Japan's top goalscorers list consists of some of the greatest Asian players of all time
Japan are without doubt one of the most influential footballing nations hailing from Asia.
The Samurai Blue didn't gain much momentum on the global stage until the 1990s, before a wave of talent helped them become the most successful team on the continent.
They qualified for the last seven World Cups, from which they reached the knockout stages in 2002, 2010 and 2018.
Japan are also record four-time AFC Asian Cup winners in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011.
We all know about legendary players such as Shunsuke Nakamura, Keisuke Honda, Shinji Okazaki and Shinji Kagawa.
But what about Kunishige Kamamoto, Japan's greatest goalscorer!
Or Takuya Takagi, who scored the winner in the 1992 AFC Asian Cup final.
Who is Japan's leading top goal scorer, though?
Let's take a look!
Getty1Kunishige Kamamoto | 80 goals
The greatest goalscorer for Japan with 80 goals, Kunishige Kamamoto made his debut on March 3, 1964 against Singapore and immediately opened his account.
Kamamoto was then selected by Japan for the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Mexico and helped Japan win the Bronze Medal in Mexico, scoring seven goals.
In 2018, this Japanese team from the 1968 Olympics was inducted in the Japan Football Hall of Fame.
Kamamoto also featured at the 1966, 1970 and 1974 Asian Cups for Japan.
AdvertisementGetty Images2Kazuyoshi Miura | 55 goals
A key player in the Japan national team for a decade, Kazuyoshi Miura was one of the most lethal strikers in Asia in his prime.
Miura featured in 98 games for Japan between 1990 and 2000, scoring 55 times, 14 of which came in 13 qualification games which led them to their first-ever World Cup in 1998.
However, he was then controversially not selected for the tournament.
Miura played abroad in Brazil with Santos and Palmeiras, in Italy with Genoa and in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb, while appearing for a host of Japanese clubs throughout his career.
3Shinji Okazaki | 50 goals
Third on the list of Japan's all-time top goal scorers is Shinji Okazaki, who featured for the national team on 119 occasions and scored 50 goals.
In an international career spanning 11 years, Okazaki's best performance for Japan came in consecutive matches as he scored hat-tricks against Hong Kong and Togo respectively.
IFFHS presented him with 'The World's Top Goal Scorer' award in 2009 for his 15 goals with the national team in the calendar year.
In 2010, Okazaki scored the only goal to help Japan beat Argentina 1-0 for the first-time ever.
4Hiromi Hara | 37 goals
Hiromi Hara made his debut for Japan against the Soviet Union on November 19, 1978 when he was still studying at university level.
Hara featured in the 1978 Asian Games and 1982 World Cup qualification matches for Japan.
An interesting fact about Hara is that he featured in every single international game for Japan between 1983 right up until 1987.
After retiring in 1988, after three managerial stints at club level, he got the chance to manage the Japanese team for two games, before Alberto Zaccheroni became the new manager.