Japan Football Association (JFA) president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto has labelled the English Premier League as the best environment for developing Japanese talent. Miyamoto stressed the goal of sending more players to England's top flight.
Miyamoto outlined the current presence, stating, "We have nine players who are playing for Premier League clubs and also eight players are playing for second division clubs." He added, "We would like to send more players to the English Premier League because the league offers the players the best environment to become top-class players.
The comments from Miyamoto, a former Japan defender who captained the national team at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, show the JFA's strong desire to expand the footprint of Japanese players in Europe, particularly in England. The national team is in strong form, unbeaten in its last four matches with three wins and a draw. Its most recent result was a 2-1 victory over New Zealand on October 5, where Ayase Ueda opened the scoring in the 28th minute and Ritsu Doan netted the winner in the 71st, assisted by Keito Nakamura.
Prior to that, the team drew 0-0 with Ecuador on October 1, following a 2-1 win over Venezuela on September 28 and a 3-1 victory against Uruguay on September 24.
The Next Major Test
Maintaining this momentum and developing players who can compete with the world's best is the challenge highlighted by Miyamoto's remarks. The national team faces a significant friendly next, hosting Brazil on November 14. The experience gained by players testing themselves in demanding overseas leagues will be a valuable asset ahead of this next fixture.
The closing address was delivered by AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. While topics like the upcoming FIFA presidential election in March were discussed, Miyamoto's focus remained firmly on Japan's player development strategy. The national team's current top scorer is Hidemasa Morita with three goals in ten appearances this season. The team's recent results and squad composition will serve as one measure of this development policy's effectiveness.
Background and full detail: espn.com
