Japan confirm Hajime Moriyasu will leave by year-end
JFA general-secretary Kazuyuki Yukawa says Go Oiwa is scheduled to take over in late March, after the Asian Cup was postponed until December 2027.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu will leave his role by the end of 2026, and Go Oiwa is scheduled to take charge of the senior team with international friendlies in late March, according to straitstimes.com, which published the confirmation from Japan Football Association general-secretary Kazuyuki Yukawa on 5 November. The change comes after the Asian Football Confederation postponed the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia from early 2027 to December that year.
Why the Asian Cup delay changed the handover context
Moriyasu had been due to lead Japan at the tournament before Oiwa replaced him, AFP reported. The postponement moves the competition beyond the end-of-2026 departure deadline, leaving Moriyasu’s expected final tournament with Japan in question. The AFC cited “exceptional circumstances” in the region; straitstimes.com reported that Saudi Arabia had come under attack by Yemen’s Houthi group amid ongoing unrest.
Moriyasu signed a short-term contract through the Asian Cup after Japan lost to Brazil in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup in North America, straitstimes.com reported. The tournament’s seven matches had been part of the context for his continued spell. Moriyasu told AFP that if the competition were rescheduled, a new management team could use those matches to prepare for the next World Cup. He said Japan’s football development mattered more than his personal situation and added: “I just accept reality and do my best in the job right in front of me.”
Japan’s coaching timetable and December friendly
The JFA has not specified the date Moriyasu will depart. AFP reported that technical director Masakuni Yamamoto said the handover timing would be decided within the association. Yukawa said Oiwa, who currently coaches Japan’s Under-21 team, is scheduled to begin with the senior side’s late-March friendlies; the reports do not establish whether the JFA will adjust that schedule.
Japan had also planned an Asian Cup warm-up against an unnamed opponent in Osaka on 30 December. Yamamoto could not immediately confirm whether it would go ahead, AFP reported. Moriyasu said the postponement had not changed his squad selection for Japan’s friendlies against Brazil and Paraguay in Singapore this month.
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Sources and context
- Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu to leave by year-end as Asian Cup postponedThe Straits Times; report credited to Kyodo News
- Asian Cup postponement hurts Japan coachDaily Tribune; report credited to Agence France-Presse
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.