Japan 2002

This article was generously provided to ClubFootball by the British Council, which operates in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.

"This Japan side has created a legacy for the future". As Ben Lyttleton explains, the changes implemented by Japan coach Philippe Troussier not only improved the performance of the national team in time for World Cup 2002, but also had an impact on the whole country and its culture.
 
One of the first things Frenchman Philippe Troussier did after becoming Japan coach in 1998 was ban the meal-time seating hierarchy at squad get-togethers. Before his arrival, the junior and senior players sat apart from each other, conforming to the Japanese tradition of respect due to older people.
 
But Troussier edged out the old guard who had dominated the team in the past - like Kazuyoshi Miura and others who had played at the World Cup in France - and in so doing was responsible for influencing a cultural change within the team, which rubbed off on the rest of the nation.
 
Before the 2002 World Cup finals, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara had dismissed Troussier as "second rate", a "bully" who embodied the worst characteristics of "white people". Ever since the American Commodore Perry opened trade to Japan in the 1860s, the country had been viewed as suspicious of 'gaijin', foreigners bringing in new ideas. More recently, Carlos Ghosn, the Brazilian-born president of Nissan Motor Co, was criticised as a modern-day Perry despite restoring the money-losing car manufacturers to health.
 
Troussier shook up Japan's seniority-based system and encouraged the younger players - like Koji Nakata and Daisuke Ichikawa - to be equal members of the team. After Japan's thrilling draw with Belgium was followed by wins over Russia and Tunisia, there was an unprecedented outpouring of emotion in the stands and the streets. The idea of keeping emotions in check was forgotten as fans in Osaka jumped off bridges into the river in celebration.
 
The J-League chairman Masaru Suzuki wants this new attitude to continue. "The World Cup gave us an opportunity to show people what football culture is like. Now we have to build it all over the nation."
 
Suzuki sees the seniority issue as only one element of the impact football can have, and he wants to bring about more changes.
 
"Japanese society is really losing touch with itself," he continued. "There is no communication any more, especially in big cities like Tokyo and Yokohama. My job is to give the Japanese people the opportunity to communicate with one another and to develop a sense of community through football. I want football to bring people together. In Europe, football is like a religion. Here, we don't have a religious community and I would like football to fill that space. I want Japanese people to have something we can share."
 
Troussier agreed: "This Japan side has created a legacy for the future," he said. "But the road ahead will get tougher."

By Ben Lyttleton, November 2003