The tournament kicks off on January 8 and will act as the qualifying campaign for the Tokyo Olympics, with the top three sides to book their tickets to the Games this summer, which will be the first to be staged in Asia since Beijing 2008.
But while Japan’s place is already secured as hosts, Moriyasu believes that the AFC U23 Championship provides the perfect platform for the future and one which could help fill his side with belief should they repeat their feat of 2016 by claiming the title.
“It’s a very important tournament for us because we want to develop the team by winning in Asia and proceed to the Tokyo Olympics with confidence,” said Moriyasu.
“[A successful tournament would be] becoming champions, because that shows what we’ve being doing so far is right and can add confidence to the team.”
Flashback: 2016 AFC U23 Championship Final - Japan v Korea Republic
Japan famously won the 2016 edition in Qatar by coming from two goals down against Korea Republic to seal a 3-2 victory as they also advanced to the Rio Olympics.
Two years ago in China, though, the Samurai Blue delivered a disappointing campaign when, also under Moriyasu, they were eliminated at the quarter-finals after a 4-0 defeat to eventual champions Uzbekistan.
With the other 15 the sides in Thailand desperate for the chance to be part of the world’s most renowned sporting spectacle later in the year, the stakes couldn't be higher ahead of the AFC's opening tournament of the year.
“I don’t see the difference but the tournament this time will definitely be tougher as all the teams will play to get the ticket to the Olympics,” admitted Moriyasu when about the difference between the non-Olympic qualifying tournaments and the Olympic qualifiers.
“Japan has already secured a spot at the Tokyo Olympics but we want to win the championship.”
Moriyasu is currently combining the roles of Japan’s senior team head coach and that of the U-23 side as he also attempts to secure the East Asians’ place at both the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.
While the two positions may result in a hectic schedule for the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach, it also allows him to see first-hand how the younger players are developing and whether they’re ready for the step up to the senior side.
And as Japan’s footballing philosophy is almost identical across all age groups, with possession-based football key to their identity, the hope is that success at U-23 level leads to a seamless transition into the senior set-up.
“I consider both teams as one large group of the senior national team. Based on this idea, the reinforcement of the teams is in good progress,” explained Moriyasu, whose side came through a qualifying group comprising Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Macau.
“When both teams have activities at the same time, Coach [Akinobo] Yokouchi takes care of the U-23 team. I think the team as well as the individuals are developing as we share the same concept and same ideas.
“I hope each player expresses their characteristics as much as possible [in Thailand], understanding and showing the team concept at the same time.”
Drawn in Group B alongside West Asian opposition in the form of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Syria, Japan will kick off their campaign against Saudi Arabia on January 9, before taking on Syria (January 12) and Qatar three days later.
Moriyasu expects tough challenges from all three.
“I believe that West Asian teams have good counter attacks and they have a good transition from tight defence to attack,” he added.
