South Korea's under-23 men's football team, coached by Lee Min-sung, faces its longtime rival Japan for the gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at 7:30 p.m. on the 3rd at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture. Japan built its squad around under-21 players without using wild cards, but the team is far from an easy opponent, stacked with young talents proven in Europe and the J.League.
The Japanese player Lee's side must shut down most thoroughly in this latest Korea-Japan clash is Nelson Ishiwatari (Sint-Truiden), a physically dominant engine in midfield. A defensive midfielder of Nigerian-Japanese heritage who has built his experience in Belgium, Ishiwatari is the hinge between Japan's attack and defense. Backed by a solid physique, strong spring and relentless work rate, he dominates midfield battles and excels at breaking up opposing attacks at the first line.
His weaknesses are as clear as his strengths. Under heavy pressure high up the pitch, he often misplaces passes because of delayed decision-making. He also tends to pick up cards with rough fouls when matches heat up. If Korea's midfielders apply strong first-line pressure and force errors, there is a good chance their own attacks will flow more smoothly.
Hisatsugu Ishii (Shonan Bellmare), who leads Japan with three goals at this tournament, also demands close attention. Ishii, who has come through Japan's age-group national teams, is regarded as the most creative winger in their attack. With excellent ball mastery and dribbling technique, he can open cracks in a defense whenever a one-on-one situation arises out wide or near the box, and he threatens goal with precise shooting. His weakness, however, is that he is frequently outmuscled in physical duels.
To create goals, Lee's team must get past Shuto Nagano, the core of Japan's defense. A promising defender with FC Tokyo in the J.League, Nagano anchors the back line and organizes it as its leader. At just over 180 centimeters, he is not especially tall, but he controls opposing attackers with intelligent defending.
What makes Nagano especially dangerous for Korea is his solid build-up ability. Versatile enough to play as a defensive midfielder as well as a center back, he supplies steady passes from the back and reads the game, making him highly useful in both three-man and four-man defensive systems. It is no exaggeration to say that Japan's creative attacking patterns begin at his feet.
But he is not particularly agile or quick over the ground, and there have been many instances in which his passing choices or decision speed slowed during build-up from the back. That makes it essential for Korea's attacking midfielders with pace and one-on-one dribbling ability — such as Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) and Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City) — to target the space behind Nagano at a high tempo.
