Amid a chorus of European club managers moaning about the midseason loss of key Japanese players, the Samurai Blue are looking to lift the Asian Cup in Qatar en route to their pursuit of even loftier goals, the 2026 World Cup.
Managing Asian football's highest-placed team in the FIFA rankings at 17th, Hajime Moriyasu has pulled some surprises but "assembled the best members to win" the Asian Cup, with the tournament's most successful team seeking their fifth championship to widen the gap over three-time winners Iran and Saudi Arabia.
"I've been saying we'll look to win the Asian Cup after setting our short- and mid-term targets, as well as the long-term target that is the 2026 World Cup," said Moriyasu, whose side fell at the last hurdle in the 2019 tournament in the United Arab Emirates with a 3-1 final loss to Qatar.
"There are no easy opponents nor is it an easy tournament, so no changes there from the last to this one... The difference is I have lingering frustration from missing the title last time out and also the desire to grind out results in Asia as we've set a high target of winning on the world stage."
The flip side of the equation is that the players are putting their club bosses in a bind through their absence.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he told Japan captain Wataru Endo, "If I wish you good luck, it would be a lie," jokingly hoping for an early exit by Japan so his intrepid midfielder can continue contributing to the English Premier League leaders' push for the title.
Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil echoed the sentiment to attacker Takefusa Kubo, with the Spanish side facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Feb. 14, just four days after the Asian Cup final. Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi was "surprised" by injured Kaoru Mitoma's call-up, hoping the winger only plays when fully fit.
It is a testament to the growing wave of talent coming out of Japan that so many top European club managers are lamenting their temporary January absences -- something that did not occur on such a scale previously despite the Asian Cup being held in the same window since 2011.
Japan's final squad was decided at a staff meeting on New Year's Day, held right after a 5-0 home friendly win over Thailand, and the announcement made clear how tough the competition for places is.
The omissions of Lazio's Daichi Kamada and Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi were not novel from Moriyasu, with neither hitting their past heights this season. But players contracted to such established clubs not being called up would have been inconceivable not so long ago.
Ao Tanaka's omission was more of a shock given he had been omnipresent since his introduction helped turn Moriyasu's fortunes around during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, with his memorable winner against Spain in the finals in Qatar a high point.
He also opened the scoring against Thailand and confidently spoke of the Asian Cup in the post-match interview before getting snubbed just hours later. Kaishu Sano's inclusion instead signals no one can rest on their laurels, and Tanaka, who has been at Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German second tier since 2021, was no exception.
"More players are playing at a high level and we're getting to choose also at a high level amid fierce competition among the players," said Moriyasu, whose latest 26-man squad only has 14 remaining from a successful World Cup campaign just over a year ago.
"I believe the turnover demonstrates lots of Japanese players are developing abilities to compete on the world stage. I'm trying to watch them as neutrally as I can, and I can say we have this many good players coming through...We have a set of members who are not fixed but (who still) can play at a high level."
While some European managers may learn the full significance of losing their Japan players to the national team, Moriyasu -- heading into the Asian Cup on the back of a national record nine-match winning run -- will get to know if his side have what it takes when a trophy is at stake.
Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo (R) receives instructions from manager Imanol Alguacil during a Spanish La Liga match against Osasuna at El Sadar Stadium in Pamplona in April 2023. (Getty/Kyodo)
