hey may have just fallen short of making their first ever quarter-final, but Japan’s performance at the 2022 World Cup was one of the biggest stories of Qatar, topping a group containing two of the three previous world champions in Spain and Germany, beating both of them in the process – a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that both opponents had Champions League-winning managers in the dugout.

But perhaps Japan’s success in the winter tournament shouldn’t have been a surprise. They made the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics just 18 months earlier, beating France 4-0 en route and only losing after extra-time to a strong Spain side once they got there.

Furthermore, a number of Japanese players are putting in star performances across the top leagues. Daichi Kamada was crucial to Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League triumph in 2022 and is enjoying another superb season in the Bundesliga this term; Kaoru Mitoma has quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting players following his move to Brighton; and Takefusa Kubo is already a pretty experienced La Liga forward at the age of 21, with his performances for Real Sociedad this season helping propel them to third, giving the Basque club real hope of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in ten years.

These, of course, are just a few examples of what some have described as the country’s golden generation. But why did it take so long for the world’s third-largest economy to produce such a brilliant crop of players? What is the secret to their success in 2023? And what does the future hold? On today’s EFD Explained, we’re going to find out.