[Japanese Side] Moriyaasu Hajime, the Japanese Football Commander Who Puts His Life on the Line for Asian Cup Victory...

6 Years as National Team Coach Since 2018
Consistent Hairstyle and Note-Taking Draw Attention

These days, the hottest topic around me is undoubtedly the Asian Cup. Among them, Japanese football is a hot potato. There has been a lot of noise both inside and outside the country due to the loss against Iraq and the sexual assault allegations against Junya Ito.

Amid this, I received a question: "It seems like the head coach of the Japanese national football team has been the same person for several years. I'm curious who he is and why he has been coaching for so long." Since the quarterfinal match between Japan and Iran is scheduled for today and he is likely to appear frequently on camera, I decided to introduce him. He is Hajime Moriyasu, the main figure of 'Moriyasu Japan,' who has been the head coach of the Japanese national football team for six years since 2018.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Moriyasu was born in 1968 and is from Shizuoka Prefecture. He continued playing football during his school days and debuted as a player in 1987 by joining 'Mazda Soccer Club,' the predecessor of today's 'Sanfrecce Hiroshima.' However, he was not a promising player from the start and had a long period of obscurity. From 1992, he was selected for the national team and became known as a member who led the team to win the Asian Cup. However, from the 2000s, he gradually moved away from being a key player, and after suffering injuries, he retired from active play in 2004. Instead, he began his coaching career as a coach for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, where he started his playing career.

Later, he participated as a coach for the 2018 Russia World Cup team and contributed to reaching the round of 16. After the Russia World Cup ended and head coach Akira Nishino stepped down, the Japan Football Association appointed Hajime Moriyasu as the head coach instead of a foreign coach.

Coach Moriyasu is famous for his 'consistency.' His unchanging hairstyle since his playing days is an example. He has been going to the same hair salon, 'Hair Salon Okimoto,' in Hiroshima city for 30 years since his Mazda Soccer Club days.

Even during his time as Sanfrecce Hiroshima's head coach, if the prepared tactics did not seem effective, he did not easily change them during the game. He believed that if you persistently hold on even when it seems ineffective at first, the opponent becomes careless, and you can exploit that gap to score goals.

He also appears at the stadium always dressed in a consistent suit, constantly writing in a notebook. There was even an analysis jokingly suggesting it was a death note for players who made mistakes, but in fact, it is a notebook where he records what happened during the first half of the game to analyze the flow of the match. After discussing with the coaches, he sometimes conveys parts that match his notes to the players. He carries a B6-sized notebook for matches and an A6-sized one for practice, using only two pens?a red pen and a blue pen?instead of highlighters to underline things. This is also considered a tactic and is called the 'Moriyasu notebook technique.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, he is not always praised and has some divided opinions. There have been stories that he insists on certain players, and especially during the 2021 Qatar World Cup final qualifiers, poor results led to talks of dismissal.

Moriyasu once told the team, "If you think this coach is no good, you can go to the association and talk about it," which has been recorded as a 'Moriyasu saying' showing his persistence and confidence.

After that, in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, he caused an upset by defeating European powerhouses Spain and Germany. From then on, public opinion shifted to regard him as a 'master tactician.' It was even more meaningful as it was a victory created by a domestic coach instead of a foreign one. At that time, Moriyasu boldly used all five substitution cards in the match against Germany, leading to a 2-1 comeback victory, and defeated Spain in the same way. This victory is recorded as being achieved through so-called 'mercenary tactics.'

However, there is much interest in how he will handle this Asian Cup. First, Japan created a dark history by losing to Iraq in the group stage. The football statistics site Squawka said, "Japan has recorded only seven losses in Asian Cup history. This is the first group stage loss in 36 years." It was also pointed out that Japan has never had a clean sheet in this tournament until now.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Japan managed to advance to the quarterfinals by defeating Bahrain, but this time, key striker Junya Ito was accused of sexual crimes. Although he was initially released from the squad, the decision was reversed, and he returned, continuing the controversy.

Today's quarterfinal against Iran is the first match after the controversy, and it seems crucial to see what kind of leadership Moriyasu will show amid the turmoil. Moriyasu currently holds the position of the second-longest-serving head coach of the Japanese national football team. The outcome of today's match will play a major role in shaping public opinion about the Moriyasu regime going forward. There is keen interest in whether he can become the longest-serving Japanese coach.