News

Mito Hollyhock on Monday announced the tentative signing of Vietnam’s Messi, Nguyen Cong Phuong, on a one-year loan. The HAGL FC striker will officially join the club following a signing ceremony on December 23 in Vietnam. "I'm incredibly happy and excited to have become a member of Mito Hollyhock”, the player known as the Vietnam…

New Japanese champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima dominated the first individual awards for the season, with championship final hero Takuma Asano figuring. The J.League on Tuesday announced several post-season awards ahead of its gala ceremony scheduled for later this month. Striker Asano was named the league’s Best Young Player following his nine-goal…

Machida Zelvia were promoted to next season’s MEIJI YASUDA J2 League after Sunday’s 1-0 win over Oita Trinita at Oita Bank Dome. The 58th-minute penalty kick from Koji Suzuki gave the western Tokyo side a 3-1 aggregate win in the J2-J3 promotion-relegation play-off. Zelvia will now make their first appearance in the second division for the…

With an over-capacity crowd of 36,609 attending Saturday night’s 2015 J.League championship final second leg between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Gamba Osaka, the league welcomed over 10 million attendees for the first time in its 23-year history. “The MEIJI YASUDA J1 League saw 68 matches fill to over 80 per cent of their capacity, an increase of…

New Nagoya Grampus sporting director and assistant coach Stanley Brard is looking to form an instant partnership with manager Takafumi Ogura to bring the club back to its former heights. The 57-year old Dutchman, who recently served as academy director at Feyenoord, was already the youth technical director and Under-18 coach for Grampus between 2002 and …

Avispa Fukuoka will return to Japan’s top flight for the first time in five years after winning the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League promotion play-off on Sunday. The Kyushu side - who finished third in this season’s MEIJI YASUDA J2 League - advanced past fourth-place Cerezo Osaka following a 1-1 draw on Sunday at Yanmar Stadium Nagai. Cerezo took t…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima will be joined by Gamba Osaka and the winners of the Emperor’s Cup in the group stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League. Hajime Moriyasu’s men were crowned winners of the 2015 J.League Championship on Saturday following a 4-3 aggregate win over Gamba. In accordance with these results, the seedings of Japan’s Champi…

J.League chairman Mitsuru Murai again hailed Sanfrecce Hiroshima for their journey capturing the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League title this season. The side were crowned champions for the third time following their 1-1 draw with Gamba Osaka in the second leg of the J.League championship final on Saturday, allowing them to pip the previous winners 4-3 on aggregate…

Goalkeeper Tatsuro Okuda will not be at Sagan Tosu in 2016, the club announced on Thursday. The 27-year-old played just once for the Kyushu outfit this season, earning a 4-3 win over Montedio Yamagata in the Emperor’s Cup round of 16. “I’m grateful for everything I’ve experienced in the last five years and want to thank all of …

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are the new Japanese champions, pipping Gamba Osaka to the title on Saturday. A 1-1 draw in the second leg of the J.League championship final, combined with their first-leg 3-2 away win on Wednesday, was enough for Hajime Moriyasu’s men to see off the previous winners. Desperate to defend their prize, Gamba tore out of the st…

Yokohama F. Marinos midfielder Kensei Nakashima will require five months to recover from surgery, the club confirmed on Thursday. The 19-year-old was diagnosed with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) in his leg and subsequently went under the knife at a hospital in Kyushu. Nakashima signed for F.Marinos in January and made three appearances for Erick …

The J.League on Friday announced that all tickets for the second leg of the 2015 J.League championship final second leg have sold out. The match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Gamba Osaka on Saturday night at Edion Stadium will determine the winners of the 2015 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League, and Japan’s representatives in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup. …

Albirex Niigata on Wednesday unveiled former Kashiwa Reysol boss Tatsuma Yoshida as their new manager. The 41-year-old made his senior managerial debut for the latter club this year, reaching the quarter-finals of both the AFC Champions League and Emperor’s Cup with them. He also led the side to an overall 10th-placed finish in the 2015 MEIJI YA…

JEF United Chiba veteran striker Takayuki Suzuki confirmed his retirement at the age of 39 on Wednesday. The decision marks a conclusion to a 19-year career which included stints at several J.League clubs as well as teams in Brazil, Belgium, Serbia and the United States. The ex-Japan international’s most significant stint abroad was at Portland …

Yokohama F. Marinos on Monday invited fans to apply for the club’s official cheerleading team, the Tricolore Mermaids. Those interested must be over the age of 18 and have at least three years of experience in dance. Applications must arrive by December 25. Erick Mombaerts’ men came in seventh in the overall MEIJI YASUDA J1 League stand…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima capitalised on Oh Jae-suk’s sending-off for Gamba Osaka to beat their rivals spectacularly in the J.League championship final first-leg, winning 3-2 in stoppage time. The MEIJI YASUDA J1 League overall leaders, handed an automatic berth in the two-legged final by virtue of their points total came under pressure from the 2014 cha…

In response to inquiries, the J.League has issued a statement explaining its decision to hold the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League promotion play-off final at Yanmar Stadium Nagai. In the fall of 2014, the J.League began looking for a venue to replace the National Stadium, which is currently being rebuilt.  Stadiums from across the country fulfilling certa…

Matsumoto Yamaga on Tuesday announced the retirement of striker Yoshiro Abe. After turning pro in 2003, the 35-year-old played over 300 matches in the top two divisions for FC Tokyo, Oita Trinita, Kashiwa Reysol, Shonan Bellmare, Ventforet Kofu, Jubilo Iwata, and finally, Yamaga. “I want to thank my mother and father, who supported my career fro…

Jubilo Iwata on Monday announced that defender Masahiko Inoha will be released by the club once his contract comes to an end this year. The 30-year-old, who spent three seasons with the Yamaha Stadium outfit, had been a part of Japan’s 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. “I will always treasure having been able to spend time with such terrific coac…

As announced previously, the unsavoury messages came to light following last Saturday’s MEIJI YASUDA J.League championship semi-final between Gamba and Urawa Reds, in which Patric scored. On Monday, the writer of the tweets offered a sincere apology to Patric, which was communicated to the J.League via officials from his high school.  This …