There is certainly room for improvement as Japan takes the defense of its Asian Cup title into the quarterfinals on Friday, but the way the team has improved with each performance so far in Australia suggests the best is yet to come.
Japan faces the United Arab Emirates with a place in the semifinals up for grabs, having come through the group stage with three wins out of three and yet to concede a single goal. A first-round exit would have been a major shock given that the opposition consisted of Palestine, Iraq and Jordan, but Japan appears to be gaining momentum with each game and will head into the quarterfinal in Sydney confident of further progress.
"Japan's quarterfinal opponent is the U.A.E., but it's a matter of course that the team should be winning up to this stage," wrote commentator Sergio Echigo in Wednesday's Nikkan Sports. "The real contest at the Asian Cup is from the semifinals onward. It will be interesting to see how Japan responds if it goes behind and undergoes a real test."