Japan Football Association President Motoaki Inukai said Thursday he has asked the government to back the country's bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup finals.
Japan, which cohosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea, has decided to go ahead with its bid despite Tokyo's failure to win the right to host the 2016 Olympics.
New FIFA regulations require World Cup host countries to build a stadium with a minimum capacity of 80,000 for the opening game and final and victory for Tokyo in the race for the 2016 Games would have solved the capacity problem with the erection of a new main Olympic stadium and the renovation of the National Stadium.
Tokyo earlier this month lost out to Rio de Janeiro but the JFA has outlined a plan to build a new stadium with a capacity of over 80,000 and Inukai wants the government to lend its support.