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Goalkeepers
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Player
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Team, Age, Caps
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Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
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(Yokohama Marinos), age 23, 24 caps.
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First-choice goalkeeper who has outstanding reflexes and is an
excellent shot stopper. Member of Japan's Olympic team in 1996.
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Nobuyuki Kojima
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(Bellmare Hiratsuka), 32, 5 caps.
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Very
reliable and rated the best goalkeeper in Japan by many. If he
has a weakness it is his tendency to get caught out at his near
post. Brings lots of experience to the squad.
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Seigo Narazaki
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(Yokohama Flugels), 21, 2 caps.
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Good at
collecting crosses. Uses the ball well to change defence into
attack. Understudy to Kawaguchi. Made his debut on February 15
in a friendly against Australia.
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Defenders
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Player
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Team, Age, Caps
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Masami Ihara
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(Yokohama Marinos), 30, 114 caps.
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Japan's
captain and the country's most-capped player. A steady defender
who is calm under pressure and controls the defensive line as a
sweeper.
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Norio Omura
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(Yokohama Marinos), 28, 29 caps.
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Solid defender
who has performed consistently for the Marinos. Good positional
sense. He rarely allows the man he's marking to get past him.
Made his debut against Scotland in 1995 in the Kirin Cup.
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Yutaka Akita
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(Kashima Antlers), 27, 25 caps.
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Strong defender
with good all-round ability. Good anticipation. Rarely wastes
the ball once in possession.
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Naoki Soma
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(Kashima Antlers), 26. 47 caps.
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Attacking
left-back who is a superb crosser of the ball. Set up both goals
in Japan's vital World Cup qualifying win over South Korea in
Seoul.
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Akira Narahashi
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(Kashima Antlers), 26, 26 caps.
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Dynamic
right-back who, like his full-back partner Soma, is dangerous
going forward.
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Eisuke Nakanishi
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(JEF United), 24 (25 on June 23), 5 caps.
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Quick, skilful right-back. Always prepared to play his way out
of trouble. Understudy to Narahashi.
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Daisuke Ichikawa
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(Shimizu S-Pulse) 17 (18 on May 14), 1 cap.
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Highly-rated young right-back being groomed under Osvaldo
Ardiles at S-Pulse. Called up to the national squad for the
first time in March and made his debut in the friendly against
South Korea on April 1.
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Midfielders
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Player
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Team, Age, Caps
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Tsuyoshi Kitazawa
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(Verdy Kawasaki), 29, 58 caps.
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Energetic
player who seems to cover every inch of the pitch as he probes
for openings. Likes to attack but has also developed the
defensive side of his game over the years.
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Motohiro Yamaguchi
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(Yokohama Flugels), 29, 53 caps.
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Defensive right-sided midfielder who provides the vital link
between the back four and the forwards. Has an excellent shot
from distance.
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Hiroaki Morishima
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(Cerezo Osaka), 25, 35 caps.
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Goalscoring
midfield player who forced his way into the national squad after
hitting four goals in the first two J-League games this season.
Can play on either wing or through the middle.
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Hiroshi Nanami
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(Jubilo Iwata), 25, 41 caps.
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Elegant
left-sided player with a high work-rate. Often described as
swashbuckling because of his enthusiasm for pushing forward to
join the attack. Made his debut against Costa Rica in August
1995.
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Toshihiro Hattori
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(Jubilo Iwata), 24, 5 caps.
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Strong in the
tackle and very quick. Can play at left-back or in midfield.
Most dangerous when using his speed to break down the left
channel.
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Takashi Hirano
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(Nagoya Grampus Eight), 23, 8 caps.
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Fast,
skilful player who creates problems for opposing defences with
his neat dribbling. Good at getting forward to support the
strikers.
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Hidetoshi Nakata
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(Bellmare Hiratsuka), 21, 19 caps.
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Japan's
star player, Hide has everything - balance, vision, excellent
control and a stinging shot. A versatile performer who's cool
under pressure. A potential star of France 98.
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Shinji Ono
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(Urawa Red Diamonds), 18, 1 cap.
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Young prospect
with excellent skills and an attacking mentality. Played his
first J-League game at the start of this season and scored in
his second. Nicknamed 'super-rookie' by the Japanese media.
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Shunsuke Nakamura
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(Yokohama Marinos), 19 (20 on June 24), 0 caps.
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Gifted, left-sided midfielder first called up for the
29-strong national squad for a tour of Australia in January.
Very creative player who can open up the tightest defence.
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Forwards
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Player
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Team, Age, Caps
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Masashi Nakayama
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(Jubilo Iwata), 30, 24 caps.
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Scorer of an
astonishing four successive hat-tricks for his club this spring,
a feat believed to be unprecedented in the history of the game.
Hard-working striker, capable of scoring from any position.
Hero-worshipped at Jubilo where he has cult following. Was the
club's leading scorer last season with 18 goals which helped win
the J-League for the first time.
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Shoji Jo
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(Yokohama Marinos), 22 (23 on June 17), 21 caps.
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Diminutive striker who scored the equaliser against Iran in the
World Cup play-off. Young, talented heart-throb of Japan's
teenage girls and idol of the teenage boys. Needs to improve his
goalscoring record.
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Kazuyoshi Miura
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(Verdy Kawasaki), 32, 86 caps.
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Out-of-favour
since being substituted in the World Cup play-off match against
Iran. His experience as the second most-capped player and second
highest scorer (54) should ensure his place in the squad for
France.
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Wagner Lopes
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(Bellmare Hiratsuka), 29, 8 caps.
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Brazilian
national who took out Japanese citizenship in September 1997. A
target man who played a key role in Japan's qualifying games. A
danger in the air, he should make the starting line-up in
France.
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Masayuki Okano
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(Urawa Red Diamonds), 25, 24 caps.
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Hero of
Japan's 3-2 extra-time World Cup play-off win over Iran in
Malaysia, when he scored the all-important 'golden goal'. His
opportunities have been limited, but that goal has made him
famous in Japan.
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Atsushi Yanagisawa
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(Kashima Antlers), 20 (21 on May 27), 2
caps.
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Talented striker who has grown in confidence since being
called up last year. Underlined his progress by scoring four
goals for Antlers against Vissel Kobe in the J-League this April.
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