MIES (Switzerland) - Japan have no intentions of leaving any room for complacency whatsoever in their bid to set foot in the big stage again with the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers fast approaching.
The rising basketball program would want to start off as strong as they can as the road to Qatar finally opens later this month, for it's something that they were not able to accomplish during the previous two cycles.
Speaking in the Club 93 Podcast, Yuki Togashi has listed as much on his own checklist, particularly for the opening window scheduled on November 27-December 1 in which they will be taking on Chinese Taipei twice.
"We really have to be focused for November," the veteran guard offered.
We have to win. Or else, we won't even make it to the World Cup to begin with.
Togashi has been named part of the Japanese' 20-man training pool for Window 1 and this group is out to go perfect in the two games ahead, looking to flip the script this time after poor starts in the past.
He actually remembers to this day when they lost their first four games of the 2019 Asian Qualifiers, in which they bowed to the Philippines twice while and yielded as well to Australia and a regional rival in Chinese Taipei.
It was almost the same dilemma during the 2023 Asian Qualifiers when they dropped five of their first six outings, although they actually afforded to lose back then given that the country was among the World Cup hosts.
"Back when Julio Lamas was coach, we started 0-4," he recalled.
But they managed to flip the switch after that winless start in the first cycle, stopping the bleeding with a 79-78 upset of the Boomers before winning their next seven to eventually book a ticket to the World Cup.
"It was incredibly tough, but we managed to win eight straight from there," said Togashi, who appeared for 10 games during the 2019 Asian Qualifiers and averaged 6.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
There's definitely nothing more important than getting the job done in the end but of course, AKATSUKI JAPAN would want to change things up this time, for they know, too, how tough the competition could get.
Just in Group B alone, aside from Chinese Taipei, they will also have to go up against other long-time nemeses Korea and China, who are coming off a silver medal finish in the 2025 Asia Cup in Jeddah.
"We have two games against Chinese Taipei in November. We're in the same group as Chinese Taipei, Korea, and China. So these two games are so important," said Togashi in the show he co-hosts with Leo Vendrame.
Yuta Watanabe also emphasized as much when he joined the Club 93 podcast in a later episode, expressing excitement at the same time in suiting up in a window while in the midst of a season for the first time.
"It’s my first time playing in Window games during the season," said the former NBA veteran.
"When he was in the U.S., he only played games in summer, like in August," Togashi interjected. "The windows have 12 games. We have to win. Or else, we won't even make it to the World Cup to begin with."
Every game will be important in the Asian Qualifiers and this early, they're already anticipating tougher challenges ahead especially if they reach the Second Round, where they will be grouped with teams from West Asia.
Both Togashi and Vendrame did not need to look that far to see what lies ahead, having witnessed some of the squads such as Iran and Lebanon during the prestigious continental conclave held last July in Saudi Arabia.
In fact, Japan competed against both of them. They met the eventual bronze medalists during the Group Phase and lost, 78-70, before suffering a 97-73 beatdown from the Cedars in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals.
And just recently, they've seen some of their old foes like Sergio El Darwich, Omar Jamaleddine, and Ali Mezher even closer as they're among the first Lebanese talents to take their act to the Japanese B.League.
"The Lebanon game, we just gave them all the momentum and couldn't stop it. But the Iran game, that was the one. If we had won that, we would have entered the next [round] in a much different position," Togashi said.
"True. Iran was strong, too. They're getting stronger. With good young players," replied Vendrame before the tandem mentioned players such as Mohammad Amini and Sina Vahedi as those who caught their eye.
Can Japan turn things around this time? That, surely, is something to watch out for.
The East Asian contenders will first play Chinese Taipei on November 28 in Kobe before flying out to New Taipei City for the rematch. To know more about their 2027 Asian Qualifiers campaign, click here.
FIBA