Hopes high for Japanese booters

TOKYO – It is late March, supposed to be springtime, when the cherry blossoms start to bloom. But for those coming from the tropics, temperatures ranging from six to 10 degrees Celsius (around 40 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit) is indeed chilly in Japan’s largest metropolis of 33 million inhabitants. The cold weather has not however dampened the spirits of the Japanese, who co-hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2002, and have the tough job of going up against the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark in Group E in June in South Africa for World Cup 2010.

The Japanese hope to go beyond the knock-out stage and move on, first, to the round of 16, after the original field of 32 competing teams from six confederations has been cut into half. Takashi Sugiyama in Goal.com predicts that Japan will hold the Cameroon Lions to a scoreless draw. Sugiyama says the game is the most important one for Japan and like most other teams, Cameroon will underestimate Japan. The Japanese, says Sugiyama, play as a team, work exceedingly hard and press hard in the front line.

This early, the Japanese have conceded their game against the powerful Netherlands squad. Sugiyama says Japan does not stand a chance against the Dutch. Japan will be too busy defending to create any opportunities in the game and will lose, 2-0.

Head coach of the Japanese national team, Takeshi Okada however believes that a final-four finish for the Blue Samurai is possible, although “some people may laugh it off.” The 54-year old mentor played 24 games and scored one goal for the Japan national football team in his heyday. It will be the second time Okada will be at the World Cup having coached Japan at the 1998 tournament in France. Okada took over from Bosnian Ivica Osim who suffered a career-ending stroke in December 2007.

Okada believes the Blue Samurai can go beyond the knock-out stage and move on to the round of 16 when half of the 32 teams (from five confederations) will have been eliminated from further action.

Despite his optimism, Okada is under tremendous pressure from the soccer-crazy Japanese mainly because of a loss to Uruguay (former World Cup champion) in a friendly and other unforgettable performances leading to South Africa.

The national side finished third in the four-nation East Asian football championship in February, according to Soccernews.com. Infuriated fans called for the scalp of Okada although Japan Football Association president Motoaki Inukai said “it’s better not to change at this moment since it’s too risky to replace the coach with only four months (to go).” 

Sugiyama thinks that Japan can beat Denmark, 1-0, despite the latter having upended the powerful Portuguese eleven in recent times. According to Sugiyama, “if Denmark leave it until their last match to secure a place in the knock-outs, their go-for-broke approach to the match will leave them exposed, allowing (Japan’s) talented midfield to create numerous chances to score.

Football experts from Cameroon (Massaser Ndiaye) and Denmark (Michael Hansen) do not, expectedly, agree with Sugiyama’s assessment. Ndiaye thinks that the Indomitable Lions will have an undeniable edge over Japan, which has never fared particularly well against African teams when it counted and which will be in a fairly new and very hostile environment. Hansen, for his part, says Denmark will use its midfield to prevent the Japanese from playing the technical and passing style they are known for.

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The English language broadsheet Daily Yomiuri had for its headline on March 27 “1st foreign nurses pass national exam.” The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that two Indonesians and one Filipina became the first foreign nurses to pass Japan’s national nursing qualification test after work experience at Japanese hospitals under EPA or economic partnership agreement(s). Foreign nurses who come to Japan under EPA are required to possess nursing qualifications in their own nations. After taking language training, they seek to pass Japan’s nursing test while working as assistant nurses at hospitals in the country.

The breakthrough event prompted popular Japanese journalist Kiyoshi Wakamiya (who was with Sen. Ninoy Aquino in the China Air lines flight on Aug. 21, 1983 from Taipei to the then Manila International Airport, where Ninoy was executed seconds after being escorted by Philippine security forces out of the plane into the tarmac) to comment that Filipinos should really try to regain its once preeminent position in baseball since the Japanese professional baseball league has been recruiting players from South America, Taiwan and Korea, Wakamiya said, “You were once number one in baseball in Asia. Your athletes can gain a very good living by playing professional baseball in Japan where teams play 144 games versus the 162 games of the American leagues.” Food for thought for this basketball-crazy country.