Japan, who hold the record for the most Asian Cup championships will begin their campaign for title No. 5 in January in Pool D, where they were drawn Thursday with Indonesia, Vietnam and 2017 champions Iraq.
"We've been put in an extremely difficult group," Samurai Blue manager Hajime Moriyasu said. "Our objective is winning the championship. We mustn't forget to enjoy this as we take on the challenge."
Japan, ranked 20th in the world, lost the last final in 2019 to Qatar with Moriyasu at the helm. Despite his team's top seeding in the pool against 67th-ranked Iraq, 95th-ranked Vietnam, and 149th-ranked Indonesia, he urged caution.
"I think we have to be wary of every single team," he said. "We have to be able to demonstrate our strengths, while denying our opponents theirs after thorough analysis."
