Representing Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd and more, the number of players representing the Asian nation in the English top-flight has more than doubledBefore the 2023-24 Women’s Super League season began, there had only ever been eight Japanese players in the division’s 12-year history. Fast-forward to today, and that total has more than doubled in less than two years, with Australia, Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands the only countries outside of the United Kingdom with more players in the WSL right now than the Asian nation.These players are taking centre stage on a weekly basis, too. Last Friday, Fuka Nagano bagged a goal and an assist as Liverpool shocked Manchester United at Anfield. A day later, Aoba Fujino rocketed a shot beyond Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton to draw Manchester City level in the League Cup final. Then, on Wednesday, in a rematch of that clash in an all-English Champions League quarter-final, Yui Hasegawa’s remarkable composure proved vital in the move that allowed Vivianne Miedema to double City’s first-leg advantage.At first, Japanese players only left home fleetingly, playing a handful of games in England, the U.S. or elsewhere before – in most cases – returning home to see out their careers. That has changed drastically in the last few years – and it is to the benefit of not only the WSL, but other leagues across the globe and, crucially, the national team itself.
