Korea Republic U17

The historical and regional conflicts between Japan and South Korea, including Japanese occupation of Korea until 1945, have greatly influenced the football rivalry between the two countries. Their first encounter in football was a two-legged qualifier for the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Both matches were held in Japan, with the South Korean government banning the Japan national team from entering their country at the time. South Korea qualified for the 1954 World Cup after defeating Japan 7–3 on aggregate. The two countries also met in the two-legged final of the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification, and South Korea once again advanced to the World Cup by winning 3–1 on aggregate.

Japan conceded the World Cup berth to South Korea one more time despite a 1–0 derby win in 1994. Japan claimed the top spot before the last match in Asia's round-robin tournament, but was overtaken by Saudi Arabia and South Korea after drawing 2–2 with Iraq in that match. The draw between Japan and Iraq was called the "Agony of Doha" in Japan and the "Miracle of Doha" in South Korea.

The "Japan–South Korea Regular Match" was held 15 times from 1972 to 1991, and South Korea led the event with 10 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. Its revival was steadily expected by the press, but on the contrary, there were no "A" team matches between the two countries for ten years between 2011 and 2021, apart from the games at the EAFF Championship. Some of the causes were scheduling conflicts and poor diplomatic relations.

South Korea overwhelmingly led the first 50 matches with 32 wins, 11 draws and 7 losses, but the rivalry has become a very close contest since the early 1990s following the establishment of the J.League. From 2021 to 2023, South Korea suffered five consecutive defeats against Japan at all age levels of men's football, all by the same scoreline of 3–0, including the "A" team friendly on 25 March 2021. In 2023, JoongAng Ilbo surveyed 30 executives in the Korea Football Association, mostly K League club administrators, and 80% agreed that Japan overtook South Korea ten years ago.