On Monday 13 August ahead of the first match of the 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang against U-23 Nepal National Team, U-21 Japan National Team had their first training session in the host city.

After assembling in Japan to train on Sunday 12, the Japan team landed in Indonesia late night via riding and changing flights and buses. They worked up a sweat for about one hour, and forward MAEDA Daizen commented on the climate, "It's not that hot, even comfortable to work out."

With just two-day off after the J.League match on Saturday, the team are expected to face various challenges such as the tight schedule and the hot temperature. Coach MORIYAYASU Hajime said to his players, "It's not easy, but you have to make your mind clear and create a good environment by yourselves. All players and staff members must give 120% of own ability and work for the team." He appointed midfielder MIYOSHI Koji (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) to the team captain for the tournament.

Then, later in the evening, midfielder KAMIYA Yuta (Ehime FC), who played 90 minutes in a J2 League match on Sunday 12, and OMINAMI Takuma (Jubilo Iwata), who was just called up Sunday night, joined the team. The full 20-man squad will take on Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam in Group D and play up to seven matches in 19 days including the knockout stage starting with Round 16. Although the selection is limited with the “one-team, one-player” rule because the tournament takes place in the midst of the J.League season, the tournament is one of the few official tournaments before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and an important opportunity to beef up the team. The young Japanese will be challenged to win the championship, which the London Olympics team achieved in the tournaments ago.

Japan's first opponents Nepal is led by Coach GYOTOKU Koji, who has been dispatched as a JFA Certified Coach and has coached the team since 2016. As he knows Japan well, it will be a difficult match. The showdown will start at 7:00 p.m. local time at Wibawa Mukti Stadium.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYAYASU Hajime, Coach (U-21 Japan National Team)
We changed our practice details based on the pitch condition and the dark lighting. Just like this, we want to be able to overcome and adjust to unexpected things on and off the pitch, so that we can stay calm and show the best possible performance. I told my players that we wanted to get the best out of each given situation. Two days after J.League matches, with various obstacles such as long travels and Japan’s humid heat, we will play the opening match. We haven’t had time for much of physical and tactical training yet, but we want to go through the best possible preparation to get three points also by doing meetings off the pitch and improve our communication.

DF #4 ITAKURA Kou (Vegalta Sendai)
The opponents are experiencing this tough schedule as well. We want to show good performance. The selection process only gets more intense including the overage slots. We have to survive through it. By showcasing what I can do at this Asian Games, I want to keep myself going. I will keep it in mind that we have to keep defending our goal perfectly and that I show my ability to join our offence to help my team.

MF #8 MITOMA Kaoru (University of Tsukuba)
The humidity is high, and the temperature gets higher especially in the early evening. So, we need to get used to it. Even with this environment, we have to stay active, too. As a team, we are trying out more things and trying to be better at building up and pressure defence up front, and I think it’s coming along. We want to take it even higher. (This tournament is) hard to advance unless we get united as a good team. If every one of us fulfils our role and plays for the team, we get closer to victories. I will showcase myself by scoring and making assists and increase my chances to help my team win. We want to stick to good results, too.

MF #10 MIYOSHI Koji (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo)
I do want to make sure to lead this team, and I want to show my leadership on and off the pitch. Regardless of being the captain or not, I want to keep setting good examples every single day. It will be a tough series of the matches one after another. So, we will try to stay in good condition and face the matches one at a time. There will be no easy ones. Including the surrounding situations, there should be unexpected problems. But we want to keep piling up the points one at a time.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

The 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Tournament Dates: Sat. 18 August - Sun. 2 September 2018

【Men's】Group Stage
1st Match Tue. 14 August 21:00 [Japan Time] vs Nepal
2nd Match Thu. 16 August 18:00 [Japan Time] vs Pakistan
3rd Match Sun. 19 August 18:00 [Japan Time] vs Vietnam

Tournament Information