Yoichi Doi
Made his debut for Japan on February 7, 2004, against Malaysia, aged 30. Currently playing for FC Tokyo, Doi has won 4 caps for Japan at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: July 25, 1973
Height: 1.84m (6ft)

Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
Made his debut for Japan on February 13, 1997, against Sweden, aged 21. Currently playing for Japanese side Jubilo Iwata, Kawaguchci has won 84 caps for Japan (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: August 25, 1975
Height: 1.79m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Kawaguchi signed for Portsmouth in October 2001; however, he failed to secure a regular place in the first team and moved to Danish side FC Nordsjaelland in September 2003.

Seigo Narazaki
Made his debut for Japan on February 15, 1998, against Australia, aged 21. Currently playing for Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight, Narazaki has won 50 caps for Japan (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: April 15, 1976
Height: 1.85m (6ft)
Fact: Narazaki broke his nose during Japan's game against the United States at the Sydney Olympics in 2000; Narazaki remained on the pitch despite his injury and played the rest of the game—including the penalty shoot-out—with cotton wool up his nose to stop the blood. The match ended 5-4 to the United States.

Defenders

Makoto Tanaka
Made his debut for Japan on October 8, 2003, against Tunisia, aged 25. Currently playing for Japanese side Jubilo Iwata, Tanaka has won 31 caps for Japan and scored 0 goals for his country (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: August 5, 1978
Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Tanaka, who has spent his entire professional career to date at Jubilo Iwata, was named in the end-of-season J-League Best XI in 1998 and 2002.

Tsuneyasu Miyamoto
Made his debut for Japan on June 18, 2000, against Bolivia, aged 25. Currently playing for Japanese side Gamba Osaka, Miyamoto has won 64 caps for Japan and scored 3 goals for his country (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: February 7, 1977
Height: 1.76m (5ft 7in)
Fact: Captain of the national side, Miyamoto has spent the past 11 seasons at Gamba Osaka; prior to this he played for Kongou FC, where he experienced one of the lowest points of his footballing career to date—scoring three own goals in the space of a few months.

Yuji Nakazawa
Made his debut for Japan on September 8, 1999, against Iran, aged 21. Currently playing for Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, Nakazawa has won 45 caps for Japan and scored 9 goals for his country (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: February 25, 1978
Height: 1.87m (6ft 1in)
Fact: Nakazawa was named Japanese Footballer of the Year in 2004.

Alessandro Santos (known simply as "Alex")
Made his debut for Japan in March 2002, against Ukraine, aged 22. Currently playing for Japanese side Urawa Reds, Alex has won 67 caps for Japan and has scored 5 goals for his country (as at March 1, 2006).
Date of birth: July 20, 1977
Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Santos was born in Brazil, but has lived in since 1994; he was voted Most Valuable Player in the Japanese League in 1999, when he scored 11 goals in 35 games for Shimizu S-Pulse.

Keisuke Tsuboi
Made his debut for Japan on June 11, 2003, against Paraguay, aged 23. Currently playing for Japanese side Urawa Reds, Tsuboi has won 29 caps for Japan and scored 0 goals for his country (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: September 16, 1979
Height: 1.79m (5ft 10in)
Fact: Tsuboi was named J-League Rookie of the Year in 2002.

Akira Kaji
Made his debut for Japan on October 8, 2003, against Tunisia, aged 23. Currently playing for Japanese side Gamba Osaka, Kaji has won 39 caps for Japan and scored 1 goal for his country (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: January 13, 1980
Height: 1.77m (5ft 9in)
Fact: Kaji was a member of the Japanese U20 side that finished as runners up at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in 1999.

Yuichi Komano
Made his debut for Japan on August 3, 2005, against China, aged 24. Currently playing for Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Komano has won 6 caps for Japan and scored 0 goals for his country (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: July 25, 1981
Height: 1.71m (5ft 7in)

Koji Nakata
Made his debut for Japan on February 5, 2000, against Mexico, aged 20. Currently playing for Swiss side FC Basel, Nakata has won 54 caps for Japan and scored 2 goals for his country (as at February 28, 2006).
Date of birth: July 9, 1979
Height: 1.82m (5ft 11in)
Fact: Nakata joined Basel in February 2006 from French side Marseille; although he plays in defence for his club, he is sometimes utilised in a midfield role for his country.