Two months after the conclusion of the XXXII Olympiad (Tokyo 2020), IKEDA Futoshi was appointed as the new head coach of Nadeshiko Japan.

The newly formed Nadeshiko Japan, led by coach Ikeda, played their first official match on their tour to the Netherlands with the objective of regaining the world number one position. With the concept of “winning the ball” in mind, which had been emphasised since the training camp in October, the team lost their first match against Iceland 0-2, but drew 0-0 with a strong Netherlands side, who were ranked fourth in the FIFA rankings at the time. Following the two matches, Coach Ikeda expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, noting that the players shared a common understanding in both defence and offence. However, he also highlighted areas for improvement. “There are numerous areas where we must enhance our quality to compete on the world stage.” TANAKA Momoko and NARUMIYA Yui made their Nadeshiko Japan debuts during the tour, which proved invaluable preparation for the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022™, scheduled to take place in two months' time.

At the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022™, which also serves as the Asian qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, Japan finish first in the group stage with two wins and a draw. In the subsequent quarterfinal match against Thailand, SUGASAWA Yuika scored four goals, securing a 7-0 victory for Japan and ensuring the team's qualification for the Women's World Cup for the ninth consecutive tournament. However, Japan, aiming to claim their third consecutive Asian Cup title, narrowly lost 2-2 (PK 3-4) in the semi-final against China PR. After the match, coach Ikeda expressed his frustration, saying: “We must improve our ability to score goals and control the game in accordance with the phase of the game.” Meanwhile, players who have previously played with coach Ikeda in the youth national teams, such as UEKI Riko, who scored five goals in the tournament, and NAGANO Fuka, who played a key role in both offence and defence, have reinvigorated Nadeshiko Japan.

Japan, now in the process of strengthening their squad for the Women's World Cup, travelled to Serbia and Finland in a bid to make further improvements. CHIBA Remina, who excelled in the latter stages of the inaugural WE League season, earned her first call-up to the national team on this tour. Against Serbia, Chiba scored her first goal on debut and SUGITA Hina, who plays in the USA, also made her presence felt in a comfortable 5-0 win. Three days later, against Finland, ENDO Jun induced an own goal from the opponent to give Japan the lead, and another second-half onslaught led to a 5-1 victory. UEKI Riko, who has scored in each of the two matches on this tour, has now scored in five consecutive games and the coach was pleased with his players' aggressive style of play: “Goals have been scored through different combinations and involvement.”

In the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2022 Final, which decides the No.1 team in East Asia, Japan were looking to improve their team and defend their title with a squad made up mainly of players who play in Japan. The first domestic match under coach Ikeda's regime was against Korea Republic at Ibaraki Kashima Soccer Stadium. Goals from MIYAZAWA Hinata and NAGANO Fuka gave them a 2-1 win, followed by a 4-1 comeback win over Chinese Taipei to set up a meeting with China PR, where a draw or better would give them the championship. China PR, the reigning Asian Cup champions, attacked the Japanese goal with vigour, but the Japanese defence, led by goalkeeper YAMASHITA Ayaka and SHIMIZU Risa, kept them at bay. In offence, UEKI Riko fired a shot that struck the crossbar, but the match ultimately ended in a 0-0 draw. It was Japan's first title under coach Ikeda, with Yamashita named as the tournament's best goalkeeper and Shimizu the tournament's MVP. After the tournament, coach Ikeda set his sights on a higher goal, saying: “This is not everything, we want to continue to move forward step by step.”

Coach Ikeda has been keen to “try out new combinations in matches and training, including integrating the younger generation of players,” and in the two matches played in October he used a back-three formation in addition to the four that had previously been used. The international friendly against Nigeria was the first official match in the new uniforms unveiled in September, with KUMAGAI Saki, MIYAKE Shiori and TAKAHASHI Hana forming a back three. While TANAKA Mina scored twice in a 2-0 win in her hometown of Kobe, FUJINO Aoba and HAMANO Maika, both of whom played for the U-20 Japan Women’s National Team that finished runners-up at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022™ in August, made their debuts. 17-year-old KOYAMA Shinomi also made her debut at the subsequent MS&AD CUP 2022™ against New Zealand, in which goals from MIYAZAWA Hinata and UEKI Riko gave them back-to-back 2-0 wins, with coach Ikeda saying: “not everything has been successful, but I appreciate the players' approach and attitude towards new challenges.”

The team travelled to Spain for an international friendly against England and Spain, two of Europe's most rapidly developing football sides in recent years. England, who won the UEFA European Women's Championship for the first time, tormented Japan with their quick side attacks, and despite taking nine shots, the Japanese offence, spearheaded by HASEGAWA Yui, who plays in England, was unable to create any clear-cut opportunities, resulting in a 0-4 defeat. In the match against Spain, who are in the same group as Japan in the Women's World Cup, the team conceded a goal at the start of the first half and subsequently experienced difficulties in regaining control of the game. Despite the best efforts of TANAKA Mina, NAOMOTO Hikaru, and FUJINO Aoba to equalise, Japan was unable to find a way past the opposition goalkeeper and lost 0-1. This result marks the conclusion of Japan's tour of Spain, which saw the team suffer two consecutive defeats. Coach Ikeda maintained the back-three formation in the two matches against formidable opponents and concluded the final activity of 2022 with the expectation that the challenges made in the last four matches (in October and November) would propel the team to the next level.

The year of the Women's World Cup kicked off with the SheBelieves Cup in the USA, which brought together the leading teams from around the globe. Following a 0-1 defeat in their opening match against Brazil, in which they were unable to capitalise on the numerous opportunities they had created, Japan proceeded to their subsequent encounter with the USA in front of a crowd of 25,471. Despite conceding a goal from a counterattack late in the first half, Japan demonstrated their prowess against the USA, ranked No. 1 in the FIFA rankings. UEKI Riko took multiple shots on goal, while NAGANO Fuka came close to equalising with a strike that hit the crossbar. However, Japan were unable to find a way through until the end, ultimately losing 0-1. The final game was against the gold medallists from the Tokyo Olympics, Canada. Japan took the lead with a goal from SEIKE Kiko, followed by a penalty kick from HASEGAWA Yui. With ENDO Jun contributing an additional goal in the second half, Japan concluded the tournament with a 3-0 victory. Following the team's second-place finish in the tournament, coach Ikeda stated, “The players demonstrated notable improvement throughout the competition. We will use this as a starting point to prepare for the Women's World Cup,” he reflected on the three-match series, which will serve as a touchstone for the upcoming World Cup.

At the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, which expanded to 32 teams, Japan faced Zambia, Costa Rica and Spain in the group stage. In the first game, MIYAZAWA Hinata scored twice, contributing to the team's 5-0 victory. In the second game, NAOMOTO Hikaru and FUJINO Aoba, both making their first appearance at the World Cup, scored, leading the team to a 2-0 win. The goal scored by 19-year-old Fujino represents a new record for the youngest Japanese player to score at a World Cup. In the match against Spain, which was played with the top spot in the group at stake, Japan scored three goals in the first half alone, and with TANAKA Mina further solidifying Japan's lead with a goal in the second half, Japan came out on top 4-0. Following their 3-1 victory against Norway, Japan proceeded to the quarterfinals against Sweden, where they struggled to find their rhythm throughout the match. After conceding the first goal on penalties, the team lost 1-2 despite a late goal from HAYASHI Honoka. In his post-match comments, coach Ikeda said: “The players and the team have made significant progress and we have shown the essence of Nadeshiko football to our global audience. However, we must also acknowledge that our journey has ended here.” Team captain KUMAGAI Saki commented that the team “didn’t have what it takes to move on to the next stage,” but that “we showed that Nadeshiko Japan can compete on equal terms with the rest of the world.” Japan won the tournament's Fair Play award and their convincing victory over eventual winners Spain, along with Miyazawa being the top scorer with five goals, certainly left a lasting impression.

After making it through to the second round of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024 Asian Qualifiers, Japan toured Brazil to play a pair of international friendlies in their final campaign of 2023. For the first match, the team opted for a back-four instead of the three that had been used at the Women's World Cup, with 17-year-old KOGA Toko starting at centre-back and KUMAGAI Saki anchoring the midfield. Japan took the lead in the 38th minute through FUJINO Aoba's goal but conceded three goals by the 63rd minute to trail 1-3. Then 18-year-old TANIKAWA Momoko made her debut for Japan and a penalty from ENDO Jun and a goal from TANAKA Mina levelled the scores at 3-3. However, they conceded a late goal to lose the match 3-4. In the second game played three days later, Japan rotated five players from the starting line-up. MINAMI Moeka opened the scoring from Endo's right corner kick and TANAKA Mina made it 2-0 soon after, scoring for the second game in a row. In the second half, Japan switched to a three-back formation and, with ISHIKAWA Rion at the heart of the defence, they held off the Brazilian attack to secure a clean sheet victory. After finishing the Brazil tour with a win and a loss, coach Ikeda commented: “The fact that we were able to respond to the changes made by our opponents and win gives us a lot of confidence. The experience of playing consecutive matches against the Brazil Women's National Team was also a good simulation for the final round of the Olympic qualifiers.”

The final round of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024 Asian Qualifiers against DPR Korea proved to be two extremely difficult matches, both on and off the pitch. With the venue for the away-leg still to be confirmed, the team were forced to rush to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after receiving a last-minute notification from the Asian Football Confederation, with some of their overseas-based players joining them on site. In the first leg, played in 31-degree weather, the likes of KUMAGAI Saki and TANAKA Mina were on target in the first half. In the second half, Japan's defence, led by MINAMI Moeka and TAKAHASHI Hana, kept DPR Korea at bay with quick defending, and the match ended 0-0 away from home. The return leg was played at Japan National Stadium in front of 20,777 fans. Japan made two changes to their line-up, with KITAGAWA Hikaru and UENO Mami starting. Takahashi took the lead in the 26th minute and goalkeeper YAMASHITA Ayaka made a big save to rescue her team at the end of the first half. In the second half, FUJINO Aoba made it 2-0 with a header from SHIMIZU Risa's cross, and Japan held DPR Korea to a single goal to win 2-1 and qualify for their sixth Olympics. After the match, coach Ikeda reiterated his goal for Paris 2024: “We will continue to grow and strengthen the team to become the best in the world.”

Ahead of the announcement of the 18-player squad for Paris 2024, the team travelled to Spain for a final activity, where they played two international friendlies against New Zealand. After a long defensive spell in the early stages of the first match, TANAKA Mina scored with a left-footed shot from SEIKE Kiko's pass in additional time of the first half. Goalkeeper OHBA Shu made her debut for Japan in the second half. Early in the second half, KOGA Toko scored her first goal for the national team with a header from a KITAGAWA Hikaru corner, and with the momentum in their favour, Japan kept up the pressure to secure a 2-0 victory. In the second match, played three days later, Japan made seven changes to their starting line-up and, despite conceding the first goal in the 22nd minute, UEKI Riko continued to push for an equaliser, while SHIMIZU Risa attacked down the right flank to pile the pressure on their opponents. Three substitutions were made in the second half, and the newly introduced HAMANO Maika scored two goals in the 49th and 60th minutes to give Japan a 2-1 lead. Later in the match, FUJINO Aoba and CHIBA Remina added goals to give Japan a 4-1 win. Reflecting on the two matches, coach Ikeda said, “It was great to see the growth of the team and the players,” before announcing the 18-player squad and four backup members for the Olympic Games on 14 June. Nadeshiko Japan will play in the MS&AD Cup 2024: Noto Peninsula Earthquake Reconstruction Support Match “Ganbarou Noto” against the Ghana Women's National Team on 13 July at Kanazawa Go Go Curry before playing their first match in Paris 2024 on 25 July (local time).