Japan captain Makoto Hasebe is ready to start his side's World Cup opener against Ivory Coast on Sunday. The Blue Samurai take on the African nation in Group C at the Pernambuco Arena in Recife at full strength. Hasebe missed his team's last two warm-up games and only recently returned to action after his recovery from a serious knee injury. "There is no problem and I have been taking part in...Full Story »

With little more than pride at stake after both teams were eliminated from the Confederations Cup on Wednesday, the Mineirao clash is a race to avoid finishing bottom of Group A Probable lineups With their hopes of reaching the Confederations Cup semi-finals dashed, Japan and Mexico will face each other at the Mineirao on Saturday playing for little more than to avoid the ignominy of finis...Full Story »

BERLIN (AFP) - Wolfsburg announced on Thursday that Japanese international midfielder Makoto Hasebe has signed a two-year extension to his contract, tying him to the club until 2014. Hasebe, 27, moved to the Volkswagen-backed club in 2008, and formed part of their title-winning side in 2008/09. He has made 88 Bundesliga appearances, scoring two goals.Full Story »