Ambitious Japan Search For Answers After FIFA World Cup Exit

Japan’s World Cup exit is prompting renewed calls to treat football as the country’s top sport, after a 2-1 loss to Brazil ended their run in the last 32. Midfielder Daichi Kamada said Japan cannot win the tournament without higher national priority for the game, warning that quality is still lacking and that the sport must become Japan’s “national sport.” Japan took the lead before conceding an equalizer 11 minutes after the break, and Brazil advanced when Gabriel Martinelli scored in the 95th minute. Defender Shogo Taniguchi said the build-up over the preceding three and a half years did not appear flawed, despite the disappointment. Kamada and others pointed to injury problems, including the loss of Kaoru Mitoma, Takumi Minamino and Wataru Endo, and described Asia’s qualifying success as a starting point rather than a guarantee. Japan’s next assignment is the Asian Cup, beginning in Saudi Arabia in January, with their last title coming in 2011.