Qatar are the Asian Games gold medallists, while Vietnam is the co-host of next year's tournament.

Qatar are coached by Dzemaludin Musovic, who was an assistant coach when current Japan coach Ivica Osim piloted the former Yugoslavia to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals.

"There are no easy groups. Host countries have an advantage at home. It would be a tough competition. We should not lose," said Tsuyoshi Ono, the Japan Football Association's technical director.

"It doesn't matter who's drawn with Japan. We must prepare for the Asian Cup thinking that we can't beat anybody easily."

Qatar have two wins and two draws against Japan, the United Arab Emirates have two wins, two defeats and six draws, and Vietnam won 3-2 when they played Japan in 1961.

Japan lost to the Emirates 1-0 when they played the last time in the Kirin Cup in May last year.

Qatar have midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim, who became the youngest player to win the Asian Football Confederation's Player of the Year this season, and Uruguay-born forward Sebastian Quintana, both 18.

Osim, who has called the Asian Cup "a stepping stone to the World Cup," plans to send scouts to January's Gulf Cup in which Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are to take part.

The Bosnian-born coach said the gaps among Asian countries were narrowing.

"New countries, including those from the former Soviet Union, are getting stronger and stronger," Osim said.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the knock-out round in the Asian Cup, to be co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in July.