Japan national under-23 football team

The Japan national under-23 football team (Japanese: U-23サッカー日本代表) is a national association football youth team of Japan and is controlled by the Japan Football Association. The team won the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games and were champions in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship. Since 1992, it was decided that teams targeting athletes under the age of 23 will participate in the Olympics (additional provisions for overage limits have been added since 1996). Therefore, the name changes to Japan national under-22 football team the year before the Olympics and Japan national under-21 football team two years prior. The exception to this was the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed one year, so in 2021, the team was called the Japan national under-24 football team. At the 2024 Olympics, they advanced to the Knockout stage without three overage players and several key players.

Japan U-23
NicknameOlympic Japan
AssociationJFA
ConfederationAFC
Sub-confederationEAFF
Head coachGo Oiwa
Most capsMao Hosoya
(35)
Top scorerShoya Nakajima (19)
FIFA codeJPN
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Malaysia 1–1 Japan 
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; December 1990)
Biggest win
 Japan 13–0 Philippines 
(Hong Kong; 12 June 1999)
Biggest defeat
 Denmark 6–1 Japan 
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 6 February 1994)
Olympic Games
Appearances8 (first in 1996)
Best resultFourth place (2012, 2020)
Asian Games
Appearances7 (first in 2002)
Best result Gold medalists (2010)
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Appearances7 (first in 2013)
Best result Champions (2016, 2024)

Team image

Nicknames

"サムライ・ブルー (Samurai Blue)" basically refers to the Japan national football team, but the under-23 football team are sometimes referred to as "Young" Samurai Blue. However, in reality, Samurai Blue is not often used. In the Olympic Games, the name Olympíc Japan "オリンピックジャパン (Orinpikku Japan)" is used to referred to U-23 national team.

Rivalries

South Korea

Japan maintains a strong football rivalry with South Korea, even in youth set-ups.

Results and fixtures

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2025

U-22

Saudi Arabia  v  Japan
25 July Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup Saudi Arabia  1–5  Japan Tashkent, Uzbekistan
20:00 UTC+5
  • Khadhari 28'
Report
  • Nwadike 6'
  • Yada 45+3'
  • Inoue 56'
  • Shinkawa 90+1'
  • Yasuno 90+5'
Stadium: JAR Stadium
Uzbekistan  v  Japan
28 July Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup Uzbekistan  0–2  Japan Tashkent, Uzbekistan
20:00 UTC+5 Report
  • Shimamoto 61'
  • Inoue 88'
Stadium: JAR Stadium

U-23

Japan  v  Afghanistan
3 September 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qual. Japan  3–0  Afghanistan Yangon, Myanmar
19:00 UTC+6:30
  • Shinkawa 8'
  • Nawata 42'
  • Goto 90+4'
Stadium: Thuwunna Stadium
Attendance: 340
Referee: Tuan Yaasin (Malaysia)
Myanmar  v  Japan
6 September 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qual. Myanmar  1–2  Japan Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon
16:00 UTC+6:30
  • Swan Htet 80'
  • Okabe 52'
  • Nawata 90+2' (pen.)
Attendance: 7,300
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan)
Japan  v  Kuwait
9 September 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qual. Japan  6–1  Kuwait Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon
19:00 UTC+6:30
  • Kawai 19', 40', 56'
  • Nwadike 32' (pen.)
  • Yada 42'
  • Goto 90+4'
  • Boodai 10'
Attendance: 85
Referee: Tuan Yaasin (Malaysia)
  • Fixtures & Results (2025)

Head-to-head record

As of 27 September 2025, after the match against Kuwait.

The following table shows Japan under-23 team's all-time international record.

Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Confederation
 Afghanistan 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 AFC
 Australia 11 5 0 6 20 15 +5 AFC
 Bahrain 3 1 1 1 6 2 +4 AFC
 Cambodia 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 AFC
 China 8 4 0 4 10 5 +5 AFC
 Chinese Taipei 4 4 0 0 15 1 +14 AFC
 Hong Kong 7 6 0 1 19 4 +15 AFC
 Indonesia 3 3 0 0 10 3 +7 AFC
 India 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 AFC
 Iran 5 2 2 1 10 7 +3 AFC
 Iraq 4 2 1 2 6 6 0 AFC
 Jordan 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 AFC
 Kuwait 6 4 2 0 21 3 +18 AFC
 Lebanon 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 AFC
 Macau 3 3 0 0 21 0 +21 AFC
 Malaysia 17 13 4 0 47 7 +40 AFC
 Myanmar 4 4 0 0 25 1 +24 AFC
   Nepal 5 5 0 0 21 0 +21 AFC
 Oman 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 AFC
 North Korea 4 3 0 1 7 4 +3 AFC
 Qatar 7 5 2 1 12 7 +5 AFC
 Saudi Arabia 8 6 1 1 14 7 +7 AFC
 South Korea 20 6 3 11 25 23 +2 AFC
 Palestine 6 6 0 0 11 1 +10 AFC
 Philippines 3 3 0 0 32 0 +32 AFC
 Pakistan 3 3 0 0 13 2 +11 AFC
 Singapore 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 AFC
 Syria 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 AFC
 Tajikistan 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 AFC
 Thailand 10 9 0 1 26 3 +23 AFC
 Timor-Leste 2 2 0 0 7 0 +7 AFC
 Uzbekistan 4 2 0 2 3 6 –3 AFC
 United Arab Emirates 6 5 1 1 10 2 +7 AFC
 Vietnam 5 4 0 1 9 1 +8 AFC
 Angola 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 CAF
 Egypt 6 2 1 3 2 8 –6 CAF
 Ghana 4 3 0 1 11 2 +9 CAF
 Mali 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 CAF
 Morocco 3 3 0 0 7 2 +5 CAF
 Nigeria 3 0 0 3 5 9 –4 CAF
 South Africa 3 3 0 0 6 1 +5 CAF
 Tunisia 3 1 0 2 4 6 –2 CAF
 Canada 1 0 0 1 0 1 –1 CONCACAF
 Costa Rica 4 1 2 1 5 4 +1 CONCACAF
 Honduras 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 CONCACAF
 Jamaica 2 2 0 0 13 0 +13 CONCACAF
 Mexico 5 2 1 2 10 10 0 CONCACAF
 United States 5 1 2 2 7 9 –2 CONCACAF
 Argentina 4 3 0 1 9 3 +6 CONMEBOL
 Brazil 5 2 2 1 6 5 +1 CONMEBOL
 Chile 1 1 0 0 6 1 +5 CONMEBOL
 Colombia 2 0 1 1 2 4 –2 CONMEBOL
 Ecuador 1 0 0 1 0 1 –1 CONMEBOL
 Paraguay 2 1 0 1 8 4 +4 CONMEBOL
 Venezuela 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 CONMEBOL
 Belgium 1 0 0 1 2 3 –1 UEFA
 Croatia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 UEFA
 Denmark 2 0 1 1 1 6 –5 UEFA
 England 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 UEFA
 Israel 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 UEFA
 Italy 3 0 1 2 3 7 –4 UEFA
 France 2 1 1 0 5 1 +4 UEFA
 Germany 3 1 1 1 9 5 +4 UEFA
 Greece 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 UEFA
 Hungary 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 UEFA
 Kazakhstan 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 UEFA
 Netherlands 2 0 1 1 0 1 –1 UEFA
 Norway 1 0 0 1 2 3 –1 UEFA
 Portugal 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 UEFA
 Republic of Ireland 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 UEFA
 Russia 5 2 2 1 7 5 +2 UEFA
 Spain 5 1 1 3 2 7 –5 UEFA
 Slovakia 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 UEFA
 Sweden 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 UEFA
  Switzerland 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 UEFA
 Ukraine 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 UEFA
 New Zealand 4 2 2 0 9 1 +8 OFC
Against:77 Nations Played:275 Won:166 Drawn:42 Lost:67 GF GA GD Confederation

Coaching staff

Role Name
Head coach Go Oiwa
Assistant coach Kenji Haneda
Goalkeeper coach Yohei Sato
  • Players & Staffs (U21 & U22) (2025), JFA.jp

Players

Current squad

The following U-22 players were called up on 29 August 2025 for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification matches, held on September.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Club
1 1GK Masataka Kobayashi (2005-09-20) 20 September 2005 (age 20) FC Tokyo
12 1GK Shota Uchiyama (2006-11-09) 9 November 2006 (age 19) Albirex Niigata
23 1GK Tomoyasu Hamasaki (2005-04-10) 10 April 2005 (age 20) Meiji University

2 2DF Haruto Matsumoto (2006-09-29) 29 September 2006 (age 19) Kashima Antlers
3 2DF Shuto Nagano (2006-04-01) 1 April 2006 (age 19) Gainare Tottori
4 2DF Kaito Tsuchiya (2006-05-12) 12 May 2006 (age 19) Kawasaki Frontale
5 2DF Kanta Sekitomi (2005-10-23) 23 October 2005 (age 20) Toin University of Yokohama
15 2DF Kairu Ozaki (2005-04-27) 27 April 2005 (age 20) Waseda University
16 2DF Atsushi Inagaki (2005-03-03) 3 March 2005 (age 20) Meiji University
21 2DF Keita Kosugi (2006-03-18) 18 March 2006 (age 19) Eintracht Frankfurt
22 2DF Tariqkani Hayato Okabe (2006-07-05) 5 July 2006 (age 19) Toyo University

6 3MF Toki Sugasawa (2005-05-16) 16 May 2005 (age 20) Kokushikan University
7 3MF Joi Yamamoto (2006-05-18) 18 May 2006 (age 19) Tokyo Verdy
8 3MF Ryunosuke Yada (2006-09-30) 30 September 2006 (age 19) University of Tsukuba
10 3MF Tokumo Kawai (2007-03-03) 3 March 2007 (age 18) Júbilo Iwata
13 3MF Kenshin Yasuda (2005-03-05) 5 March 2005 (age 20) Jong Genk
14 3MF Gaku Nawata (2006-07-29) 29 July 2006 (age 19) Gamba Osaka
3MF Yuichiro Ota (2009-02-10) 10 February 2009 (age 16) St. Louis City 2
3MF Aiki Tsukamoto (2004-12-01) 1 December 2004 (age 21) Hume City FC

9 4FW Keisuke Goto (2005-06-03) 3 June 2005 (age 20) Sint-Truiden
11 4FW Kento Shiogai (2005-03-26) 26 March 2005 (age 20) NEC Nijmegen
17 3MF Shusuke Furuya (2005-01-26) 26 January 2005 (age 20) Tokyo International University
18 4FW Sena Ishibashi (2006-04-22) 22 April 2006 (age 19) Shonan Bellmare
19 4FW Shion Shinkawa (2007-08-06) 6 August 2007 (age 18) Sagan Tosu
4FW Kaique Kenji (2006-01-30) 30 January 2006 (age 19) Cruzeiro

Recent call-ups

The following players were called up to an U-23, U-22 or U-21 squad in the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Shunta Ikeda (2005-04-03) 3 April 2005 (age 20) University of Tsukuba Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025
DF Kotaro Honda (2006-05-20) 20 May 2006 (age 19) Shonan Bellmare Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025
DF Tatsuya Miyazaki (2005-04-26) 26 April 2005 (age 20) Chuo University Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025 INJ

MF Yudai Shimamoto (2006-10-26) 26 October 2006 (age 19) Shimizu S-Pulse 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification, September 2025WD
MF Kosuke Hara (2005-08-03) 3 August 2005 (age 20) Consadole Sapporo Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025
MF Shungo Sugiura (2006-05-14) 14 May 2006 (age 19) Nagoya Grampus Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025
MF Rikuto Ando (2006-08-08) 8 August 2006 (age 19) Tegevajaro Miyazaki Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025
MF Ryunosuke Yada (2006-09-30) 30 September 2006 (age 19) University of Tsukuba Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025

FW Takumi Yasuno (2006-04-08) 8 April 2006 (age 19) Vegalta Sendai Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025
FW Aren Inoue (2006-09-19) 19 September 2006 (age 19) Sanfrecce Hiroshima Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025
FW Keito Kumashiro (2007-10-25) 25 October 2007 (age 18) Roasso Kumamoto Mirabror Usmanov Memorial Cup, 25-28 July 2025 INJ
FW Uche Brian Seo Nwadike (2005-07-07) 7 July 2005 (age 20) Toin University of Yokohama 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
TRP Training partner
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

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

Previous squads

Bold indicates winning squads
Olympic Games
  • 1996 Summer Olympics Squad
  • 2000 Summer Olympics Squad
  • 2004 Summer Olympics Squad
  • 2008 Summer Olympics Squad
  • 2012 Summer Olympics Squad
  • 2016 Summer Olympics Squad
  • 2020 Summer Olympics Squad
  • 2024 Summer Olympics Squad
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
  • 2013 AFC U-22 Championship Squad
  • 2016 AFC U-23 Championship Squad
  • 2018 AFC U-23 Championship Squad
  • 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Squad
  • 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Squad
  • 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Squad
Asian Games
  • 2002 Asian Games Squad
  • 2006 Asian Games Squad
  • 2010 Asian Games Squad
  • 2014 Asian Games Squad
  • 2018 Asian Games Squad
  • 2022 Asian Games Squad

Overaged players in the Olympic Games

Tournament Player 1 Player 2 Player 3
1996
not selected
2000
Seigo Narazaki (GK) Ryuzo Morioka (DF) Atsuhiro Miura (MF)
2004
Hitoshi Sogahata (GK) Shinji Ono (MF) not selected
2008
not selected
2012
Maya Yoshida (DF) Yūhei Tokunaga (DF) not selected
2016
Hiroki Fujiharu (DF) Tsukasa Shiotani (DF) Shinzo Koroki (FW)
2020
Maya Yoshida (DF) Hiroki Sakai (DF) Wataru Endo (MF)
2024
not selected

Manager history

Name Period
Yoshitada Yamaguchi 1990–1992
Akira Nishino 1993–1996
Philippe Troussier 1998–2000
Masakuni Yamamoto 2002–2004
Yasuharu Sorimachi 2006–2008
Takashi Sekizuka 2010–2012
Makoto Teguramori 2014–2016
Hajime Moriyasu 2017–2020
Akinobu Yokouchi 2020
Hajime Moriyasu 2020–2021
Koichi Togashi 2021
Go Oiwa 2021–present

Records

As of 2 August 2024
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
Caps and goals are calculated taking into account all national team levels, including U21, U22, and U23.

Competitive record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA Link
19081988 See Japan national team See Japan national team
1992 Did not qualify 11 6 1 4 22 11 Link
1996 Group stage 9th 3 2 0 1 4 4 9 7 1 1 25 6 Link
2000 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 1 1 6 5 12 12 0 0 66 3 Link
2004 Group stage 13th 3 1 0 2 6 7 8 6 1 1 19 2 Link
2008 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 4 12 9 2 1 24 4 Link
2012 Fourth place 4th 6 3 1 2 6 5 8 6 0 2 17 6 Link
2016 Group stage 10th 3 1 1 1 7 7 via AFC U-23 Asian Cup
2020 Fourth place 4th 6 3 1 2 8 5
2024 Quarter-finals 5th 4 3 0 1 7 3
Total Fourth place 8/9 32 15 4 13 45 40 60 46 5 9 173 32 Link

Match history

Summer Olympics history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
1996 Group stage  Brazil 1–0 Win
 Nigeria 0–2 Loss
 Hungary 3–2 Win
2000 Group stage  South Africa 2–1 Win
 Slovakia 2–1 Win
 Brazil 0–1 Loss
Quarter-finals  United States 2–2
4–5
Draw
Loss
2004 Group stage  Paraguay 3–4 Loss
 Italy 2–3 Loss
 Ghana 1–0 Win
2008 Group stage  United States 0–1 Loss
 Nigeria 1–2 Loss
 Netherlands 0–1 Loss
2012 Group stage  Spain 1–0 Win
 Morocco 1–0 Win
 Honduras 0–0 Draw
Quarter-finals  Egypt 3–0 Win
Semi-finals  Mexico 1–3 Loss
Bronze Play-off  South Korea 0–2 Loss
2016 Group stage  Nigeria 4–5 Loss
 Colombia 2–2 Draw
 Sweden 1–0 Win
2020 Group stage  South Africa 1–0 Win
 Mexico 2–1 Win
 France 4–0 Win
Quarter-finals  New Zealand 0–0
(4–2 p.)
Draw Win
Semi-finals  Spain 0–1 Loss
Bronze Play-off  Mexico 1–3 Loss
2024 Group stage  Paraguay 5–0 Win
 Mali 1–0 Win
 Israel 1–0 Win
Quarter-finals  Spain 0–3 Loss

AFC U-23 Asian Cup

AFC U-23 Asian Cup record Qualifier record
Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA GP W D L GS GA
2013 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 8 5 5 5 0 0 20 2
2016 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0 15 4 3 3 0 0 10 0
2018 Quarter-finals 5th 4 3 0 1 5 5 3 3 0 0 11 2
2020 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 3 5 3 3 0 0 21 0
2022 Third place 3rd 6 4 1 1 11 3 2 2 0 0 8 0
2024 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 10 3 3 2 1 0 7 0
2026 Qualified To be determined
Total 7/7 Champions 26 19 4 6 52 25 16 16 0 0 70 4

Match history

AFC U-23 Asian Cup history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
2013 Group stage  Iran 3–3 Draw
 Kuwait 0–0 Draw
 Australia 4–0 Win
Quarter-finals  Iraq 0–1 Loss
2016 Group stage  North Korea 1–0 Win
 Thailand 4–0 Win
 Saudi Arabia 2–1 Win
Quarter-finals  Iran 3–0 Win
Semi-finals  Iraq 2–1 Win
Final  South Korea 3–2 Win
2018 Group stage  Palestine 1–0 Win
 Thailand 1–0 Win
 North Korea 3–1 Win
Quarter-finals  Uzbekistan 0–4 Loss
2020 Group stage  Saudi Arabia 1–2 Loss
 Syria 1–2 Loss
 Qatar 1–1 Draw
2022 Group stage  UAE 2–1 Win
 Saudi Arabia 0–0 Draw
 Tajikistan 3–0 Win
Quarter-finals  South Korea 3–0 Win
Semi-finals  Uzbekistan 0–2 Loss
3rd place match  Australia 3–0 Win
2024 Group stage  China 1–0 Win
 UAE 2–0 Win
 South Korea 0–1 Loss
Quarter-finals  Qatar 4–2 Win
Semi-finals  Iraq 2–0 Win
Final  Uzbekistan 1–0 Win

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Hosts / Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA
2002  Silver 2 6 5 0 1 13 4
2006 Round 1 11 3 2 0 1 5 4
2010  Gold 1 7 7 0 0 17 1
2014 Quarter-finals 6 5 3 0 2 10 5
2018  Silver 2 7 5 0 2 10 4
2022  Silver 2 6 5 0 1 18 4
2026
2030
2034
Total 7/7  Gold 34 27 0 7 73 22

Match history

Asian Games history
Year Round Opponent Score Result
2002 Round 1  Palestine 2–0 Win
 Bahrain 5–2 Win
 Uzbekistan 1–0 Win
Quarter-finals  China 1–0 Win
Semi-finals  Thailand 3–0 Win
Final  Iran 1–2 Loss
2006 Round 1  Pakistan 3–2 Win
 Syria 1–0 Win
 North Korea 1–2 Loss
2010 Round 1  China 3–0 Win
 Malaysia 2–0 Win
 Kyrgyzstan 3–0 Win
Round 2  India 5–0 Win
Quarter-finals  Thailand 1–0 Win
Semi-finals  Iran 2–1 Win
Final  UAE 1–0 Win
2014 Round 1  Kuwait 4–1 Win
 Iraq 1–3 Loss
   Nepal 4–0 Win
Round 2  Palestine 4–0 Win
Quarter-finals  South Korea 0–1 Loss
2018 Round 1    Nepal 1–0 Win
 Pakistan 4–0 Win
 Vietnam 0–1 Loss
Round 2  Malaysia 1–0 Win
Quarter-finals  Saudi Arabia 2–1 Win
Semi-finals  UAE 1–0 Win
Final  South Korea 1–2 Loss
2022 Round 1  Qatar 3–1 Win
 Palestine 1–0 Win
Round 2  Myanmar 7–0 Win
Quarter-finals  North Korea 2–1 Win
Semi-finals  Hong Kong 4–0 Win
Final  South Korea 1–2 Loss

See also

  • Sport in Japan
    • Football in Japan
      • Women's football in Japan
  • Japan Football Association (JFA)
  • Kirin Cup (Invitational tournament)
  • Kirin Challenge Cup (ja) (International friendly match)
  • Kirin Company
National teams
Men's
Women's
  • National football team
    • Results and fixtures
      • 2021
    • International footballers
  • National under-20 football team
  • National under-17 football team
  • National futsal team

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