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Scouting
Report
Style of play: French coach Philippe Troussier
relies on a fast 3-5-2 formation, building Japan's attack
from the wings and making full use of the pitch. When
that approach doesn't work, he installs two extra defenders
on the back line and goes with a trio of defensive midfielders.
Japan's attack also relies on a efficient, fluid build
up in midfield, using short one-touch passes and constant
ball movement to control possession before distributing
the ball to the forwards and sending them off on breaks
toward the goal.
Strengths:
Midfield depth -- Japan has great depth in midfield
with a wide range of players to choose from. Hidetoshi
Nakata and Shinji Ono are creative playmakers in the
middle. Junichi Inamoto and Alessandro Santos round
out a talented midfield.
Momentum -- Since crashing out in France four
years ago, Japan has looked impressive in international
competition. The Japanese won the 2000 Asian Nations
Cup and finished as runners-up to France in the 2001
Confederations Cup, giving them plenty of momentum heading
into the World Cup.
Home field advantage -- Every match will be a
home game for Japan. Unlike other nations, Japan will
not have to adjust to the climate, time difference and
culture, giving them a decided advantage over its opponents.
Playing in front of its own fans should be enough to
help Japan advance beyond the opening group stage.
Weaknesses:
Lack of finishing -- Japan's strikers and forwards
are notorious for being poor finishers. They lack the
finesse and quality to finish off scoring chances and
often need four or five glorious opportunities just
to score one goal.
Pressure -- Playing at home can be both a blessing
and a curse. Japan has the colossal weight of expectations
on its shoulders, and it could buckle under the pressure
-- and this is a side that isn't used to dealing with
such pressure. Fans and media expect them to advance
to the quarter-finals; anything less will be viewed
as a supreme disappointment to the home country.
Goalkeeping -- Japan doesn't have a definite
number one goalkeeper. Seigo Narazaki is a capable keeper,
but has a history of making huge mistakes while playing
for Japan, while Yoshikatsu Kawaguch is coming off a
poor season with Portsmouth in the English first division.
Key injuries/omissions: Coach Philippe Troussier
unexpectedly named veteran players Masashi Nakayama
and Yutaka Akita to his final squad…. Midfielder
Mitsuo Ogasawara received a surprise call up in place
of Shunsuke Nakamura…
Prognosis: Unlike co-hosts South Korea, Japan
has been drawn into a much easier group with two of
the more nondescript European squads (Belgium and Russia)
and Tunisia (the weakest of the five African nations
in the World Cup). Belgium has several key injuries,
leaving the door open for Japan to walk through Group
H and into the next round. In Hidetoshi Nakata and Shinji
Ono, Japan have two key players who have valuable first-team
experience in the top European leagues. This duo, coupled
with the experience of veteran Masashi Nakayama, not
to mention the boost they should get from playing before
its own fans on home soil, should be enough to see Japan
finish second in the group and advance to the next round.
The
Country
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between
the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of
the Korean Peninsula.
Capital: Tokyo
Area: 377,835 sq km
Population: 126,549,976 (July 2000 est.)
Government type: Constitutional monarchy
Climate: Varies from tropical in south to cool
temperate in north
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly
Korean).
Religions: Observing both Shinto and Buddhist
84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%).
Languages: Japanese
History: Japan quickly embraced Western technology
during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After
its devastating defeat in the Second World War, Japan
was quickly rebuilt to become the second-most powerful
economy in the world and an ally of the United States.
While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of
Japanese unity, power rests in the hands of politicians,
bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy slowed
down in the 1990s following three decades of growth,
and the country has since been mired in economic recession
and government instability.
The Community in Canada
The first official Japanese immigrant into Canada was Manzo Nagano in 1877, who made his fortune on a British Columbia venture that he set up to export pickled salmon to Japan.
That began a long history of Japanese in Canada - including the dark chapter of the internment during the Second World War. As a result, there are two distinct communities of Japanese-Canadians: those pre-war citizens and their descendents and those who have come since. The latter group is much smaller. In all of Canada there are about 60,000 Japanese, over half of those in British Columbia.
Only 15% of elderly Japanese-Canadians are foreign-born. As a result, although there is a sense of cultural duality, it doesn't really translate into support for the sports teams. At least, that's the sense in Vancouver, where the community profile for the World Cup is not running high.
According to the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre in Vancouver, one grocery store has offered up a back room to watch the games, but nothing else seemed to be on the radar on the eve of the World Cup.
Another factor may be that Japan has not traditionally been a strong soccer nation, in spite of a large Japanese population in Brazil and several programs to develop Japanese players there.
Ranked 32nd in the world, Japan received an automatic berth in the competition by virtue of being a tournament co-host and weren't highly regarded before the competition began. But the lack of Japanese-Canadian passion for the World Cup could change dramatically if Japan continues its better-than-expected performance into the second round.
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