Women’s World Cup 2023: Japan in-depth team guide and prediction

Here’s your guide to Japan at the Women’s World Cup 2023. This article is part of a collaboration with the Guardian, along with leading newspapers from each of the participating countries at the tournament.

This guide was written by Mari Hibino and translated by Ben Mabley.

Japan: Overview

The Nadeshiko Japan women’s national team had a magnificent start to the 2010s, being crowned as champions at the 2011 World Cup in Germany and a silver medal at the London Olympics the year after before a runners-up finish at the 2015 World Cup in Canada. However, the reality is that the current generation has not yet lived up to the heightened expectations, with elimination at the round of 16 in 2019 and the quarter-finals at the Olympics two years ago.

The Portland Thorns midfielder Hina Sugita, however, recently spoke of the sense of urgency among her teammates. “We were very disappointed not to progress further in the past. If we don’t dig in our nails now, it’s only going to get tougher for women’s football in this country,” she said. The current coach, Futoshi Ikeda, took over in October 2021 with the task of giving the team a new start towards reclaiming that title of world champions. This World Cup will be their first global competition since he took over.

This year’s team features many players who have performed well at underage category World Cups in the past, and as a collective is clearly improving with each passing match. Defender Moeka Minami says “we want to use this World Cup as an opportunity to reinvigorate women’s football in Japan”.

One of the team’s key players, Yui Hasegawa, has a sparkle in her eyes when talking about the World Cup. “Results now are everything when we think of the future for women’s football in Japan. I’m looking forward to showing how much of a difference I can make individually. Succeeding at the World Cup is now our immediate objective. I want us to express our qualities as Japanese on the pitch.”

Undoubtedly, the team’s performances at this World Cup will have a major impact on public enthusiasm for women’s football in Japan going forward. Ikeda certainly piqued interest in the tournament by leaving out star player Mana Iwabuchi from the World Cup squad.

“Iwabuchi is a player who has done a lot to drive this team forward but I am choosing 23 players for this specific time and there is no one reason for my choices,” Ikeda said. “It’s about form, fitness, the state of the team and what we need in certain situations.”

Japan: The coach

Futoshi Ikeda. The coach who led Japan to glory at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in 2018, Ikeda has chosen several of his former players for the full national team this year as well. His professional playing career as a defender lasted four years, all spent with Urawa Reds, while as a manager he is known for his cheery personality and passionate leadership. The players have bestowed upon him the nickname “Atsuo”, meaning “fiery man”, and they are strongly supportive of their manager. The striker Mina Tanaka says “he always finds the right words to send us onto the pitch full of bravery and confidence”.

Japan: Star player

Mina Tanaka. At 29 years of age, Tanaka is the oldest forward in the squad, and her 28 goals make her the highest scorer too. She has developed into an experienced striker and has finished top scorer of the Japanese domestic league four times. Her ability to perform when it counts has been evident ever since her full international debut in 2013, when she scored against Germany. Tanaka is capable of unleashing powerful shots with either foot, can break behind defensive lines, and is physically strong enough to hold up play as well.

Japan: Rising star

Aoba Fujino. An exciting new face recently named as one of five rising stars in Japan’s WE League. But Fujino is self-critical: “I’m happy to get such a great honour, but I’m not there yet. I want to develop into the sort of player worthy of such acclaim.” She was only called into the full national squad for the first time last year, but she is already a massive presence in the side and clearly prepared for this World Cup. “Being young is no excuse when you’re out on the pitch. I want to compete and show my best on the world stage.”

Japan: Did you know?

Riko Ueki absolutely loves manga. She has a social media account dedicated solely to it, where she even streams live video on a manga theme. Her walls at home are covered in manga pictures, and she has a collection of over 1,000 volumes on her shelves. She always reads manga on her way to matches.

Japan: Standing of women’s football in Japan?

The environment for women’s football in Japan has changed significantly since the national team won the World Cup in 2011. More girls have taken up football and it is now one of the most popular sports for girls and women in Japan. The first fully professional league, the WE League, was launched in 2021-22 and has now completed its second season. All matches are shown live on the streaming service DAZN, but with viewing figures still relatively limited, performances at this World Cup will be key to its future popularity.

Japan: Realistic aim at the World Cup?

Japan are of course aiming to become world champions, but the first goal is to reach the quarter-finals after failure to do so in 2019. The team is still developing, and it should be able to grow into title contenders throughout the tournament.