News

The J.League on Tuesday announced that Tsuneyasu Miyamoto and four other former players will be awarded medals in recognition for their outstanding contributions to Japanese football. Below is a list of recipients and their achievements: Tsuneyasu Miyamoto Total Appearances: 499 / J1: 337 appearances, 8 goals - Served as Japan’s captain in the…

Kawasaki Frontale has announced the testing of a new service that will allow fans to view Live match information of the team via mobile phone. The “Kawasaki Frontale Stadium Service” will be trialed during the club’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League season finale against Vegalta Sendai on Sunday, November 22. Fans who download the free applica…

The J.League on Tuesday approved the admission of Kagoshima United to the MEIJI YASUDA J3 League for the 2016 season. Founded in 2014 with the merger of Volca Kagoshima and FC Kagoshima, the club are based in Kagoshima City and finished fourth in 2015’s Japan Football League. They will become the first team from Kagoshima Prefecture, located on …

Cerezo Osaka on Tuesday announced the immediate resignation of manager Paulo Autuori. The Brazilian, who took over earlier in 2015, has taken the second division outfit to a place in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League promotion play-off, amassing 17 wins from 41 games in charge. General manager Kiyoshi Okuma will now serve as interim manager for the rest of t…

The J.League on Tuesday announced that FC Ryukyu will retain their J3 License for the 2016 season. The club’s application had been subject to continuing deliberation as a result of their current financial situation. The Okinawan side, who are currently in ninth place in the MEIJI YASUDA J3 League, will conclude their season against Kataller Toya…

Hiroki Fujiharu revealed his delight at contributing an assist in Japan’s 2-0 2018 World Cup qualifying win over Cambodia on Tuesday. The Gamba Osaka left-back was handed his third national cap and went on to assist his nation’s second goal, crossing perfectly for Keisuke Honda to net in the 90th minute. Fujiharu, who received his internat…

Vahid Halilhodzic took responsibility for Japan’s poor first-half display in Tuesday’s 2-0 2018 World Cup qualifying win over Cambodia, and says Asian football is suffering because of overly defensive tactics. The Samurai Blue eked out the win that keeps them top of Group E, but they struggled to break through against their opponents even aft…

Yosuke Kashiwagi and Hiroki Fujiharu laid on both of Japan’s goals in their 2-0 2018 World Cup qualifying win over Cambodia on Tuesday. The Samurai Blue set out to remain top of Group E, with Vahid Halilhodzic placing his trust in a strong core of J.League players, including Tomoaki Makino, Hotaru Yamaguchi, Takashi Usami and Wataru Endo from the s…

Urawa Reds on Monday announced plans for a ceremony to honour club veteran Keita Suzuki, who will leave at the end of the season. The ceremony will take place on November 22 following their final 2015 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League regular outing against Vissel Kobe. Suzuki, who joined the club in 2000, contributed to the Reds’ 2006 J1 League championsh…

Machida Zelvia on Sunday unveiled their new kits for the upcoming season. The new line of jerseys is scheduled to go on sale beginning in January. Zelvia, currently second in the MEIJI YASUDA J3 League where they are neck-and-neck with leaders Renofa Yamaguchi, take on Blaublitz Akita next. The Tokyo side will finish their campaign on November 23 a…

Kosuke Kikuchi is adamant Omiya Ardija achieved something truly special when they clinched the 2015 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League title with a 3-2 win over Oita Trinita on Sunday. The Saitama side were able to hold off the challenge of Jubilo Iwata for their success, spending the majority of the latter stages in the lead. Victory secures Omiya’s return…

Urawa Reds Youth on Sunday won their first J.Youth Cup title with a 2-1 victory over Nagoya Grampus U18s. Their success prompted J.League Chairman Mitsuru Murai to declare his optimism for the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games, to be held in Tokyo. Seika Kitano gave Grampus the lead just three minutes into the encounter at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka, but…

Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday announced injuries to Yu Kobayashi and Kyohei Noborizato will prevent them from turning out against Vegalta Sendai in their final league game of the season. Kobayashi was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle sustained during the team’s 1-1 draw at Urawa Reds on matchday 16 of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League Second Stage on…

Kotaro Omori and Shu Kurata were on target as Gamba Osaka defeated Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in the fourth round of the Emperor’s Cup on Sunday. The holders eased past their opponents into the quarter-finals as Omori opened the scoring right before the break, before Kurata struck less than 10 minutes in the second half to make the result safe. Kashi…

Sagan Tosu needed Kota Mizunuma’s 92nd minute winner to edge a thrilling Emperor’s Cup fourth round encounter with Montedio Yamagata 4-3, scraping into the quarter-finals of the competition. Mizunuma netted a key brace for his side on Saturday, first bagging an equaliser after Sagan went 2-1 down, before firing in the winner in stoppages to s…

Omiya Ardija won the 2015 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Championship on Saturday following their 3-2 comeback victory over Oita Trinita, earning praise from J.League chairman Mitsuru Murai. Ardija earned promotion to the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League for the 2016 season following a hugely impressive campaign in which they pipped second-placed Jubilo Iwata by a matter …

Gamba Osaka on Saturday have announced a tour for fans wishing to go behind the scenes of Suica City Football Stadium, the club’s new home beginning from the 2016 season. The tour, which costs 1000 yen for adults and 500 yen for elementary and junior high school students, will commence in December.  Access to various areas of the stadium no…

Shimizu S-Pulse on Thursday announced details of their 2015 Fan Appreciation Day, which will take place on November 23 at the club’s Kubo training facility. The open-door event will feature meet-and-greet events with players, food stalls and raffles for original club merchandise, plus other events still to be announced. S-Pulse will conclude the…

Vegalta Sendai on Friday announced that the club’s players will take to the pitch in 2016 donning a redesigned set of jerseys. Both the men and women’s teams will see boast designs to home, away, and goalkeeper kits from club supplier Adidas in the second year of their partnership. The new jerseys will be unveiled at the club’s fan a…

Matsumoto Yamaga on Friday confirmed that manager Yasuharu Sorimachi will continue to lead the club in the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League season. The announcement is a declaration of faith in the 51-year-old, who led the club to their first-ever J1 promotion in 2014 before achieving a 16th-place finish in their maiden top-flight season this year. “…