Women's football was contested for the first time in Olympic history at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. Eight teams qualified for the tournament, which included the host country USA and the top seven finishers of the 1995 FIFA Women's World Championship (England was ineligible to qualify). Japan qualified for the Olympic tournament after reaching the quarterfinals of the aforementioned tournament.
Japan equalised twice in their first group stage match against Germany but lost the match 2-3, before suffering a 0-2 shutout loss to Brazil. Japan entered the third match with hopes to avoid a sweep at the group stage but lost 0-4 to the reigning world champions Norway. After being swept at the group stage, Japan was handed a harsh reality check in their first appearance at the Olympics.

Women's football was once again added to the official programme of the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney. After finishing third in the AFC qualifiers, Japan entered the 1999 FIFA Women's World Championship, which served as the qualifiers for the Olympics, where they were grouped with Canada, Russia, and Norway at the group stage. Despite conceding the opening goal, Japan managed to draw against Canada in their first match, thanks to the equaliser scored by OTAKE Nami. However, the team went onto lose 0-5 to Russia and 0-4 to the defending champions Norway in the following matches.
Japan fell short from qualifying for the Summer Olympics after being eliminated at the group stage with a record of one draw and two losses.

Japan clinched their spot into the Olympics with their win over DPR Korea at the AFC qualifiers held in Japan. Led by coach UEDA Eiji, the team earned their first win at the Olympics after sustaining the one goal lead created by the goal scored by ARAKAWA Eriko to defeat Sweden 1-0 in their first group stage match. Despite losing to Nigeria 0-1 and finishing third in their group, Japan advanced to the knockout stage by holding the second best record among the third place teams. Japan gave up the opening goal to USA at the quarterfinals but came back with the equaliser scored by YAMAMOTO Emi. However, Japan fell short from reaching the semi-finals after conceding the decisive goal to the eventual gold medallists, losing the match 1-2.

After qualifying for their second straight Summer Olympics, Japan faced New Zealand in the first group stage match. Despite conceding a two goal lead, the team rallied with the late goals scored by MIYAMA Aya and SAWA Homare to walk away with a draw. Japan lost to USA 0-1 in the following match, but led by the goal scored by KINGA Yukari, Japan went onto score five goals to defeat Norway 5-1. Japan finished third in their group but clinched the knockout stage by holding the best record among the third place finishers.
With the goals scored by Sawa and NAGASATO Yuki, Japan earned a 2-0 victory over the host country China PR at the quarterfinals, but once again lost to USA at the semi-finals. The team also lost to Germany 0-2 in the bronze medal match, missing out on their opportunity to win an Olympic medal.

Japan entered the London Olympics as the world champions after winning the title at the FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011™. Led by coach SASAKI Norio, Japan was considered as the tournament favourites along with USA. With KAWASUMI Nahomi and Miyama each scoring a goal, Japan started off the group stage with a 2-1 victory over Canada. Despite finishing the following two matches against Sweden and South Africa in scoreless draws, Japan clinched the knockout stage as the runners-up of their group.
Propelled by the goals score by OGIMI Yuki and OHNO Shinobu, Japan defeated Brazil 2-0 at the quarterfinals, before edging France 2-1 at the semi-finals with Ogimi and SAKAGUCHI Mizuho scoring a goal apiece. With the gold medal at stake, Japan faced their arch-rival, USA, at the final. Despite the goal scored by Ogimi, Japan lost to the American side 1-2, falling short from repeating their feat from the World Cup.

In search for their fourth consecutive Olympic appearance, Japan entered the AFC qualifiers from the final round. Japan competed against Australia, China PR, Korea Republic, DPR Korea, and Vietnam, in a competition where the top two teams qualify for the Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro.
After losing their first match against Australia 1-3, Japan drew against Korea Republic, before suffering a 1-2 loss to China PR in their third match. Despite winning their final two matches against Vietnam and DPR Korea, Japan trailed Australia and China PR in points to finish third, failing to qualify for the Summer Olympics.

For the second time in 57 years (since 1964), the Tokyo tournament was postponed for one year and partially held without spectators for the first time in history due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection.
In their first group stage match against Canada, Japan, aiming to win their first medal since the 2012 Games, conceded a goal early on, but Mana Iwabuchi's equalizer in the 84th minute gave them a point and a hope for the next round and beyond. They then lost 0-1 to Great Britain, but defended their third place in the group with a 1-0 win over Chile, thanks to a goal by Mina Tanaka. Japan placed in the top two of the third-placed teams in each group and will advance to the knockout stage despite their struggles.
In the quarterfinal match against Sweden, the team lost a goal at the beginning of the game, but caught up with the Swedish team with a goal by Mina Tanaka. However, two goals in the second half resulted in a 1-3 loss, and the team's goal of winning a medal at their home tournament did not come true.