National team manager Alberto Zaccheroni believes Japan can live with any team in the world after scoring nine goals without reply in its opening two games of the final round of qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.
The Asian champions followed up last weekend's 3-0 win over Oman with a 6-0 demolition of Jordan on Friday, taking a 4-0 lead before halftime at Saitama Stadium and playing some of the most fluent, incisive soccer the national team has ever seen.
Japan now heads to Brisbane to take on Australia on Tuesday in what looks on paper to be the toughest assignment in a five-team group that also includes Iraq, but Zaccheroni has more than enough reason to believe his team is equal to the task.