a member of the Japan team who won the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon. He played three games in the competition. However, he was not selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals as Yutaka Akita was preferred. Under new national manager Zico, he partnered with Tsuneyasu Miyamoto at the back line. He participated in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup finals. He played in all the Japan matches and scored three goals, one of which was a stoppage time equaliser in the semi-final against Bahrain, and Japan went on to win the title again. He also played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany but the team failed to proceed to the knockout stage. After the tournament, he announced his retirement from the international football at the age of 28. However, six months later, he withdrew his decision and Ivica Osim played him in a friendly against Peru on 24 March 2007. He played in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals but this time the team failed to defend the title and finished 4th in the tournament. On 14 February 2010, Nakazawa made his 100th appearance for the Japan national team against South Korea in the final match of the 2010 East Asian Football Championship at Tokyo National Stadium. Nakazawa becomes only the third Japanese player, following Masami Ihara and Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, to reach 100 caps for his country. Later that year, Yasuhito Endo also reached 100 caps for Japan. On 30 May 2010, Nakazawa scored an own-goal in a friendly match against England to give England the lead; his defensive partner Marcus Tulio Tanaka had already scored an own goal to draw England level with Japan. The match ended 2–1 to England. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nakazawa played all four of Japan's games on their way to the round of 16 and knockout by penalties to Paraguay. He played some of the best football of his entire career and, alongside Marcus Tulio Tanaka, was the heart of defense. Career statistics Club International Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nakazawa goal. Honours Yokohama F. Marinos J1 League: 2003, 2004 Emperor's Cup: 2013 Japan AFC Asian Cup: 2000, 2004 Individual AFC Asian Cup Best Eleven – 2004 J.League Most Valuable Player – 2004 J.League Rookie of the Year – 1999 J.League Best Eleven – 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008