Japan national football team
Japan is the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in both 1999 and 2011. However, Japan declined their invitation on 16 May 2011, after events related to the difficulty of releasing some Japanese players from European teams to play as replacements. On 17 May 2011, CONMEBOL invited Costa Rica to replace Japan in the competition; the Costa Rican Football Federation accepted their invitation later that day.
Japan 2–15 Philippines
On 10 May 1917, the association football teams of the Philippines and Japan faced each other at the 1917 Far Eastern Games. The tournament was participated by Japan, the Philippines and China. The Japanese team was represented by a selection from the Tokyo Higher Normal School. Paulino Alcántara, a renowned football player, was part of the Philippine squad who led the Philippines to its biggest recorded victory in an international football match and also resulted to Japan's biggest defeat. However, this match is not recognized as an official international match by the Japan Football Association.