Manchester United attacker Shinji Kagawa has played down the significance of Japan's upcoming World Cup warmups and says results will only count when the Asian champions' Group C campaign gets under way against Cote d'Ivoire on June 14.
Japan plays Cyprus in a send-off match in Saitama on Tuesday night and Alberto Zaccheroni's men then depart on Thursday for the United States, where they will play two more tune-ups in Florida against Costa Rica and Zambia.
Four years ago, Japan's preparations for the finals were less than ideal. Then-coach Takeshi Okada offered to resign after a 2-0 home defeat to South Korea, but he backtracked afterward to say it was a "joke."