Boasting one of the strongest squads in Asian football, Japan, winners of three of the last five editions of the AFC Asian Cup, have high hopes for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ - their fourth appearance at the global showpiece.

First on the agenda is an improvement on the disappointing showing at Germany 2006, when the Samurai Blue exited at the first hurdle after a 3-1 reverse against Australia, a 0-0 draw with Croatia and a resounding 4-1 defeat by Brazil. Japan will also be facing their first finals without iconic midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata. The former Roma schemer featured in each of the national side's games at France 1998, Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006 before hanging up his boots after the latter event aged just 29.

The road to South Africa
Having comfortably reached the fourth and final stage of Asian Zone qualifying for South Africa 2010, Japan won four, drew three and lost just one of their eight matches in Group 1. A 2-1 reverse in Australia and a frustrating 0-0 at home against the same opponents were the lowlights of this final phase, though coach Takeshi Okada's charges still finished well clear of Bahrain, Qatar and Uzbekistan in the five-team section.

The star players
Japan's biggest star is former Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, who in the summer 2009 made the switch from Glasgow to La Liga with Espanyol. Another European-based performer is young midfielder Keisuke Honda, at Eredivisie outfit VVV Venlo and like Nakamura a gifted left-footer. Leading from the back is 31^-year-old defensive rock and captain Yuji Nakazawa, who with over 90 senior caps to his name is Japan's third-most capped player of all time.

The coach
National supremo Okada is widely considered to be one of the finest Japanese strategists around. He was at the helm during the Samurai Blue's first FIFA World Cup appearance at France 1998, having successfully negotiated a tricky play-off meeting with Iran, and later enjoyed spells at club level with Consadole Sapporo and Yokohama F Marinos.

The 53-year-old former international defender's time in Sapporo included taking the team from the second division into the top flight, while the tactician led Marinos to successive J.League titles in 2003 and 2004. Having stepped away from his role in Yokohama in 2006, he picked up the reins of the national team for a second time a year later - following the stroke suffered by previous incumbent Ivica Osim.

Previous FIFA World Cups
South Africa 2010 will be Japan's fourth FIFA World Cup finals, and their fourth in a row. Their best finish came as hosts at Korea/Japan 2002, when they topped Group H ahead of Belgium, Russia and Tunisia to advance to the knockout stages for the first and so far only time. Once in the Round of 16 they put in a brave fight only to go down 1-0 against eventual third-place finishers Turkey, the goal coming after 12 minutes from Umit Davala.

Records

What they said
"We are not going to change our tactics because when I set this team's basic tactical approach, it was already done with a view to winning against the world's biggest teams. Our main target in South Africa is to reach the semi-finals." Japan coach Takeshi Okada

Description

The symbol in the centre of the "Hi-no-maru" (the Japanese national flag) is the state "Mon" or emblem. It has been the state symbol of Japan for centuries. The flag became the National Flag following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. It never had rays.
Graham Bartram, 09 November 1998
In 1999, Japan adopted new legislation on the national flag. The legislation set an official national flag with 2:3 proportion, and the sun disc at 3/5 of length in the center with BENI-IRO on white field.

A long time dispute was concluded on which flag should be official/legal national flag whether decree no 651 of Oct 3, 1870 (2:3, 3/5, in the center) originally legislated for the Japanese Naval flag or decree no 57 of Jan 27 1870 (7:10, 3/5, 1/100 towards hoist) originally legislated for the Japanese Merchant flag.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 5 August 1999, 22 January 2000

Historical Information

From: Japan: an illustrated encyclopedia Vol. 2 (M-Z):

national flag

(kokki). The national flag of Japan has a crimson disc, symbolizing the sun, in the center of a white field. It is popularly known as the Hinomaru (literally, "sun disc"). It is said that at the time of the Mongol Invasions of Japan (1274 and 1281) the priest Nichiren presented a sun flag to the shogun. The Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867) adopted the flag for its ships in the early 1600s. In the mid-19th century the shogunate decreed that all Japanese ships fly flags with the sun on a white field. In 1870 the Meiji government officially designated it for use on Japanese merchant and naval ships. It has never been officially designated as the national flag; however, it has become so by customary use. The "rising-sun" flag with 16 rays used by the former Japanese navy and by the present Maritime Self Defense Forces is a military service flag and should not be confused with the national flag.

Beside a drawing of the flag is the following text:

The design and proportions of Japan's national flag were fixed in 1870 by the Meiji government. The vertical to horizontal ratio was set at 2:3, the disc was to be placed at the exact center, and the diameter of the disc was to equal three-fifths of the vertical measurement of the flag.

Marcus Schmöger, 27 August 2001

The name of Nichiren means the sun and lotus in English (Nichi = Nihon = the sun; Ren = lotus ) and the lotus is a typical symbol of Buddhism. That is why he gave the sun (and lotus) to the Shogun who at that time was politically opposed to the Emperor (who was a God in Shintoism). Nichiren is said the greatest Buddhist in Japan because a majority of Japanese are not Shintoist but Buddhist. The Nichiren was formed his organization which is now called Soka-Gakkai whose political part is Komei-tou which is composed of the present Japanese cabinet.

I think he believed his flag could help the Shogun, who had military power, to save Japan and the people from Mongol Invasion. He could not find any reason for him to give his flag to the Emperor who is believed the God and son of the Sun but who had no ability to defeat Mongolian.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 29 August 2001

Nichiren's purpose was to motivate the political powers to abandon the more popular Buddhist sects and to accept the Lotus Sutra as the one sure way to save Japan. His was a religious and philosophical movement, not a political one. At the same time he issued to the government a treatise entitled "Rissho Ankoku Ron" which predicted great disaster for Japan should they not retreat from the heretical (popular) Buddhist sects and accept his teachings.
Bruce Ward, 2 September 2001

At http://www1.jca.apc.org/anti-hinokimi/archive/chronology/senzen/ (a Japanese language webpage) there is a chronology of the history of Japanese flags, anthems, et cetera, based on contemporary official documents.

A few interesting things:

* On June 13, 1870, the Army "National Flag" was gazetted as a 16-ray Rising Sun flag, 4 feet 4 inches by 5 feet, with the centrally-located sun disc one-third the width of the flag. There was no fringe./li>
* On October 27, 1870, The Navy "National Flag" was gazetted as the Hinomaru, 7 feet 8 inches by 11 feet 7 inches, with the centrally-located sun disc three-fifths the width of the flag. The Jack was the same, but in 6 feet by 8 feet. Also gazetted were the flag of the Emperor and the flag of the Imperial Family, shown on FOTW as the Emperor's Flag, 1870-1879 and Royal Family, 1976 (Family). Dimensions same as the "National Flag". These flags lasted until October 8, 1889, when the current set of flags were adopted.
* On July 30, 1912, to mark the passing of Emperor Meiji, the Hinomaru was required to have a strip of black cloth flown above it, as well as a black cloth to cover the flagpole's ball finial.
* On March 25, 1931 the Imperial Diet attempted to legislate the Hinomaru as the official National Flag and also its official specifications; it passed the House of Commons, but did not go through the House of Peers.

Miles Li, 30 November 2006

World Cup 2010 Games where you can see the Japanese Team in action:

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