 victory over France, whom Nadeshiko had lost to in a friendly match right before the Olympics, to reach the final.

In a rematch of the World Cup final, Japan was defeated in the Olympic final by a score of 1–2 against the United States, allowing two goals to Carli Lloyd in the 8th and 54th minutes. Yūki Ōgimi scored the lone goal for Japan.[11]

Nadeshiko, 2013

2014 Asian Cup

Despite having won a FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011, Japan entered the 2014 Asian Cup having never previously won the tournament. They were drawn with Asia's Queen Australia, host Vietnam and newcomer Jordan. Their first match in the group stage of the tournament resulted in a 2–2 draw against the defending champion Australia.[12] Also in the group stage, Japan upset host Vietnam by a 4–0 win before defeating Jordan with a 7–0 win to finish first with a higher goal difference.

In the semi-final, Japan beat eight-time champions China 2–1 after 120'. In the final, they met Australia once again and successfully earned a 1–0 win with Azusa Iwashimizu's goal. This marked the first time for Japan to become "Queen of Asia". They became the first Asian team to subsequently win both the FIFA Women's World Cup and AFC Women's Asian Cup. Because of their top placement in the tournament, Japan, Australia, China, South Korea and newcomer Thailand secured their spot at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup to be played in Canada the following year.[13]

2015 World Cup

The national teams of Japan and the United States at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

Japan, then fourth in the world, was drawn into Group C for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, with tournament debutants Ecuador, Switzerland, and Cameroon. Japan won all three games, securing passage into the Round of 16, where they drew yet another tournament debutant in the Netherlands. Saori Ariyoshi and Mizuho Sakaguchi scored goals for Japan, and they ultimately survived a couple of nervy moments to get into the quarterfinals. Against Australia, Japan once again used their technical possession game to frustrate The Matildas and negate their speed. Mana Iwabuchi notched the only goal of the game three minutes from time to send Japan to the semifinals.

Against England in the semifinals, Nadeshiko Japan was able to survive against the tenacious Lionesses, as the two teams traded goals from the penalty spot (Aya Miyama for Japan, Fara Williams for England). Deadlocked from the 40th minute on, Japan got a truly fortunate break as English centre back Laura Bassett, in trying to clear out a Japan cross, ended up scoring an own-goal at the death. This set up a rematch with the United States from the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Unfortunately for Japan, the Americans came out flying and scored four goals in the first 16 minutes of the match, with American midfielder Carli Lloyd scoring a hat trick in the process. Yuki Ogimi brought Japan one back in the 27th minute, and an own goal from Julie Johnston halved the American lead, but Tobin Heath put the final touch on the United States' third Women's World Cup victory.

Team image

Nicknames

The Japan women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Nadeshiko Japan".

Home stadium

Japan play its home matches among various stadiums, in rotation, around the country.

South Korea

The Japan and South Korea national football teams are sporting rivals.

Results and fixtures

• The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Void or postponed   Fixtures

2020

5 March 2020 SheBelieves Cup	Japan	1–3	Spain	Orlando, United States
16:15 ET	Iwabuchi  44'	Report	Putellas  8' García  48', 78'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 7,528 Referee: Katja Koroleva (United States)

8 March 2020 SheBelieves Cup	Japan	0–1	England	Harrison, United States
14:15 ET		Report	White  84'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 14,758 Referee: Katja Koroleva (United States)

11 March 2020 SheBelieves Cup	United States	3–1	Japan	Frisco, United States
19:00 CT	Rapinoe  7' Press  26' Horan  83'	Report	Iwabuchi  58'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)

11 April 2020 MS&AD Cup 2020	Japan	Cancelled	New Zealand	Sendai, Japan
15:00		Report		Stadium: Yurtec Stadium

2021

8 April 2021 Friendly	Japan	v	TBD	Sendai, Japan
				Stadium: Yurtec Stadium Sendai

11 April 2021 Friendly	Japan	v	TBD	TBD, Japan
				Stadium: TBD

10 June 2021 Friendly	Japan	v	TBD	Hiroshima, Japan
				Stadium: Edion Stadium Hiroshima

13 June 2021 Friendly	Japan	v	TBD	Utsunomiya, Japan
				Stadium: Kanseki Stadium Tochigi

14 July 2021 Friendly	Japan	v	TBD	Kameoka, Japan
				Stadium: Sanga Stadium by Kyocera

21 July 2021 Olympics GS	Japan	v	TBD	Sapporo, Japan
				Stadium: Sapporo Dome

24 July 2021 Olympics GS	Japan	v	TBD	Sapporo, Japan
				Stadium: Sapporo Dome

27 July 2021 Olympics GS	TBD	v	Japan	Kashima, Japan
				Stadium: Kashima Stadium

Future schedules

• Source: Japan national team 2021 schedule

All-time results

• The following table shows Japan women's all-time international record, correct as of 1 Jan 2021.

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA
Total	266	144	43	78	551	307

• Source: Worldfootball

Head-to-head record

As of 11 March 2020, after the match against USA

Head-to-head record
Asian Football Confederation（AFC）[14]
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
South Korea	31	17	10	4
North Korea	24	7	5	12
China PR	41	17	7	17
Chinese Taipei	23	16	1	6
Thailand	13	12	0	1
Vietnam	12	12	0	0
Philippines	4	4	0	0
Australia	27	11	8	8
Hong Kong	8	8	0	0
Indonesia	2	2	0	0
India	4	3	0	1
Malaysia	2	2	0	0
Nepal	2	2	0	0
Singapore	2	2	0	0
Uzbekistan	2	2	0	0
Guam	3	3	0	0
Myanmar	2	2	0	0
Jordan	4	4	0	0
Total	206	126	31	49
Oceania Football Confederation（OFC）[14]
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
New Zealand	9	7	2	0
Total	9	7	2	0
Confederation of African Football（CAF）
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
Nigeria	3	2	0	1
South Africa	2	1	1	0
Ghana	2	2	0	0
Cameroon	1	1	0	0
Total	8	6	1	1
Union of European Football Associations（UEFA）
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
Italy	8	1	0	7
Germany	14	1	2	11
France	8	3	0	5
Sweden	13	5	3	5
Russia	6	4	0	2
England	8	1	2	5
Norway	9	6	0	3
Czech Republic[15]	1	0	0	1
Slovakia	1	1	0	0
Finland	2	1	0	1
Hungary	1	1	0	0
Austria	1	1	0	0
Denmark	8	5	1	2
Netherlands	8	4	0	4
Scotland	3	3	0	0
Portugal	1	1	0	0
Iceland	3	3	0	0
Switzerland	2	2	0	0
Spain	3	0	1	2
Belgium	1	0	1	0
Total	101	43	10	48
CONCACAF（CONCACAF）
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
United States	37	1	8	28
Canada	14	7	3	4
Mexico	8	6	1	1
Costa Rica	1	1	0	0
Total	60	15	12	33
CONMEBOL（CONMEBOL）
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
Brazil	10	5	2	3
Argentina	5	4	1	0
Colombia	1	1	0	0
Chile	1	0	1	0
Ecuador	1	1	0	0
	18	11	4	3
	402	208	60	134

Overall competitive record

Competition	Stage	Result	Opponent	Position	Notes
1981 Asian Championship	Round 1	0–1	Chinese Taipei
		0–2	Thailand
		1–0	Indonesia	3 / 4
1986 Asian Championship	Round 1	0–2	China
		10–0	Malaysia	2 / 3
	Semifinals	4–0	Thailand
	Final	0–2	China
1989 Asian Championship	Round 1	3–0	Hong Kong
		11–0	Indonesia
		14–0	Nepal	1 / 4
	Semifinals	0–1	Chinese Taipei
	Third place	9–0	Hong Kong
1990 Asian Games	Main Round	0–5	China
		5–0	Hong Kong
		8–1	South Korea
		1–1	North Korea
		3–1	Chinese Taipei	2 / 6
1991 Asian Championship	Round 1	1–0	North Korea
		4–1	Hong Kong
		12–0	Malaysia
		12–0	Singapore	1 / 5
	Semifinals	0–0 (PSO: 5–4)	Chinese Taipei
	Final	0–5	China
1991 World Cup	Round 1	0–1	Brazil
		0–8	Sweden
		0–3	United States
1993 Asian Championship	Round 1	6–1	Chinese Taipei
		15–0	Philippines
		4–0	Hong Kong	1 / 4
	Semifinals	1–3	China
	Final	3–0	Chinese Taipei
1994 Asian Games	Round 1	1–1	China
		3–0	Chinese Taipei
		5–0	South Korea	2 / 4
	Final	0–2	China
1995 World Cup	Round 1	0–1	Germany
		2–1	Brazil
		0–2	Sweden	3 / 4
	Quarterfinals	0–4	United States
1995 Asian Championship	Round 1	1–0	South Korea
		6–0	India
		17–0	Uzbekistan	1 / 4
	Semifinals	3–0	Chinese Taipei
	Final	0–2	China
1996 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–3	Germany
		0–2	Brazil
		0–4	Norway	4 / 4
1997 Asian Championship	Round 1	21–0	Guam
		1–0	India
		9–0	Hong Kong	1 / 4
	Semifinals	0–1	North Korea
	Third place	2–0	Chinese Taipei
1998 Asian Games	Round 1	6–0	Thailand
		2–3	North Korea
		8–0	Vietnam	2 / 4
	Semifinals	0–3	China
	Third place	2–1	Chinese Taipei
1999 World Cup	Round 1	1–1	Canada
		0–5	Russia
		0–4	Norway	4 / 4
1999 Asian Championship	Round 1	9–0	Thailand
		5–1	Uzbekistan
		14–0	Nepal
		6–0	Philippines	1 / 5
	Semifinals	0–2	Chinese Taipei
	Third place	2–3	North Korea
2001 Asian Championship	Round 1	14–0	Singapore
		11–0	Guam
		0–1	North Korea
		3–1	Vietnam	2 / 5
	Semifinals	2–1	South Korea
	Final	0–2	North Korea
2002 Asian Games	Main round	0–1	North Korea
		3–0	Vietnam
		1–0	South Korea
		2–2	China
		2–0	Chinese Taipei	3 / 6
2003 Asian Championship	Round 1	15–0	Philippines
		7–0	Guam
		7–0	Myanmar
		5–0	Chinese Taipei	1 / 5
	Semifinals	0–3	North Korea
	Third place	0–1	South Korea
2003 World Cup	Round 1	6–0	Argentina
		0–3	Germany
		1–3	Canada	3 / 4
2004 Summer Olympics	Round 1	1–0	Sweden
		0–1	Nigeria	3 / 3
	Quarterfinals	1–2	United States		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2005 East Asian Championship	Main Round	0–1	North Korea
		0–0	China
		0–0	South Korea	3 / 4	Awarded the Fair Play Award
2006 Asian Games	Round 1	13–0	Jordan
		4–0	Thailand
		1–0	China	1 / 4
	Semifinals	3–1	South Korea
	Final	0–0 (PSO: 2–4)	South Korea
2006 Asian Championship	Round 1	5–0	Vietnam
		11–1	Chinese Taipei
		1–0	China	1 / 4
	Semifinals	0–2	Australia
	Third place	2–3	North Korea
2007 World Cup	Round 1	2–2	England
		1–0	Argentina
		0–2	Germany	3 / 4
2008 East Asian Championship	Main Round	3–2	North Korea
		2–0	South Korea
		3–0	China	1 / 4
2008 Asian Cup	Round 1	1–3	South Korea
		11–0	Chinese Taipei
		3–1	Australia	1 / 4
	Semifinals	1–3	China
	Third place	3–0	Australia
2008 Summer Olympics qualification	Final round	2–0	Vietnam
		4–0	Thailand
		6–1	South Korea	1 / 4
2008 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–2	New Zealand
		0–1	United States
		5–1	Norway	3 / 4
	Quarterfinals	2–0	China
	Semifinals	2–4	United States
	Third place	0–2	Germany
2010 East Asian Championship	Round 1	2–0	New Zealand
		3–0	Chinese Taipei
		2–1	South Korea	1 / 4
2010 Asian Cup	Round 1	8–0	Myanmar
		4–0	Thailand
		2–1	North Korea	1 / 4
	Semifinals	0–1	Australia
	Third place	2–0	China
2010 Asian Games	Round 1	4–0	Thailand
		0–0	North Korea	1 / 3
	Semifinals	1–0	China
	Final	1–0	North Korea
2011 World Cup	Round 1	2–1	New Zealand
		4–0	Mexico
		0–2	England	2 / 4
	Quarterfinals	1–0	Germany
	Semifinals	3–1	Sweden
	Final	2–2 (PSO: 3–1)	United States		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2012 Summer Olympics qualification	Final round	3–0	Thailand
		2–1	South Korea
		1–0	Australia
		1–1	North Korea
		1–0	China
2012 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–1	Canada
		0–0	Sweden
		0–0	South Africa	2 / 4
	Quarterfinals	2–0	Brazil
	Semifinals	2–1	France
	Finals	1–2	United States
2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup	Final round	2–0	China
		0–0	North Korea
		1–2	South Korea
2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup	Round 1	2–2	Australia
		4–0	Vietnam
		7–0	Jordan	1 / 4
	Semifinals	2–1	China PR
	Final	1–0	Australia
2015 World Cup	Round 1	1–0	Switzerland
		2–1	Cameroon
		1–0	Ecuador	1 / 4
	Round of 16	2–1	Netherlands
	Quarterfinals	1–0	Australia
	Semifinals	2–1	England
	Final	2–5	United States
2019 World Cup	Round 1	0–0	Argentina
		2–1	Scotland
		0–2	England	2 / 4
	Round of 16	1–2	Netherlands

Coaching staff

• Source: National Coaching Staff of Japan at JFA.jp (in English)

Current coaching staff

As of 25 February 2020

Position	Name
Head coach	Asako Takakura
Assistant coach	Yumi Obe
Goalkeeping coach	Akiyoshi Ohashi
Physical coach	Norikazu Hirose

Manager history

• Updated on 11 March 2020 after the match against  United States.

Name	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Winning %	Notes
Seiki Ichihara (市原 聖曠)	1981	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Takao Orii (折井 孝男)	1984	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Ryohei Suzuki (鈴木 良平)	1986–1989	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Satoshi Miyauchi (宮内 聡)	1997–1999	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Shinobu Ikeda (池田 司信)	2000–2001	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Eiji Ueda (上田 栄治)	2002–2004	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Hiroshi Ohashi (大橋 浩司)	2004–2008	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Norio Sasaki (佐々木 則夫)	2008–2016	0	0	0	0	00.0%
Asako Takakura (高倉 麻子)	2016–present	0	0	0	0	00.0%

Players

• Source: Players' Information 2020 of Japan at JFA.jp (in English)

Current squad

• The following 27 players were named to the squad for a training camp on 23–29 November 2020.[16]
• Caps and goals are correct as of 12 March 2020, after match against  United States.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	GK	Sakiko Ikeda (池田 咲紀子)	8 September 1992	16	0	Urawa Red Diamonds
	GK	Mamiko Matsumoto (松本 真未子)	9 October 1997	0	0	Mynavi Sendai
	GK	Hannah Stambaugh (スタンボー 華)	24 December 1998	0	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	DF	Aya Sameshima (鮫島 彩)	16 June 1987	113	5	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	DF	Saki Kumagai (熊谷 紗希) (captain)	17 October 1990	112	1	Lyon
	DF	Arisa Matsubara (松原 有沙)	1 May 1995	4	1	Nojima Stella
	DF	Risa Shimizu (清水 梨紗)	15 June 1996	33	0	Nippon TV Beleza
	DF	Kiko Seike (清家 貴子)	8 August 1996	2	1	Urawa Red Diamonds
	DF	Moeka Minami (南 萌華)	7 December 1998	12	0	Urawa Red Diamonds
	DF	Nanami Kitamura (北村 菜々美)	25 November 1999	0	0	Cerezo Osaka
	DF	Saori Takarada (宝田 沙織)	27 December 1999	3	0	Washington Spirit
	DF	Hana Takahashi (高橋 はな)	19 February 2000	1	0	Urawa Red Diamonds
	MF	Emi Nakajima (中島 依美)	27 September 1990	81	14	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	MF	Hikaru Naomoto (猶本 光)	3 March 1994	20	0	Urawa Red Diamonds
	MF	Miki Ito (伊藤 美紀)	10 September 1995	0	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	MF	Yuki Mizutani (水谷 有希)	11 April 1996	0	0	Urawa Red Diamonds
	MF	Yui Hasegawa (長谷川 唯)	29 January 1997	42	8	Milan
	MF	Hina Sugita (杉田 妃和)	31 January 1997	18	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	MF	Narumi Miura (三浦 成美)	3 July 1997	20	0	Nippon TV Beleza
	MF	Yuzuho Shiokoshi (塩越 柚歩)	1 November 1997	0	0	Urawa Red Diamonds
	MF	Honoka Hayashi (林 穂之香)	19 May 1998	1	0	Cerezo Osaka
	MF	Reina Wakisaka (脇阪 麗奈)	2 May 1999	0	0	Cerezo Osaka
	MF	Jun Endo (遠藤 純)	24 May 2000	14	0	Nippon TV Beleza
	FW	Megumi Takase (高瀬 愛実)	10 November 1990	61	9	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	FW	Haruka Hamada (浜田 遥)	26 January 1993	0	0	Mynavi Sendai
	FW	Mina Tanaka (田中 美南)	28 April 1994	41	16	Bayer Leverkusen
	FW	Mami Ueno (上野 真実)	27 September 1996	8	0	Ehime FC

Recent call-ups

• The following players have been called up to the Japan squad in the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Erina Yamane (山根 恵里奈)	20 December 1990	26	0	JEF United Chiba	Training camp, 19–26 October 2020
GK	Ayaka Yamashita (山下 杏也加)	29 September 1995	37	0	Nippon TV Beleza	Training camp, 19–26 October 2020
GK	Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳)	31 December 1996	2	0	Albirex Niigata	2020 SheBelieves Cup
DF	Asato Miyagawa (宮川 麻都)	24 February 1998	11	0	Nippon TV Beleza	Training camp, 23–29 November 2020 ^INJ
DF	Nana Ichise (市瀬 菜々)	4 August 1997	19	0	Mynavi Sendai	Training camp, 19–26 October 2020
DF	Shiori Miyake (三宅 史織)	13 October 1995	24	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa	2020 SheBelieves Cup
DF	Mayo Doko (土光 真代)	3 May 1996	4	0	Nippon TV Beleza	2020 SheBelieves Cup
MF	Yuka Momiki (籾木 結花)	9 April 1996	33	10	OL Reign	2020 SheBelieves Cup
FW	Mana Iwabuchi (岩渕 真奈)	18 March 1993	72	29	Aston Villa	Training camp, 19–26 October 2020
FW	Rikako Kobayashi (小林 里歌子)	21 July 1997	12	4	Nippon TV Beleza	Training camp, 19–26 October 2020
FW	Yuika Sugasawa (菅澤 優衣香)	5 October 1990	71	20	Urawa Red Diamonds	Training camp, 19–26 October 2020 ^INJ
FW	Mayu Ikejiri (池尻 茉由)	19 December 1996	7	2	Mynavi Sendai	2020 SheBelieves Cup
FW	Riko Ueki (植木 理子)	30 July 1999	5	0	Nippon TV Beleza	2020 SheBelieves Cup

Notes:

• INJ = Withdrew due to injury

Previous squads

FIFA Women's World Cup 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup AFC Women's Asian Cup 2014 Women's AFC Asian Cup 2018 Women's AFC Asian Cup

Olympic Games 1996 Summer Olympics 2004 Summer Olympics 2008 Summer Olympics 2012 Summer Olympics 2020 Summer Olympics

Records

• Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 12 March 2020.

Most capped players # Player Year(s) Caps Goals 1 Homare Sawa 1993–2015 205 83 2 Aya Miyama 2003–2016 162 38 3 Shinobu Ohno 2003–2016 139 40 4 Yuki Nagasato 2004–2016 132 58 5 Kozue Ando 1999–2015 126 19 6 Mizuho Sakaguchi 2006–2019 124 29 7 Azusa Iwashimizu 2006–2016 122 11 8 Hiromi Ikeda 1997–2008 119 4 9 Tomoe Kato 1997–2008 114 8 10 Rumi Utsugi 2005–2019 113 6 10 Aya Sameshima 2008–present 113 5 12 Saki Kumagai 2008–present 112 1 13 Yukari Kinga 2005–2016 100 5 14 Nozomi Yamago 1997–2011 96 0 15 Miyuki Yanagita 1997–2008 91 11 16 Nahomi Kawasumi 2008–2018 90 20 17 Yumi Obe 1991–2004 85 6 18 Miho Fukumoto 2002–2016 81 0 18 Emi Nakajima 2011–present 81 14 20 Asako Takakura 1984–1999 79 29

Top goalscorers # Player Year(s) Goals Caps 1 Homare Sawa 1993–2015 83 205 2 Yuki Nagasato 2004–2016 58 132 3 Kaori Nagamine 1984–1996 48 64 4 Shinobu Ohno 2003–2016 40 139 5 Aya Miyama 2003–2016 38 162 6 Mio Otani 2000–2007 31 73 7 Futaba Kioka 1981–1996 30 75 8 Mizuho Sakaguchi 2006–2019 29 124 8 Asako Takakura 1984–1999 29 79 8 Mana Iwabuchi 2010–present 29 72 8 Nami Otake 1994–1999 29 46 12 Tamaki Uchiyama 1991–1999 26 58 13 Akemi Noda 1984–1996 24 76 14 Nahomi Kawasumi 2008–2018 20 90 14 Eriko Arakawa 2000–2011 20 72 14 Yuika Sugasawa 2010–present 20 69 17 Kozue Ando 1999–2015 19 126 17 Etsuko Handa 1981–1996 19 75 17 Takako Tezuka 1986–1991 19 4 20 Kumi Yokoyama 2015–present 17 43

Honours

Intercontinental

• FIFA Women's World Cup

Champions: 2011

Runners-up: 2015

• Olympic Games

Runners-up: 2012

Continental

• AFC Women's Asian Cup

Champions: 2014, 2018

Runners-up: 1986, 1991, 1995, 2001

• Asian Games

Champions: 2010, 2018

Runners-up: 1990, 1994, 2006, 2014

Regional

• EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Champions: 2008, 2010, 2019

Runners-up: 2013, 2017

Other tournaments

• Algarve Cup

Runners-up: 2012, 2014

Competitive record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD
1991	Group stage	3	0	0	3	0	12	−12
1995	Quarter-finals	4	1	0	3	2	8	−6
1999	Group stage	3	0	1	2	1	10	−9
2003		3	1	0	2	7	6	+1
2007		3	1	1	1	3	4	−1
2011	Champions	6	4	1	1	12	6	+6
2015	Runners-up	7	6	0	1	11	8	+3
2019	Round of 16	4	1	1	2	3	5	−2
2023	To be determined
Total	8/9	33	14	4	15	39	59	−20

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

FIFA Women's World Cup history
Year	Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Stadium
1991	Group stage	17 November	Brazil	L 0–1	New Plaza Stadium, Foshan
		19 November	Sweden	L 0–8
		21 November	United States	L 0–3
1995	Group stage	5 June	Germany	L 0–1	Tingvallen, Karlstad
		7 June	Brazil	W 2–1
		9 June	Sweden	L 0–2	Arosvallen, Västerås
	Quarter-finals	13 June	United States	L 0–4	Strömvallen, Gävle
1999	Group stage	19 June	Canada	D 1–1	Spartan Stadium, San Jose
		23 June	Russia	L 0–5	Civic Stadium, Portland
		26 June	Norway	L 0–4	Soldier Field, Chicago
2003	Group stage	20 September	Argentina	W 6–0	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus
		24 September	Germany	L 0–3
		27 September	Canada	L 1–3	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
2007	Group stage	11 September	England	D 2–2	Hongkou Stadium, Shanghai
		14 September	Argentina	W 1–0
		17 September	Germany	L 0–2	Yellow Dragon Sports Center, Hangzhou
2011	Group stage	27 June	New Zealand	W 2–1	Ruhrstadion, Bochum
		1 July	Mexico	W 4–0	BayArena, Leverkusen
		5 July	England	L 0–2	Impuls Arena, Augsburg
	Quarter-finals	9 July	Germany	W 1–0	Volkswagen-Arena, Wolfsburg
	Semi-finals	13 July	Sweden	W 3–1	Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt
	Final	17 July	United States	D 2–2 (3–1 pen)
2015	Group stage	8 June	Switzerland	W 1–0	BC Place, Vancouver
		12 June	Cameroon	W 2–1
		16 June	Ecuador	W 1–0	Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
	Round of 16	23 June	Netherlands	W 2–1	BC Place, Vancouver
	Quarter-finals	27 June	Australia	W 1–0	Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
	Semi-finals	1 July	England	W 2–1
	Final	5 July	United States	L 2–5	BC Place, Vancouver
2019	Group stage	10 June	Argentina	D 0–0	Parc des Princes, Paris
		14 June	Scotland	W 2–1	Roazhon Park, Rennes
		19 June	England	L 0–2	Allianz Riviera, Nice
	Round of 16	25 June	Netherlands	L 1–2	Roazhon Park, Rennes

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD
1996	Round 1	3	0	0	3	2	9	−7
2000	Did not qualify
2004	Quarter-finals	3	1	0	2	2	3	−1
2008	Fourth place	6	2	1	3	11	10	+1
2012	Runners-up	6	3	2	1	7	4	+3
2016	Did not qualify
2020	Qualified as hosts	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	5/7	18	6	3	9	22	26	−4

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Summer Olympics history
Year	Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Stadium
1996	Round 1	21 July	Germany	L 2–3	Legion Field, Birmingham
		23 July	Brazil	L 0–2
		25 July	Norway	L 0–4	RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
2004	Round 1	11 August	Sweden	W 1–0	Panthessaliko Stadium, Volos
		14 August	Nigeria	L 0–1	Karaiskaki Stadium, Athens
	Quarter-finals	20 August	United States	L 1–2	Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki
2008	Round 1	6 August	New Zealand	D 2–2	Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Qinhuangdao
		9 August	United States	L 0–1
		12 August	Norway	W 5–1	Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai
	Quarter-finals	15 August	China PR	W 2–0	Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Qinhuangdao
	Semi-finals	18 August	United States	L 2–4	Workers Stadium, Beijing
	Third place	21 August	Germany	L 0–2
2012	Round 1	25 July	Canada	W 2–1	City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
		28 July	Sweden	D 0–0
		31 July	South Africa	D 0–0	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
	Quarter-finals	3 August	Brazil	W 2–0
	Semi-finals	6 August	France	W 2–1	Wembley Stadium, London
	Final	9 August	United States	L 1–2
2020	Round 1	21 July	Group E2		Sapporo Dome, Sapporo
		24 July	Group E3
		27 July	Group E4		Miyagi Stadium, Rifu

AFC Women's Asian Cup

AFC Women's Asian Cup record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD
1975	Did not enter
1977	Group Stage	2	0	0	2	0	8	−8
1979	Did not enter
1981	Group stage	3	1	0	2	1	3	−2
1983	Did not enter
1986	Runners-up	4	2	0	2	14	4	+10
1989	Third place	5	4	0	1	37	1	+36
1991	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	27	6	+21
1993	Third place	5	4	0	1	29	4	+25
1995	Runners-up	5	4	0	1	27	3	+24
1997	Third place	5	4	0	1	33	1	+32
1999	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	36	6	+30
2001	Runners-up	6	4	0	2	30	5	+25
2003	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	34	4	+30
2006		5	3	0	2	19	6	+13
2008	Third place	5	3	0	2	19	7	+12
2010		5	4	0	1	16	2	+14
2014	Champions	5	4	1	0	16	3	+13
2018		5	3	2	0	9	2	+7
2022	TBD	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	16/19	78	52	4	22	347	65	+282

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD
1990	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	17	8	+9
1994		4	2	1	1	9	3	+6
1998	Third place	5	3	0	2	18	7	+11
2002		5	3	1	1	8	3	+5
2006	Runners-up	5	4	1	0	21	1	+20
2010	Champions	4	3	1	0	6	0	+6
2014	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	28	3	+25
2018	Champions	5	5	0	0	14	2	+12
2022	TBD	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2026	TBD	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	7/7	34	22	6	6	107	25	+82

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

EAFF E-1 Football Championship

EAFF E-1 Football Championship record
Hosts / Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD
2005	Third place	3	0	2	1	0	1	−1
2008	Champions	3	3	0	0	8	2	+6
2010		3	3	0	0	7	1	+6
2013	Runners-up	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1
2015	Third place	3	1	0	2	5	6	−1
2017	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	4	4	0
2019	Champions	3	3	0	0	13	0	+13
2022	TBD	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	6/6	18	10	3	5	27	16	+11

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Algarve Cup

The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and longest-running women's international football events and has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup."[17]

Algarve Cup record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	GD
1994–2010	Did not enter
2011	3rd place	4	3	0	1	9	3	+6
2012	2nd place	4	3	0	1	8	5	+3
2013	5th place	4	2	0	2	4	4	0
2014	2nd place	4	2	1	1	4	5	−1
2015	9th place	4	2	0	2	7	5	+2
2016	Did not enter
2017	6th place	4	2	0	2	7	5	+2
2018	6th place	4	2	0	2	6	9	−3
2019–	Did not enter
Total	7/27	28	16	1	11	45	36	+9

Cyprus Women's Cup

Cyprus Women's Cup record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
2008	3rd place	3	1	1	1	5	5	0
Total	1/13	3	1	1	1	5	5	0

SheBelieves Cup

The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football hosted in the United States.

SheBelieves Cup record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	Coaches
2016–2018	Did not enter
2019	Third place	3	1	1	1	5	6	Asako Takakura
2020	Fourth place	3	0	0	3	2	7
2021	Withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic[18]
Total	2/6	6	1	1	4	7	13

Tournament of Nations

The Tournament of Nations is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football hosted in the United States in non-World Cup and non-Olympic years.

Tournament of Nations record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	Coach
2017	Third place	3	0	1	2	3	8	Asako Takakura
2018	Fourth place	3	0	0	3	3	8
Total	2/2	6	0	1	5	6	16

See also

Japan

Women's

• International footballers
• National under-17 football team
• National under-20 football team
• National football team (Results)
• National futsal team

Men's

• International footballers
• National under-17 football team
• National under-20 football team
• National under-23 football team
• National football team (Results (2020–present)
• National under-20 futsal team
• National futsal team
• National beach soccer team

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
2. Japan Football Association(in Japanese)
3. "Japan: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". Retrieved 23 June 2017.
4. "Japan claim maiden title". fifa.com. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
5. "2015 FIFA Women's World Cup: Complete Tournament Results". ABC News. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
6. Japan Football Association (in Japanese)
7. JFA to show appreciation for support from football family FIFA
8. Japan banner a global message FIFA
9. "Japan edge USA for maiden title". FIFA. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
10. "Women's World Cup final: Japan beat USA on penalties". BBC Sport. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
11. "Olympics football: USA beat Japan to secure gold in Wembley thriller". BBC. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
12. "Nadeshiko Japan beats Australia to win Women's Asian Cup". The Japan Times. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
13. "Japan lift 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup". Goal.com. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
14. Australia, Chinese Taipei only record at the time of enrollment
15. Played as Czechoslovakia
16. https://www.jfa.jp/eng/news/00025759/
17. "Women's game thriving in the Algarve". FIFA. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
18. "Argentina Replaces Japan at 2021 SheBelieves Cup, Presented by Visa". US Soccer. 28 January 2021.

External links

• Japan women's national football team – official website at JFA.jp (in English)
• Japan profile at FIFA.com (in English)
• Japan national team 2021 schedule at JFA.jp (in Japanese)