Hajime Moriyasu has included Daizen Maeda but not Celtic team-mate Reo Hatate
Published March 27, 2026 • Source: bbc.com
By Liam McLeod BBC Sport Scotland commentator
International friendly: Scotland v Japan
Hampden Park, Glasgow
Saturday 28 March, 17:00 GMT
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It would be another six months before Scotland's journey towards ending their World Cup hiatus would even begin, but Japan had already stamped their ticket.
On a memorable night in Saitama, head coach Hajime Moriyasu was soaked in all kinds of liquids after a 2-0 win over Bahrain that meant the Japanese became the first non-hosts to make this summer's tournament, their eighth World Cup in succession and a full 15 months before it gets under way.
Moriyasu is something of a hero in the Land of the Rising Sun, having masterminded extraordinary come-from-behind victories over four-time winners Germany and 2010 champions Spain during the last tournament in Qatar.
Their campaign ended in penalty heartache against Croatia despite Celtic's Daizen Maeda giving them the lead.
But Moriyasu has guided them back to the biggest show of them all with a steely determination in the hope of finally breaking the second-round barrier they have yet to overcome in four previous attempts.
Sixteen games, 51 goals and just one defeat
Scotland counterpart Steve Clarke wanted a tough test to get his own preparations for the extravaganza underway and he has certainly got that against a team that has lost just five of their 39 post-Qatar fixtures.
Japan's seamless qualification campaign included just one defeat - 1-0 to Australia in Perth, with former Dundee United defender Aziz Behich scoring - but that only came after they had done the hard work.
They hit 51 goals in their 16 games across the two group stages of Asian qualifying, conceding just three times as they swaggered their way to North America.
A tried and tested 3-4-2-1 system has steered the Japanese along this path and Celtic's Maeda is one of his trusted lieutenants.
These moments must provide Moriyasu with a quiet, personal satisfaction, having been part of the side that took part in the "Agony of Doha" match in which he and his team-mates missed out on a spot at a first World Cup in October 1993.
They were surprisingly held to a draw by Iraq, which opened the door for their bitter rivals South Korea, who went to the United States in 1994 instead. The Koreans themselves call that match the "Miracle of Doha".
And, as Moriyasu prepares for this weekend's friendly in Glasgow and next week's against England in London, the pride and satisfaction he takes from what he is doing from the side of the pitch will be making up for the disappointment he felt as a 23-year-old midfielder that night.
He produced some history as well as they became the first Asian nation to reach eight consecutive World Cups, co-hosting in 2002 among those appearances.
These are the types of games Clarke wants his players to pit their wits in, against opponents they seldom get the chance to face, with Ivory Coast next on Tuesday.
This match is also important to the visitors as they prepare for games against the Netherlands and Tunisia in the summer, with a further European nation joining them from the play-offs for their games in Arlington and Guadalupe.
Japan are without three star men for the game at Hampden, in Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo and Monaco's former Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino - who are both long-term injured - as well as former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, now of Ajax.
However, there is still plenty for Clarke to concern himself with as they look to win a Hampden friendly for the first time in a decade, as noted by Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma, who is arguably the star turn in Japan squad.
"I think we've certainly made people take notice by becoming the fastest nation to qualify, but if we want to take that next step, there's still a lot of things we need to do," the winger said on that memorable night in Saitama.
"If we want to win the World Cup, we need to improve our attack, improve our defence, improve plenty of things and there's still a wall in front of us, but we will do all we can to get over that."