With one win from three matches in the final round of Asia's World Cup preliminaries, Hajime Moriyasu leads Japan into Tuesday's meeting with Australia knowing his side must win to reignite their challenge and dampen speculation over his future.
The Japanese have qualified for every World Cup since their debut in France in 1998, when a team led by Takeshi Okada was forced into a playoff with Iran before confirming their berth in their first-ever finals appearance.
Sitting in fourth place in Group B with only the top two teams guaranteed to advance to Qatar next year, Japan's current predicament carries echoes of that fraught campaign.