Japan have appointed Olympic squad coach Hajime Moriyasu to manage the senior national team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ campaign.

Moriyasu won three J.League titles during a highly successful five-year spell at Sanfrecce Hiroshima before taking the Olympic team reins in 2017.

A former midfielder, Moriyasu was a regular for Japan during the mid 1990s and featured when the national team last failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1994.

Moriyasu replaces Akira Nishino who led Japan to within touching distance of a maiden quarter-final World Cup appearance, only for Samurai Blue to suffer a last-minute 3-2 defeat against Belgium at Russia 2018.

The 48-year-old Moriyasu was an assistant to Nishino at Russia 2018.

“I must construct a team that can fight through battles in Asia, and eventually head into the competitions against the world,” Nishino said. “I will build on what coach Nishino has worked on and develop an even stronger Japan team.”