Japan have been drawn into Group D at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, pitting them against Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam in the opening stage of the tournament.

The Samurai Blue will open the tournament against Indonesia on January 14, followed by Iraq on January 19 and finishing with Vietnam on January 24. The top two teams in the group and four best third place teams across all groups will advance to a 16-team knockout stage, with the final set for February 10.

The Asian Cup was originally scheduled to be played this summer in China, however the country relinquished the rights to host due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qatar was chosen as the replacement host, pushing the tournament back to the winter.

Japan qualified for the Asian championship via their performance in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying and will go in search of their fifth Asian Cup title. They won the competition previously in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011, and made it to the final in 2019.Japan to play Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam in Asian Cup group stage