Japan 's participation was in doubt after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami , but the Japan Football Association confirmed on 16 March 2011 that they would participate . However , the Japanese FA later withdrew from the tournament on 4 April 2011 citing scheduling conflict with rescheduled J. League matches . Following a meeting with the leadership of the Argentine Football Association , the Japanese FA decided to hold off on their final decision until 15 April . The Japanese FA later announced on 14 April that they would compete in the competition using mainly European based players . The Japanese FA withdrew their team again on 16 May citing difficulties with European clubs in releasing Japanese players . On the next day , CONMEBOL sent a formal invitation letter to the Costa Rican Football Federation inviting Costa Rica as replacement . Costa Rica accepted the invitation later that day
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Copa América