Since its debut in 1998, Japan has competed at the FIFA World Cup seven times. As a result, there are plenty of facts, figures and interesting trivia.
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This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.

Are you a FIFA World Cup fanatic? 

Do you consider yourself a die-hard supporter of the Samurai Blue

Do you think you have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Japan national team's matches, players and results from the 1998 World Cup in France to the present?

What follows won't provide definite proof of anyone's level of fandom or overall expertise on Japan's World Cup history from a trivia standpoint.

But now's as good a time as any to pen this short trivia piece.

Without further ado, here are 10 questions about Japan's World Cup history and overall statistics since 1998, including its 2-1 win over Spain on Thursday, December 1 in Group E in Doha.

1. Who scored Japan's first-ever World Cup goal in 1998 against Jamaica (in the Samurai Blue's 2-1 loss)?
A. Superman
B. Ichiro Suzuki
C. Masashi Nakayama
D. Ken Watanabe

2. Who became the first Samurai Blue player to score goals in back-to-back matches in the same World Cup (2002 in Japan)?
A. Yuzuru Hanyu
B. Sadaharu Oh
C. Junichi Inamoto
D. Haruki Murakami

Read the full story on SportsLook.


Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter @ed_odeven, and find him on JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website, SportsLook.

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