Japan's plot to win the World Cup is fully in motion and here's why it relies on the Premier League

Japan’s push to reach the World Cup’s top prize is being underpinned by a growing pipeline of players into England’s top leagues, with the Premier League playing a central role. Between the Premier League and the Championship, 18 Japanese players are now operating in England’s upper tiers. Examples include Kaoru Mitoma and Ao Tanaka, plus newer arrivals Daizen Maeda and Zion Suzuki, and Coventry City’s promoted wide midfielder Tatsuhiro Sakamoto. The piece also points to the J.League and the Japan Football Association’s “J.League 100 Year Vision,” aiming to link high school and university development more tightly to top-level player production and to make transfers into and out of the domestic league easier.