KYODO NEWS



 

The Japan Football Association retained Hajime Moriyasu as men's national team manager Wednesday after he led them to the round of 16 at this year's World Cup in Qatar after topping their tough group.

The 54-year-old becomes the first manager to remain in the post following a World Cup since Japan's 1998 debut in France and will be tasked with steering the Samurai Blue toward the 2026 World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

"I'm extremely honored while also bracing myself for the difficult mission ahead and the weight of responsibility that comes with the job," Moriyasu told a press conference.

"I want to take on the challenge with the belief that nothing is impossible for Japan."

Faced with arguably their toughest-ever World Cup assignment, Japan finished on top of Group E in Qatar, registering thrilling comeback wins over giants Germany and Spain on either side of an upset loss to Costa Rica.

While Japan's tournament ended with a disappointing penalty shootout loss to eventual semifinalists Croatia, falling short of a first-ever quarterfinal berth, Moriyasu's ability to bring the team together was highly evaluated by the JFA.

"He deserves a tremendous evaluation for producing a result that reverberated throughout society, and not just within the Japanese football community," said JFA Chairman Kozo Tashima. "We judged that retaining him was the quickest way to getting a look at that new scenery that is the World Cup's last eight."

Technical Director Yasuharu Sorimachi said finding a central forward and a more proactive playing style are key areas going ahead, adding that the JFA could arrange for Moriyasu to spend time at European clubs to observe the game further at the highest level.

Moriyasu, who had doubled as the Tokyo Olympic team manager, named 19 World Cup debutants for his squad in Qatar. While he will be concentrating solely on the senior team under his new contract, he remained keen to unearth talent from among younger players.

"I will keep my eye on how players are competing and developing, hoping to eventually produce the strongest team," he said. "I'll keep collecting information and communicating (with the underage national team managers)."

A former Japan national team midfielder, Moriyasu won three J-League titles as Sanfrecce Hiroshima's manager. He took the reins of the Samurai Blue after the 2018 World Cup, managing them concurrently with Japan's Olympic men's team.