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Japan's love affair with the FIFA World Cup began a mere 12 years back in France 1998 where they qualified for the first time in the nation's history. Co-hosting the 2002 World Cup, they entered unknown territory by qualifying for the round of 16 only to lose out to Turkey by a solitary goal. In 2006, a dismal group phase saw them lose 2 and draw 1 game and hence, not even come in the reckoning for a place in the latter stages.

Japan are ranked 45th in the world and are placed in Group E alongside the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark. They are the lowest ranked team in their group and if they manage to make their way in the round of 16, it will be a job well done.

Japan went into the AFC Asia Cup 2007 as defending champions but were knocked out by Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals. They lost the encounter 4-3 in what was considered one of the best games of the tournament. They eventually finished 4th losing to Korea Republic in the 3rd-4th place play off.

Japan finished 2nd behind Australia in their group winning 4, drawing 3 and losing 1 of their 8 games. They drew 3 of their four games at home, failing to score more than a single goal in any of the their four home fixtures. Their only defeat came at the hands of Australia.

Japan are slight underdogs in their group. Their tournament opener is against Cameroon and it is a must win clash for the Samurai Blue. A victory against Denmark could ensure qualification but it looks highly unlikely that the Japanese would able to beat any of their group members. But the World Cup is all about surprises and the Japanese could easily be the surprise package of the early rounds.

Key Players:

Yuji Nakazawa - The inspirational captain, Yuji Nakazawa is a composed central defender and the third most capped player in Japan’s history. He has great aerial ability and is a constant threat at set-pieces. He scored three times in the qualifying campaign and Japan will be looking to use his set-piece exploits to good effect this summer in South Africa.

Shunsuke Nakamura - The best player ever to come out of Japan since Hidetoshi Nakata, Shunsuke Nakamura is a legend already in his home country. The left footed playmaker is also gifted with the ability to land the ball in the corridor of uncertainty from corners and wide positions. Everything moving forward for Japan would go through Nakamura, and he is likely to relish the spotlight.

Keisuke Honda - The 23-year old midfielder is the next generation of Japanese super stardom, and like Nakamura is quite phenomenal at set plays. His move from the relatively unknown world of VVV Venlo in the Dutch League to CSKA Moscow has been incredibly memorable already. His ability to find the back of the net from dead ball situations leaves Japan with an embarrassment of riches in that department.

Team:

Goalkeepers: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale).

Defenders: Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers).

Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F Marinos), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble), Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds) Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow).

Forwards: Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Kishi Yano (Albirex Niigata), Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania).

Top Goal Scorers: Yuji Nakazawa(17), Shunsuke Nakamura(24)

Head Coach: Takeshi Okada

Form Guide: (LLLLW)
Mar 03, Japan 2-0 Bahrain
Apr 07, Japan 0-3 Serbia
May 24, Japan 0-2 South Korea
May 30, Japan 1-2 England
Jun 04, Japan 0-2 Ivory Coast

Fixtures:
14-Jun: Japan vs. Cameroon 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report
19-Jun: Netherlands vs. Japan 12:30pm (GMT) - Match Report
24-Jun: Denmark vs. Japan 7:30pm (GMT) - Match Report

Also Read:

Group Competitior Previews: Netherlands, Denmark, Cameroon

Group E Preview

File Photograph Copyright: Ryu Voelkel

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