The question of how to catch up to the rest of the world has been a focal point for Japanese soccer for as long as the country has competed on the international stage.
Like many key games before it, Tuesday’s extra-time 1-0 defeat to Spain in the semifinals of the Olympic men’s soccer tournament failed to provide an answer.
That Hajime Moriyasu’s under-24 side stood up to one of the tournament’s strongest lineups for 114 minutes — even putting the European side on its back feet at several points — is laudable.