Go Oiwa will take his Japan team to the Paris Olympics with his sights set on a medal-winning performance and his spirits buoyed by the nation’s recent AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 success.The former Kashima Antlers coach, who led the J1 League side to the AFC Champions League title in 2019, steered his team to victory in the continental championship in May to secure the country’s eighth successive Olympic Games qualification.Oiwa’s team defeated Uzbekistan in the final in Doha to lift the trophy for the second time as the Japanese continued their record of qualifying for every Olympic Games since 1996 and the head coach is targeting further success for his team later this summer. “Our primary goal was not only to qualify for the Paris Olympics, but also to win the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024,” Oiwa tells the-AFC.com“We are very happy to have achieved this victory. We will approach the Paris Olympics with the confidence and pride of being the champions of Asia.“The team developed a strong sense of unity as we advanced through the AFC U23 Asian Cup, playing six matches with only two or three days between each. I also feel that the players grew stronger and tougher.“Since the tournament, many players have become key players to their respective teams. We hope that the growth of each player will continue to improve the team.”Japan’s success in Doha means Oiwa and his players have been drawn in Group D in France, where they will begin their campaign against Paraguay in Bordeaux on July 24. They will then face Mali three days later before completing the group phase against Israel on July 30. A top two finish will be required for Japan to advance to the knockout rounds for the fourth time since 2000.“Since these teams won their respective continental qualifiers for the Paris Olympics, they are all very strong,” Oiwa says of the task ahead.“Paraguay topped the South American qualifiers, beating Brazil. We played against Mali in an international friendly match in March (a game Japan lost 3-1) and realised how strong they are.“Israel have also shown their strength in youth development, making significant progress in last year’s FIFA U20 World Cup. There are no easy games. To win medals, we need to play hard in matches during the middle of summer. Our ultimate goal is to reach the final and win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.“However, we want to focus on the group stage first and take each match one at a time without looking too far ahead.”Oiwa’s squad for the Olympic Games leans heavily on the one that won the AFC U23 Asian Cup with the 52-year-old choosing not to add the three overage players permitted under the competition’s regulations. He has also left Kuryu Matsuki, a key member of the side that was successful in Qatar earlier in the year, out of his 18-man squad while Fuki Yamada, scorer of the goal that saw Japan defeat Uzbekistan, has only been included on Oiwa’s four-man reserve list.The Japanese will travel to France attempting to win a first Olympic medal since claiming bronze in Mexico City in 1968 having twice gone close to ending their Olympic medal drought in the 56 years since.The nation has twice finished fourth at the Games, losing in the bronze medal playoff to Korea Republic in London in 2012 before suffering the same fate at the hands of Mexico in Tokyo three years ago.“We have been building our team based on a consistent concept since we started two and a half years ago,” says Oiwa. “We want to approach the Paris Olympics with confidence as the culmination of everything we have built up so far.“We have selected the best players to advance to the final and to win the gold medal.”