News On Japan

Japan National Team Fine-Tunes Ahead of England Friendly at Wembley

LONDON, Mar 31, 2026 (News On Japan) - Japan’s national soccer team completed final preparations on March 30 ahead of an international friendly against England, scheduled to kick off at 7:45 p.m. on March 31 (3:45 a.m. on April 1 Japan time) at Wembley Stadium in London, marking their last match before the squad announcement for the World Cup set to begin in June across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

During the opening portion of training, which was made public, players including Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Ueda (Feyenoord) engaged in passing drills to loosen up as the team fine-tuned its condition at the match venue.

Head coach Hajime Moriyasu spoke at a press conference, saying: "I’m very much looking forward to it. It will be a tough match, but we want to give everything we have and use this opportunity to build up the team as we head toward the World Cup."

Source: Kyodo

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Large and strong Typhoon No. 25 (Duzhen) was moving north over waters south of Japan at 9 p.m. on September 20 and is forecast to approach the Kanto region at strong intensity from the afternoon through the night of September 21, bringing the risk of torrential rain, violent winds, flooding, landslides, transport disruption and power outages.

Large and powerful Typhoon No. 25 is expected to make its closest approach to the Kanto region from the afternoon through the night of September 21, with flight cancellations already confirmed, planned train suspensions announced across Chiba Prefecture and possible expressway closures extending across the Tokyo metropolitan region.

A drone filming the illuminated Nagoya City Hall headquarters crashed into a building across the road shortly before 9 p.m. on September 17, with police investigating whether the flight may have violated Japan's Civil Aeronautics Act.

Volcanic smoke continues to rise from Mount Tokachi (Tokachidake), an active volcano in Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido, one week after its eruption alert level was raised to Level 3, restricting entry to the mountain and prompting a series of cancellations at nearby hot spring inns just before the peak autumn foliage season.

Starbucks is considering selling a majority stake in its Japanese business, potentially valued at as much as $3 billion, or about 470 billion yen, as the U.S. coffee chain seeks to concentrate management resources on its struggling North American operations.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Sports NEWS

The 20th Asian Games opened on September 19 with a ceremony at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, launching competition across venues in five prefectures through October 4.

Japan secured a place in the women’s soccer quarterfinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with one group-stage match remaining after overwhelming Vietnam 8-0 for its second consecutive victory.

A cruise ship that will serve as an accommodation base for athletes and other participants in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games arrived at Nagoya Port on September 15, ahead of the opening of the competition this week.

Digital art projections will illuminate the Aichi Prefectural Government Office and Nagoya City Hall from September 17 through October 24 as part of celebrations surrounding the Asian Games and Asian Para Games, which will be held in September and October.

Japan opened its women's soccer campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with an 8-0 victory over Thailand on September 14, making a dominant start to its bid for a third consecutive and fourth overall championship.

Japan enjoyed one of its busiest sporting weekends of the year on September 12 and 13, highlighted by the men's national volleyball team winning the Asian championship and securing qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while Nippon Professional Baseball's pennant races tightened, Miyu Yamashita captured the Japan Women's PGA Championship, Kosuke Sunagawa earned his first men's tour victory, and the Asian Games moved closer to their official opening.

Sota Fujii successfully defended his Oi title for a seventh consecutive year after defeating fellow 24-year-old Takumi Ito in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series, winning the match 4-2.

Japan's men's volleyball team defeated Australia in straight sets on September 9 to complete the preliminary round of the Asian Championship with three consecutive victories, advancing to the knockout stage as pool winner and moving within three wins of securing a place at the Los Angeles Olympics.