Japan women's national football team

National football team women
Name = Japan
Badge =
Nickname = Nadeshiko Japan （なでしこジャパン）
Association = Japan Football Association
Coach = Norio Sasaki
Most caps = Homare Sawa (132)
Top scorer = Homare Sawa (66)
FIFA Trigramme = JPN
FIFA Rank = 10

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First game = Chinese Taipei 1 - 0 Japan (Hong Kong; 7 June 1981 non-All Japan team)
India 1 - 0 Japan (Jakarta, Indonesia; 21 January 1986 All Japan team)
Largest win = Japan 21 - 0 Guam (China; 5 December 1997)
Largest loss = Japan 0 - 9 Italy (Kobe,Japan; 9 September 1981
Japan 0 - 9 USA (Charlotte,NC,USA; 29 April 1999)

World cup apps = 5
World cup first = 1991
World cup best = Quarterfinals, 1995

Olympic apps = 2
Olympic first = 1996
Olympic best = Semi Final (as of August 16, 2008),2008

Regional name = AFC Women's Asian Cup
Regional cup apps = 10
Regional cup first = 1981
Regional cup best = 2nd place - 1986,1991,1995,2001The Japan women's national football team, or "Nadeshiko Japan" (なでしこジャパン), is a selection of the best female players in Japan and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA).

History of "Nadeshiko Japan"

The Birth of "Japan women's national football team"

During 1960s and 70s, women's football players and teams were increasing in Japan, and some teams made up a regional league in each places.

In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held, and the next year 1981, Japan women's national football team played the first international match in Hong Kong. After while, the team continued playing matches in Japan or in other countries, however it was not "All Japan", but temporarily organized as a selection of members from any regional league.

In 1986, Ryohei Suzuki took office as the coach of Japan women's national football team, the first "All Japan". In 1989, the "Japan Women's Football League"　(abbreviated to "L.League") was established, and the women’s national team attended "FIFA Women's World Championship 1991" in China.

Crisis years

Japan women's national football team has attended Atlanta Olympic Games, FIFA Women's World Championship 1995 and so on, so the national team and L.League were very popular.

But in 1999, Japan missed the participation in Sydney Olympic Games, it caused withdrawal of a series of teams from an L.League before long, and the Japanese women’s football was to be on the verge of the decline.

Regeneration

In August 2002, Japan Football Association appointed Eiji Ueda, who had acted as supervision of representative Macau National Football Team, as director representative, and it should have expected a comeback of women's football and planned team reorganization for the Athens Olympic Games .

At first, the team was always defeated, but Ueda made up the team stronger, and the team gained wide support in Japan. In particular, the game against the Korea DPR, which decided the participation in the Olympics, not only made the audiences rush to the National Stadium, but was also a TV program that recorded high rating.

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

Nadeshiko Japan International Competition Records

FIFA Women's World Cup Record

*1991 : 1st round
*1995 : quarter final
*1999 : 1st round
*2003 : 1st round
*2007 : 1st round

Olympic Games Record

*1996 : 1st round
*2000 : Did not qualify
*2004 : quarter final
*2008 : 4th place

AFC Women's Asian Cup Record

*1975 : not attended
*1977 : not attended
*1979 : not attended
*1984 : Group stage
*1983 : not attended
*1986 : 2nd place
*1989 : 3rd place
*1991 : 2nd place
*1993 : 3rd place
*1995 : 2nd place
*1997 : 3rd place
*1999 : 4th place
*2001 : 2nd place
*2003 : 4th place
*2006 : 4th place
*2008 : 3rd place

Women's East Asian Cup Record

*2005 : 3rd place
*2008 : Champions

Coaches

*Ryōhei Suzuki（鈴木良平）1986 - 1989
*Tamotsu Suzuki（鈴木保）1989 - 1996, 1999
*Satoshi Miyauchi（宮内聡）1997 - 1999
*Shinobu Ikeda（池田司信）2000 - 2001
*Eiji Ueda（上田栄治）2002 - 2004
*Hiroshi Ōhashi（大橋浩司）2004 - 2007
*Norio Sasaki（佐々木則夫）2008 -

Current Team

Squad for the Women's East Asian Cup 2008

FIFA ranking

*July 2003 : 14
*August 2003 : 14 (→)
*October 2003 : 14 (→)
*December 2003 : 14 (→)
*March 2004 : 14 (→)
*June 2004 : 13 (↑)
*August 2004 : 13 (→)
*December 2004 : 13 (→)
*March 2005 : 12 (↑)
*June 2005 : 11 (↑)
*September 2005 : 11 (→)
*December 2005 : 11 (→)
*March 2006 : 11 (→)
*May 2006 : 13 (↓)
*September 2006 : 13 (→)
*December 2006 : 10 (↑)
*March 2007 : 9 (↑)
*June 2007 : 10 (↓)
*October 2007 : 11 (↓)
*December 2007 : 11 (→)
*March 2007 : 10 (↑)

Youth National Team Records

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Record

*2002 : Quarter-finals
*2004 : Did Not Qualify
*2006 : Did Not Qualify
*2008 : Qualified

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Record

*2008 : Qualified

AFC U-19 Women's Championship Record

*2002 : Champions
*2004 :
*2006 : 4th Place
*2007 : 2nd Place
*2009 : Participates

AFC U-17 Women's Championship Record

*2005 : Champions
*2007 : 2nd Place

External links

* [http://www.jfa.or.jp/women/ Official JFA women's football site (Japanese)]
* [http://www.jfa.or.jp/eng/ Official JFA site (English ver.)]

Football in Japan
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International women's football
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AFC women's teams
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JapanNationalTeams