Ikeda: 'We want to inspire people who watch the game, make them feel how wonderful women's soccer is and let them enjoy the sport.'
They will have to do it without Mana Iwabuchi, however, after the 30-year-old playmaker was left out of Futoshi Ikeda's squad for the tournament, where Japan will play Spain, Costa Rica and Zambia in the opening round.
The ambition to inspire a nation remains, even if FIFA's hardline stance on the price of broadcasting rights means their games might not be available on terrestrial TV in Japan. That remains, but defences have improved in women's football and other teams have developed their own slick passing games, most notably the Spanish, who Japan meet in their final Group C match.
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