The Japanese National Team Has Arrived in Jakarta, Aims to Win Over Indonesia

REPUBLICA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- After being delayed due to a problem on the plane on its way to Jakarta, a large group of Japanese national team finally landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday (11/11/2024) at 2:00pm. The team, dubbed Blue Samurai, landed at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta international airport using an All Nippon Airways (NH 855) aircraft.

The Japanese national team players who grazed in Europe came apart. They next came to Jakarta after performing their duties with their respective clubs. The majority of Japan's national team players graze in a number of European countries.

Baca Juga

Japan will be Indonesia's opponent in the fifth match of Group C of the third round of the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup Qualifier. The match will take place Friday (15/11/2024) at 19:00pm at Indonesia's pride arena, Gelora Bung Karno Utama Stadium (SUGBK) Senayan, Jakarta.

The enthusiasm of Indonesians to watch this match is incredible. More than 60 thousand tickets were sold, all sold out.

Japan coach Moriyasu Hajime wants a win when playing in Jakarta as well as when resuming the away match with China on matchday six. He wants Japan as soon as possible to secure tickets to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. However, he has respect for Indonesia and China.

“Looking at the FIFA rankings, many people may think that Japan has a huge advantage, but we expect a tough fight at home against opponents,” he said.

Japan have been given an extra day to prepare for the match against Indonesia, giving them a chance to get used to the surroundings and more opportunities for practice and meetings, as Moriyasu explained.

“It allows us to enter the game in better shape. I want to explain our tactics and role in more detail so that the players can play with more confidence.“

Japanese national team director Yamamoto Masakuni, meanwhile, revealed the final round of AFC Asian Qualifiers will reach its halfway point with the completion of the remaining two games scheduled for this year.

“We look forward to ending 2024 on a good note and putting in a performance that will inspire optimism for the year ahead. The series of away matches will involve a long journey, and the teams will compete in a challenging environment. We look forward to putting on a spectacular performance to end the year on a good note,” he stressed.

Japan brought in 27 players in the face of their two away matches. Here is the list of Japanese players that will be brought against Indonesia:

Goalkeeper

1. Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima/Japan)

2. Kosei Tani (Machida Zelvia/Japan)

3. Zion Suzuki (Parma/Italy)

Defender

4. Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo/Japan/Left Defender)

5. Shogo Taniguchi (Sint- Truidense/Belgium/Central Defender)

6. Ko Itakura (Monchengladbach/Germany/Central Defender)

7. Ayumi Seko (Grasshoper Club Zurich/Switzerland/Central Defender)

8. Machida (Union Saint Gilloise/Belgium/Central Defender)

9. Yukinari Sugawara (Southampton/England/Right-Back)