Japan women's national football team

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, a team representing Japan participated in its first international tournament, the 1977 AFC Women's Championship. But this team was not actually a national team, since the Japan Football Association dispatched a club team, FC Jinnan as its representative.^[7][8] In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held. In 1981, the Japan Football Association formed the first national team for the 1981 AFC Women's Championship^[9] and Seiki Ichihara managed as the first Japan national team manager.^[2] The first match against Chinese Taipei on 7 June at this tournament was the first match for a Japan national team.^[2] In 1984, a national team was gathered for the first time in three years for a China expedition, with Takao Orii managing the squad.^[2]

In January 1986, Ryohei Suzuki became the first full-time manager for the national team. In December, Japan won 2nd place at the 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 along with economic stagnation (Lost Decade) this helped cause 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 faced Germany, Canada and Argentina for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Beginning with a 6–0 thrashing of newcomer Argentina, Japan subsequently fell 0–3 to the eventual champions Germany, followed by a loss of 1–3 to Canada, the team that ultimately finished 4th.

In the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup held in China, they again faced Germany and Argentina, with England making up the group. They started with a 2–2 draw against England, before beating Argentina 1–0. A 0–2 defeat to reigning champion Germany again eliminated Japan from the group stage.

Golden Period (2011–2015)

2011 World Cup

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.^[12][13] 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.^[14]

The Japan Football Association (JFA) was accused of sexism, after flying the men's Olympic team on business class and the women's team on economy class.^[15]

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.^{[citation needed]} Their first match in the group stage of the tournament resulted in a 2–2 draw against the defending champion Australia.^[16] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[17]

2015 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.

Brief decline (2016–2021)

2019 World Cup

While Japan remains on a title and a runners-up spot at the last two editions of the World Cup as well as a runner-up spot at the 2012 Olympics, it failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics while the World Cup 2019 sees the country of the Rising Sun being knocked out pretty quickly. Nadeshiko Japan, who no longer benefit from the surprise effect unlike previous tournaments, passed the first round without glory, with a narrow victory over Scotland (2–1) a goalless draw against Argentina (0–0) as well as a defeat against England (0–2) in the last group match for first place in group D. The Japanese find the Netherlands at the same stage of the competition as there is 4 years old, but the confrontation this time turns to the advantage of the Oranje who take their revenge and eliminated Japan by the same score by which they had lost in 2015 (1–2).

Olympic Games in 2021 at home

Japan is encountering the same difficulties during the 2020 Olympic Games organized at home and postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In front of their public, Japan passed the first round with difficulty, with a victory snatched in extremis on the edge of the last quarter of an hour of the game on the last day against Chile (1–0) to finish among the 2 best 3rd in the group, having had a few scares with a header from the Chilean Francisca Lara having rebounded on the goal line without crossing it just after hitting the bar,^[18] and this shortly before the saving Japanese goal. Japan, which had in the meantime struggled against the other top names in the group (1–1 draw against Canada after being behind and missing a penalty, 0–1 defeat against Great Britain), confirms its difficulties against to the big teams like this first round and the 2019 World Cup by falling in the next round against Sweden (1–3).

2023 World Cup

Japan finished first in Group C with Spain, Zambia and Costa Rica, winning all three group games, scoring 11 goals and conceded none. Japan's technical mastery made a strong impression in particular in her 4–0 victory against Spain, the eventual champion. That was a landmark match that broke long-held FIFA records. Japan women's 23% of possession is the lowest for a winning side at the FIFA Women's World Cup since 2011. This is often compared to Japan 2-1 Spain in 2022 FIFA World Cup Group E, which Japan's 18% of possession is the lowest for a winning side at the FIFA World Cup since 1966.^[19][20][21] Match statistics reflected Japan women was more incisive and efficient, with only 23% possession, their expected goal (xG) was 0.9 vs 0.7, shots attempted were 7 vs 10, shots on target were 5 vs 2, and goals scored were 4 vs 0.^[22]

In the knockout stage, Japan was able to beat Norway 3–1^[23] and advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015. Facing Sweden, another Scandinavian in the quarter-finals, Japan was hailed as favorite due to their four consecutive wins at this World Cup, but, unfortunately for the Nadeshiko, they were unable to create as many chances as they did against Norway. Japan found themselves trailing by 2 goals to nothing at halftime, and Honoka Hayashi's goal in the 87th minute ended as the only effort Japan could effectively turn into a goal. Losing by 2–1, they were eliminated from the World Cup, and the second time in succession that Japan fell to Sweden in a major competition, as they were also eliminated at the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics just two years prior, on 2021.

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.

Rivalries

South Korea

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

North Korea

The Japan and North Korea national football teams are AFC's rivals.

China

The Japan and China national football teams are AFC's rivals.

Australia

The Japan and Australia national soccer teams are AFC's rivals.

United States

The Japan and United States are sporting rivals.

• All results list Japan goal tally first.
• Goal scorers are sorted alphabetically.
• Colors gold, silver, and bronze indicate first-, second-, and third-place finishes.

Overall record

Competition	Stage	Result	Opponent	Position	Scorers
1981 Asian Championship	Round 1	0–1	Chinese Taipei	3 / 4
		0–2	Thailand
		1–0	Indonesia		Handa
1986 Asian Championship	Round 1	0–2	China	2 / 3
		10–0	Malaysia		Takakura (2), Nagamine (4), Kioka (2), Tezuka, Matsuda
	Semifinals	4–0	Thailand		Kioka, Nagamine, Noda, Matsuda
	Final	0–2	China
1989 Asian Championship	Round 1	3–0	Hong Kong	1 / 4
		11–0	Indonesia
		14–0	Nepal
	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	1 / 5
		4–1	Hong Kong
		12–0	Malaysia
		12–0	Singapore
	Semifinals	0–0 (PSO: 5–4)	Chinese Taipei
	Final	0–5	China
1991 World Cup	Round 1	0–1	Brazil	4 / 4
		0–8	Sweden
		0–3	United States
1993 Asian Championship	Round 1	6–1	Chinese Taipei	1 / 4
		15–0	Philippines
		4–0	Hong Kong
	Semifinals	1–3	China
	Final	3–0	Chinese Taipei
1994 Asian Games	Round 1	1–1	China	2 / 4
		3–0	Chinese Taipei
		5–0	South Korea
	Final	0–2	China
1995 World Cup	Round 1	0–1	Germany	3 / 4
		2–1	Brazil
		0–2	Sweden
	Quarterfinals	0–4	United States
1995 Asian Championship	Round 1	1–0	South Korea	1 / 4
		6–0	India
		17–0	Uzbekistan
	Semifinals	3–0	Chinese Taipei
	Final	0–2	China
1996 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–3	Germany	4 / 4
		0–2	Brazil
		0–4	Norway
1997 Asian Championship	Round 1	21–0	Guam	1 / 4
		1–0	India
		9–0	Hong Kong
	Semifinals	0–1	North Korea
	Third place	2–0	Chinese Taipei
1998 Asian Games	Round 1	6–0	Thailand	2 / 4
		2–3	North Korea
		8–0	Vietnam
	Semifinals	0–3	China
	Third place	2–1	Chinese Taipei
1999 World Cup	Round 1	1–1	Canada	4 / 4
		0–5	Russia
		0–4	Norway
1999 Asian Championship	Round 1	9–0	Thailand	1 / 5
		5–1	Uzbekistan
		14–0	Nepal
		6–0	Philippines
	Semifinals	0–2	Chinese Taipei
	Third place	2–3	North Korea
2001 Asian Championship	Round 1	14–0	Singapore	2 / 5
		11–0	Guam
		0–1	North Korea
		3–1	Vietnam
	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	1 / 5
		7–0	Guam
		7–0	Myanmar
		5–0	Chinese Taipei
	Semifinals	0–3	North Korea
	Third place	0–1	South Korea
2003 World Cup	Round 1	6–0	Argentina	3 / 4
		0–3	Germany
		1–3	Canada
2004 Summer Olympics	Round 1	1–0	Sweden	3 / 3
		0–1	Nigeria
	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	1 / 4
		4–0	Thailand
		1–0	China
	Semifinals	3–1	South Korea
	Final	0–0 (PSO: 2–4)	South Korea
2006 Asian Championship	Round 1	5–0	Vietnam	1 / 4
		11–1	Chinese Taipei
		1–0	China
	Semifinals	0–2	Australia
	Third place	2–3	North Korea
2007 World Cup	Round 1	2–2	England	3 / 4
		1–0	Argentina
		0–2	Germany
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	1 / 4
		11–0	Chinese Taipei
		3–1	Australia
	Semifinals	1–3	China
	Third place	3–0	Australia
2008 Summer Olympics qualification	Final round	2–0	Vietnam	1 / 4
		4–0	Thailand
		6–1	South Korea
2008 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–2	New Zealand	3 / 4
		0–1	United States
		5–1	Norway
	Quarterfinals	2–0	China
	Semifinals	2–4	United States
	Third place	0–2	Germany
2010 East Asian Championship	Round 1	2–0	China
		3–0	Chinese Taipei
		2–1	South Korea	1 / 4
2010 Asian Cup	Round 1	8–0	Myanmar	1 / 4
		4–0	Thailand
		2–1	North Korea
	Semifinals	0–1	Australia
	Third place	2–0	China
2010 Asian Games	Round 1	4–0	Thailand	1 / 3
		0–0	North Korea
	Semifinals	1–0	China
	Final	1–0	North Korea
2011 World Cup	Round 1	2–1	New Zealand	2 / 4
		4–0	Mexico
		0–2	England
	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	2 / 4
		0–0	Sweden
		0–0	South Africa
	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	1 / 4
		4–0	Vietnam
		7–0	Jordan
	Semifinals	2–1	China PR
	Final	1–0	Australia		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2015 World Cup	Round 1	1–0	Switzerland	1 / 4
		2–1	Cameroon
		1–0	Ecuador
	Round of 16	2–1	Netherlands
	Quarterfinals	1–0	Australia
	Semifinals	2–1	England
	Final	2–5	United States
2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup	Round 1	4–0	Vietnam	2 / 4
		0–0	South Korea
		1–1	Australia
	Semi-finals	3–1	China
	Final	1–0	Australia		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2018 Asian Games	Round 1	2–0	Thailand	1 / 3
		7–0	Vietnam
	Quarter-finals	2–1	North Korea
	Semi-finals	2–1	South Korea
	Final	1–0	China
2019 World Cup	Round 1	0–0	Argentina	2 / 4
		2–1	Scotland
		0–2	England
	Round of 16	1–2	Netherlands
2020 Summer Olympics	Round 1	1–1	Canada	3 / 4
		0–1	Great Britain
		1–0	Chile
	Quarterfinals	1–3	Sweden
2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup	Round 1	5–0	Myanmar	1 / 4
		3–0	Vietnam
		1–1	South Korea
	Quarterfinals	7–0	Thailand
	Semifinals	2–2 (PSO: 3–4)	China
2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women)	Final round	2–1	South Korea
		4–1	Chinese Taipei
		0–0	China	1 / 4

source:^[24]

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

• Historical results (2010–present) – JFA.jp

Legend

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

2023

Denmark  v  Japan

11 April International friendly	Denmark	1–0	Japan	Odense, Denmark
18:00 UTC+2	Minami 7' (o.g.)	Report (JFA)		Stadium: Odense Stadium

Japan  v  Panama

14 July MS & AD Cup	Japan	5–0	Panama	Sendai, Japan
19:05 UTC+9	Shimizu 33' Hasegawa 37', 61' Fujino 60' Minami 90+2'	Source		Stadium: Yurtec Stadium Sendai

Zambia  v  Japan

22 July 2023 FIFA World Cup GS	Zambia	0–5	Japan	Hamilton, New Zealand
19:00 UTC+12		Report	Miyazawa 43', 62' Tanaka 55' Endō 71' Ueki 90+11' (pen.)	Stadium: Waikato Stadium Attendance: 16,111 Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)

Japan  v  Costa Rica

26 July 2023 FIFA World Cup GS	Japan	2–0	Costa Rica	Dunedin, New Zealand
17:00 UTC+12	Naomoto 25' Fujino 27'	Report		Stadium: Forsyth Barr Stadium Attendance: 6,992 Referee: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (Italy)

Japan  v  Spain

31 July 2023 FIFA World Cup GS	Japan	4–0	Spain	Wellington, New Zealand
19:00 UTC+12	Miyazawa 12', 40' Ueki 29' Tanaka 82'	Report		Stadium: Wellington Regional Stadium Attendance: 20,957 Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (United States)

Japan  v  Norway

5 August 2023 FIFA World Cup R16	Japan	3–1	Norway	Wellington, New Zealand
20:00 UTC+12	Engen 15' (o.g.) Shimizu 50' Miyazawa 81'	Report	Reiten 20'	Stadium: Wellington Regional Stadium Attendance: 33,042 Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)

Japan  v  Sweden

11 August 2023 FIFA World Cup QF	Japan	1–2	Sweden	Auckland, New Zealand
19:30 UTC+12	Hayashi 87'	Report	Ilestedt 32' Angeldahl 51' (pen.)	Stadium: Eden Park Attendance: 43,217 Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)

Japan  v  Argentina

23 September International friendly	Japan	8–0	Argentina	Kitakyushu, Japan
12:00 UTC+9	Tanaka 2' Hasegawa 10', 39' Takahashi 25' Seike 61', 90+2' Sugita 66' Ueki 80'	Report (JFA)		Stadium: Kitakyushu Stadium Attendance: 7,265 Referee: Oh Hyeon-jeong (South Korea)

Japan  v  India

26 October 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R2	Japan	7–0	India	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
15:00 UTC+5	Nakashima 17', 46' Hayashi 53' Tanaka 54' Moriya 57' Seike 73' Naomoto 82'	Report		Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium

Uzbekistan  v  Japan

29 October 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R2	Uzbekistan	0–2	Japan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
17:00 UTC+5		Report	Minami 10' Chiba 15'	Stadium: Bunyodkor Stadium

Japan  v  Vietnam

1 November 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R2	Japan	2–0	Vietnam	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
15:00 UTC+5	Shimizu 40' Moriya 53'	Report		Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium

Brazil  v  Japan

30 November Friendly	Brazil	4–3	Japan	São Paulo, Brazil
15:15 UTC−3	Bia Zaneratto 41', 63' Gabi Portilho 61' Priscila 90+6'	Report	Fujino 38' Endo 86' (pen.) Tanaka 88'	Stadium: Arena Corinthians Referee: María Victoria Daza [es] (Colombia)

Brazil  v  Japan

3 December Friendly	Brazil	0–2	Japan	São Paulo, Brazil
11:00 UTC−3		Report	Minami 15' Tanaka 18'	Stadium: Estádio do Morumbi

• Fixtures & Results (2023), JFA.jp

2024

North Korea  v  Japan

24 February 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R3	North Korea	0–0	Japan	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
16:04 UTC+3				Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium

Japan  v  North Korea

28 February 2024 Olympic Qualifiers R3	Japan	2–1 (2–1 agg.)	North Korea	Tokyo, Japan
18:30 UTC+9				Stadium: Japan National Stadium

United States  v  Japan

6 April SheBelieves Cup SF	United States	2–1	Japan	Atlanta, United States
12:30 ET	Shaw 21' Horan 77' (pen.)	Report	Seike 1'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 50,644 Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)

Japan  v  Brazil

9 April SheBelieves Cup 3rd	Japan	1–1 (0–3 p)	Brazil	Columbus, United States
16:00 ET	Tanaka 35'	Report	Cristiane 71'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 12,001 Referee: Danielle Chesky (United States)
	Penalties
	Seike Nagano Hasegawa		Cristiane Tarciane Angelina

Japan  v TBD

13 July MS&AD Cup	Japan	v	TBD	Kanazawa, Japan
		Source		Stadium: Kanazawa Go Go Curry Stadium

Spain  v  Japan

25 July 2024 Olympic Games GS	Spain	v	Japan	Nantes, France
				Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire

Brazil  v  Japan

28 July 2024 Olympic Games GS	Brazil	v	Japan	Paris, France
				Stadium: Parc de Princes

Japan  v  Nigeria

31 July 2024 Olympic Games GS	Japan	v	Nigeria	Nantes, France
				Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire

• Fixtures & Results (2024), JFA.jp

• The following table shows Japan women's all-time international record, correct as of 3 December 2023.

• Source: Worldfootball.net

As of 3 December 2023, after the match against  Brazil.

Head-to-head record
CONMEBOL (CONMEBOL)
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
Brazil	16	7	3	6
Argentina	6	5	1	0
Colombia	1	1	0	0
Chile	2	1	1	0
Ecuador	1	1	0	0
Paraguay	1	1	0	0
	26	16	4	6
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)[25]
Team (nation)	Pld	W	D	L
New Zealand	11	9	2	0
Total	11	9	2	0
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	15	5	3	7
Russia	6	4	0	2
England	10	1	2	7
Norway	10	7	0	3
Czech Republic[26]	1	0	0	1
Slovakia	1	1	0	0
Finland	3	2	0	1
Great Britain	1	0	0	1
Hungary	1	1	0	0
Austria	1	1	0	0
Denmark	9	5	1	3
Netherlands	9	4	1	4
Scotland	3	3	0	0
Portugal	2	2	0	0
Iceland	4	3	0	1
Switzerland	2	2	0	0
Spain	6	1	1	4
Belgium	1	0	1	0
Serbia	1	1	0	0
Total	116	48	11	57
	452	237	69	146

Current coaching staff

As of 13 June 2023.

Role	Name	Start date	Ref.
Head coach	Futoshi Ikeda	1 October 2021	[27][28]
Assistant coach	Tomomi Miyamoto
Assistant coach	Kensuke Teraguchi
GK coach	Toshihiro Nishiiri
Physical coach	Keisuke Otsuka
Technical staff	Kei Mihara

• Players & Staffs (2024), JFA.jp

Manager history

Name	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Winning %	Notes	Ref.
Seiki Ichihara (市原 聖曠)	1981	0	0	0	0	0%
Takao Orii (折井 孝男)	1984	0	0	0	0	0%
Ryohei Suzuki (鈴木 良平)	1986–1989	0	0	0	0	0%
Satoshi Miyauchi (宮内 聡)	1997–1999	0	0	0	0	0%
Shinobu Ikeda (池田 司信)	2000–2001	0	0	0	0	0%
Eiji Ueda (上田 栄治)	2002–2004	0	0	0	0	0%
Hiroshi Ohashi (大橋 浩司)	2004–2008	0	0	0	0	0%
Norio Sasaki (佐々木 則夫)	2008–2016	0	0	0	0	0%
Asako Takakura (高倉 麻子)	2016–2021	0	0	0	0	0%		[24]
Futoshi Ikeda (池田 太)	2021–present	33	21	4	8	55.56%		[29]

As of 3 December 2023, after the match against  Brazil.

Current squad

The following 22 players were named to the squad for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup.^[30]

Caps and goals are correct as of 6 April 2024, after the match against  United States.^[31]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ayaka Yamashita (山下 杏也加)	(1995-09-29) 29 September 1995 (age 28)	68	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
18	1GK	Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳)	(1996-12-31) 31 December 1996 (age 27)	7	0	Albirex Niigata
21	1GK	Shu Ohba (大場 朱羽)	(2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Ole Miss Rebels
2	2DF	Risa Shimizu (清水 梨紗)	(1996-06-15) 15 June 1996 (age 27)	76	4	West Ham United
3	2DF	Moeka Minami (南 萌華)	(1998-12-07) 7 December 1998 (age 25)	49	4	Roma
4	2DF	Saki Kumagai (熊谷 紗希)	(1990-10-17) 17 October 1990 (age 33)	150	2	Roma
5	2DF	Miyabi Moriya (守屋 都弥)	(1996-08-22) 22 August 1996 (age 27)	7	2	INAC Kobe Leonessa
12	2DF	Rion Ishikawa (石川 璃音)	(2003-07-04) 4 July 2003 (age 20)	6	0	Urawa Reds
13	2DF	Hikaru Kitagawa (北川ひかる)	(1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 26)	7	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
20	2DF	Tōko Koga (古賀 塔子)	(2006-01-06) 6 January 2006 (age 18)	5	0	Feyenoord
6	3MF	Hina Sugita (杉田 妃和)	(1997-01-31) 31 January 1997 (age 27)	47	3	Portland Thorns
7	3MF	Hinata Miyazawa (宮澤 ひなた)	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 24)	34	9	Manchester United
10	3MF	Fuka Nagano (長野 風花)	(1999-03-09) 9 March 1999 (age 25)	36	1	Liverpool
14	3MF	Yui Hasegawa (長谷川 唯)	(1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 27)	81	20	Manchester City
16	3MF	Honoka Hayashi (林 穂之香)	(1998-05-19) 19 May 1998 (age 25)	31	2	West Ham United
19	3MF	Momoko Tanikawa (谷川 萌々子)	(2005-05-07) 7 May 2005 (age 18)	4	0	Rosengård
8	4FW	Mami Ueno (上野 真実)	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 27)	11	1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina
9	4FW	Riko Ueki (植木 理子)	(1999-07-30) 30 July 1999 (age 24)	33	11	West Ham United
11	4FW	Mina Tanaka (田中 美南)	(1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 (age 30)	78	34	INAC Kobe Leonessa
15	4FW	Aoba Fujino (藤野 あおば)	(2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 20)	20	4	Tokyo Verdy Beleza
17	4FW	Kiko Seike (清家 貴子)	(1996-08-08) 8 August 1996 (age 27)	19	7	Urawa Reds
22	4FW	Maika Hamano (浜野 まいか)	(2004-05-09) 9 May 2004 (age 19)	7	0	Chelsea

(Players are listed within position group by order of kit number, seniority, caps, goals, and then alphabetically)

Recent call-ups

The following players have been named to the squad in the past 12 months.^[32]

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Momoko Tanaka (田中 桃子)	(2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24)	7	0	Tokyo Verdy Beleza	v.  North Korea, 28 February 2024
DF	Hana Takahashi (高橋 はな)	(2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24)	24	3	Urawa Reds	v.  North Korea, 28 February 2024
DF	Shiori Miyake (三宅 史織)	(1995-10-13) 13 October 1995 (age 28)	42	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa	v.  Brazil, 3 December 2023
DF	Saori Takarada (宝田 沙織)	(1999-12-27) 27 December 1999 (age 24)	20	1	Leicester City	v.  Argentina, 23 September 2023
DF	Ruka Norimatsu (乗松 瑠華)	(1996-01-30) 30 January 1996 (age 28)	9	0	Omiya Ardija Ventus	v.  Denmark, 11 April 2023
MF	Yoshino Nakashima (中嶋 淑乃)	(1999-07-27) 27 July 1999 (age 24)	6	2	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	v.  North Korea, 28 February 2024
MF	Hikaru Naomoto (猶本 光)	(1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 30)	40	4	Urawa Reds	v.  Brazil, 3 December 2023 INJ
MF	Narumi Miura (三浦 成美)	(1997-07-03) 3 July 1997 (age 26)	31	0	North Carolina Courage	v.  Argentina, 23 September 2023
FW	Remina Chiba (千葉 玲海菜)	(1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 24)	9	3	Eintracht Frankfurt	v.  North Korea, 28 February 2024
FW	Jun Endo (遠藤 純)	(2000-05-24) 24 May 2000 (age 23)	44	5	Angel City FC	v.  Brazil, 3 December 2023 INJ
FW	Mana Iwabuchi (岩渕 真奈)	(1993-03-18) 18 March 1993 (age 31)	89	37	Retired	v.  Denmark, 11 April 2023
FW	Rikako Kobayashi (小林 里歌子)	(1997-07-21) 21 July 1997 (age 26)	16	4	North Carolina Courage	v.  Denmark, 11 April 2023 INJ
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

(Players are listed within position group by order of latest call-up, caps, goals, and then alphabetically)

Previous squads

Bold indicates winning squads

Captains

Bold indicates current captain

• Yumi Obe (?–2004)
• Hiromi Ikeda (2004–2008)
• Homare Sawa (2008–2012)
• Aya Miyama (2012–2016)
• Saki Kumagai (2016–present)

As of 3 December 2023

*Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Most capped players

Top goalscorers

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, 2022

Runners-up: 1990, 1994, 2006, 2014

Regional

• EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Champions: 2008, 2010, 2019, 2022

Runners-up: 2013, 2017

Other tournaments

• Algarve Cup

Runners-up: 2012, 2014

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD	Squad	Coach
1991	Group stage	3	0	0	3	0	12	−12	Squad	Tamotsu Suzuki
1995	Quarter-finals	4	1	0	3	2	8	−6	Squad
1999	Group stage	3	0	1	2	1	10	−9	Squad	Satoshi Miyauchi
2003		3	1	0	2	7	6	+1	Squad	Eiji Ueda
2007		3	1	1	1	3	4	−1	Squad	Hiroshi Ohashi
2011	Champions	6	4	1	1	12	6	+6	Squad	Norio Sasaki
2015	Runners-up	7	6	0	1	11	8	+3	Squad
2019	Round of 16	4	1	1	2	3	5	−2	Squad	Asako Takakura
2023	Quarter-finals	5	4	0	1	15	3	+12	Squad	Futoshi Ikeda
Total	9/9	38	18	4	16	54	62	−8

*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 (p))
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
2023	Group stage	22 July	Zambia	W 5–0	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
		26 July	Costa Rica	W 2–0	Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
		31 July	Spain	W 4–0	Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
	Round of 16	5 August	Norway	W 3–1
	Quarter-finals	11 August	Sweden	L 1–2	Eden Park, Auckland

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD	Squad	Coach
1996	Round 1	3	0	0	3	2	9	−7	Squad	Tamotsu Suzuki
2000	Did not qualify
2004	Quarter-finals	3	1	0	2	2	3	−1	Squad	Eiji Ueda
2008	Fourth place	6	2	1	3	11	10	+1	Squad	Norio Sasaki
2012	Runners-up	6	3	2	1	7	4	+3	Squad
2016	Did not qualify
2020	Quarter-finals	4	1	1	2	3	5	−2	Squad	Asako Takakura
2024	Qualified								Squad	Futoshi Ikeda
Total	6/8	20	6	4	10	23	28	−5	—	—

*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	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	Canada	D 1–1	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo
		24 July	Great Britain	L 0–1
		27 July	Chile	W 1–0	Miyagi Stadium, Rifu
	Quarter-finals	30 July	Sweden	L 1–3
2024	Round 1	25 July	Spain		Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
		28 July	Brazil		Parc des Princes, Paris
		31 July	Nigeria		Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes