Japan women's national football team
During the 1970s, the number of women football players and teams increased in Japan, and teams made up regional leagues in various parts of Japan. In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held, and in 1981 the Japan women's national football team played its first international match in Hong Kong. The team continued playing matches in Japan or in other countries, but it was not an "All Japan" national team but a temporarily organized team selected from the regional leagues.
Japan women's national football team
The team were champions in the 2008 and 2010 EAFF Women's Football Championships, and won the gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games. Japan defeated the United States in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, thus claiming their first FIFA Women's World Cup title, becoming the first Asian team to do so and only the fourth women's world champions. It won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the only Asian team to have three combined medals from international championships. They also won the gold medal at the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup. The team most recently won the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup and the 2018 Asian Games.