The Japan men's national football team represents Japan in international football competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and Asian Cup; they are nicknamed the Samurai Blue.
History
The Samurai Blue began playing in the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games; they endured an inauspicious start to life as they were thrashed 5-0 at home to rivals China in their first official match, before being beaten even more comprehensively the following day as they sank to a 15-2 defeat to the Philippines.
Japan joined FIFA in 1929, although their first taste of international success would come in the 1968 Summer Olympics, where they claimed a bronze medal.
Further glory would come in the Asian Cup; although they failed to escape the group stage on their debut in the competition in 1988, they lifted the title in 1992 and have since proved a dominant force by adding several more titles to their collection in the following decades.
Their first World Cup appearance came in 1998; the Samurai Blue have reached the Round of 16 on several occasions, but they're still waiting to progress to the quarter-finals and beyond.
