Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) faced the Chinese Taipei Women’s National Team in their third and final group stage match of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on Monday 21 September, securing a 4-0 victory.

Having already secured their place in the knockout stage, Japan made five changes to the starting line-up from their second match and lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. FUKUDA Shiori made her senior international debut in goal, with SUZUKI Sumire, ITO Juri, GOTO Wakaba and HAMADA Megu forming the back four from right to left. UENO Mami played at the base of midfield, with SHIOKOSHI Yuzuho and TAKARADA Saori further forward, while NARUMIYA Yui, KAMIYA Chiina and NAKASHIMA Yoshino formed the front three.

Chinese Taipei, who had also already secured a place in the knockout stage, started Japan-born WAKABAYASHI Misato and TANAKA Maho, while MATSUNAGA Saki began the match on the bench.

Needing only a draw to finish top of the group, Japan settled into their passing rhythm from the outset. Kamiya was brought down inside the penalty area in the sixth minute, and Takarada converted the resulting penalty to give Japan the lead. In the 20th minute, Nakashima delivered a cross from the left and Kamiya headed home to score for the third consecutive match, doubling Japan’s lead and drawing a huge cheer from the crowd of 3,679.

Chinese Taipei threatened in the 35th minute when a long ball from their goalkeeper reached the area around Japan’s goal, but Fukuda was quickly off her line to clear the danger.

Head coach KANO Michihisa made four changes at the start of the second half. IKUTA Nanasa made her senior international debut, meaning every player in Japan’s squad for the tournament had now taken to the pitch.

Japan continued to push forward, and in the 51st minute, Hamada’s shot was blocked before Ueno converted the rebound to make it 3-0. Seven minutes later, Ikuta met Shiokoshi’s cross with her right foot to score on her debut.

Substitutes SENO Yuki and OHASHI Sakurako helped keep Chinese Taipei at bay with some alert covering in the closing stages as Japan saw out a 4-0 victory.

With three wins and three clean sheets from their three matches, Japan finished top of Group E and advanced to the knockout stage.

Nadeshiko Japan will look to secure a place in the semi-finals when they face the Philippines Women’s National Team in the quarter-finals at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on Friday 25 September.

Coach and Players' Comments

KANO Michihisa, Head Coach of Nadeshiko Japan
We knew it would be a tough match with top spot in the group at stake, and that’s exactly how it turned out. There are still areas where we need to improve our quality. We made too many mistakes, our timing was off at times and the distances between players weren’t always right. But the players gave everything, and I’m pleased that we were able to finish top of the group. It was also great to play in front of such a big crowd. The players were able to show their appreciation through their performance, and I think it was a good way to round off the group stage. One of our aims throughout the group stage was to score multiple goals while keeping clean sheets. I was pleased to see the players stay focused and put their bodies on the line defensively when they needed to. At the same time, there is still a lot we can improve in terms of how we read the game, control the tempo and manage different situations.

MF #15 ITO Juri (Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara)
This was definitely our toughest match of the group stage. We had a lot of the ball, but I felt I could have done better in the build-up. I need to read how the opposition are moving before I play the ball, because a few of my passes were cut out today. That’s something I want to improve going forward. We knew we had to be wary of Tanaka’s left foot, and there were a few dangerous moments, but everyone kept closing them down right until the end. Keeping a clean sheet was something we had focused on as a team, so it was good to achieve that again. The opposition will get stronger from here, but our approach as Japan won’t change. I want to keep improving my own game and make sure that one mistake doesn’t lead to us conceding. We want to keep getting clean sheets, and for me that means paying attention to the quality of every ball I play.

FW #9 UENO Mami (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina)
I think we rushed things a little too much in the first half. We could have done a better job of reading the game, seeing what the opposition were doing and adjusting our decisions accordingly. That’s something I need to improve as well. I moved further forward in the second half and tried to find space to receive the ball and link up with the forwards. A lot of our attacks ended up going down the flanks, so I think we could have found more ways to attack through the middle as well. We kept another clean sheet because everyone defended with real determination right until the end. But once we get into the knockout stage, even a momentary lapse can lead to a goal, so communication will become even more important. I also want to improve the quality of my attacking play and contribute more goals.

20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026

Tournament Period: Monday 14 September – Friday 2 October 2026
Tournament information