Japan National Football Team Manager Hajime Moriyasu Stars in CM 'JAPAN PRIDE: Together to Become World's Best,' Premiering March 28

APA Hotel Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Fumiko Motoya), which operates Japan's largest network of 1,068 hotels and 143,527 rooms (including those under construction/planning, overseas, and APA partner hotels), will begin broadcasting its second commercial featuring SAMURAI BLUE (Japan national football team) manager Hajime Moriyasu, titled "JAPAN PRIDE: Together to Become World's Best," starting Saturday, March 28, 2026.

URL: https://www.apahotel.com/samurai_blue/

The new commercial's message is "JAPAN PRIDE: Together to Become World's Best." It embodies the shared dream and fighting spirit of the APA Group, which has a global strategy with 54 hotels and 5,454 rooms in North America (including upcoming openings) in addition to its domestic presence, and Manager Moriyasu and the SAMURAI BLUE, who are taking on the world. The commercial was filmed at the APA Hotel & Resort , which is Japan's tallest single hotel building with 2,007 guest rooms.

The first commercial, "Manager Moriyasu's Letter," released last September (https://youtu.be/XVoLWEL7L3A), depicted the manager's inner, "quiet" fighting spirit. This new installment, "JAPAN PRIDE: Together to Become World's Best," more aggressively and positively expresses the feeling of supporting and watching over Manager Moriyasu as he makes his move this year.

■ Comments from Hajime Moriyasu, SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Football Team) Manager

"It was a valuable experience to be part of a shoot with such a tense atmosphere. The weather was good, the view was very clear, and I could see the cities of Tokyo and Chiba, which made for a very pleasant filming session. The APA Hotel staff really built up the excitement for becoming 'world's best,' and it was a great, motivating time.

I believe there are many things we can do to prepare, but I'm always thinking about thoroughly executing the fundamentals for the match and the battle ahead. I personally, and I share this with the staff, want to prepare diligently every day to increase our chances of becoming world champions, even by just 1%. Our men's national team has not yet become the world's best. The APA Group is also aiming to be number one in the world, and I feel that we are being given a wonderful opportunity for a Japanese challenge, to aim for the top together—APA in business and us in the world of soccer.

For our upcoming tour in England, we have two valuable and important friendly matches. We will fight to win there, deepen our confidence for the main tournament, and use this precious time to move forward with even more courage."

■ New Commercial Broadcast Information

Title: JAPAN PRIDE: Together to Become World's Best

Broadcast Date...