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Sagan Tosu on Monday announced the wife of striker Kei Ikeda had given birth to their new son last Saturday. “I wish to express my gratefulness to my wife and new son,” the 28-year-old told the club’s official website. Ikeda, who joined Sagan in 2009 after graduating from Ryutsu Keizai University, has one goal in 20 appearances this …

Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Monday announced that a select 7,000 fans who attend their match against FC Tokyo on October 3 will receive a “Mazda Roadster Original Towel Muffler”. The towels will be distributed by the club’s official shirt sponsor at every entry gate for home fans at Edion Stadium beginning from 17:00.  Meanwhile, sea…

As expected, Daisuke Nasu will be suspended for Urawa Reds’ key trip to play Kashima Antlers this Saturday. The J.League on Monday confirmed the list of sanctioned players for matchday 12 of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League second stage this weekend. Veteran Reds centre-back Nasu reached the yellow card limit after picking up a booking in his side&rsq…

FC Tokyo have announced they will sell merchandise commemorating the 350th J1 League appearance of striker Ryoichi Maeda. Fans will be able to order blankets, tote bags and a folding fan from the official club shop and online store until September 30. Former Japan striker Maeda became the 43rd player to achieve the appearance milestone on Saturday in …

Sanfrecce Hiroshima raised 508,216 yen before their match against Sagan Tosu on Saturday night in support of flood relief efforts in eastern Japan. The club appealed to fans for donations in support of areas of the country affected by Typhoon #18, which killed two and forced evacuations across the Kanto and Tohoku areas. The donations will be delivere…

Nagoya Grampus defeated Ryukoku University 3-2 in a training match played at the club’s Toyota Sports Center training ground on Sunday. Midfielder Teruki Tanaka scored in each 35-minute half, while 18-year-old striker Koki Sugimori added a goal of his own shortly into the second half. After Saturday’s 6-1 loss at Kawasaki Frontale, Grampus…

Shu Kurata turned up with another vital goal for Gamba Osaka on Sunday, as they earned a last-gasp 1-1 draw at Matsumoto Yamaga on matchday 11 of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League. Just three weeks after he struck his side’s winner against Shonan Bellmare, the 26-year-old decisively came off the bench to secure a stoppage-time fightback at Matsumotodaira …

Kawasaki Frontale striker Yoshito Okubo became the fourth player in J.League history to score 150 goals in the J1 League. The Japan veteran moved into the illustrious company of Marquinhos, Hisato Sato and Masashi Nakayama with his hat-trick against Nagoya Grampus on Saturday. His third career hat-trick also moved him into the lead of the first divisi…

Shonan Bellmare on Saturday made the first set of announcements regarding their Girl’s Festa, which will be held on October 3. The event will coincide with their match against Montedio Yamagata on matchday 13 of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League’s second stage. Thirty pairs of Shonan Girls Tickets, exclusively available to female fans, will be so…

Yoshito Okubo has gone clear at the top of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League scoring charts following his hat-trick in Kawasaki Frontale’s 6-1 win over Nagoya Grampus on Saturday. 2014’s top scorer moved ahead of Takashi Usami, who is due to play for Gamba Osaka on Sunday, in this season’s standings on 19 goals - already one more than he manag…

Gamba Osaka on Thursday confirmed the kick-off times for their two 2015 AFC Champions League semi-finals fixtures against Guangzhou Evergrande. The first leg will take place away on September 30 at 20:00 local time (21:00 JST) at Tianhe Stadium, while the second leg will kick off on October 21 at 19:00 JST at Banpaku Stadium. Gamba progressed by seein…

The J.League on Friday announced a change in the official match attendance for the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League match between Urawa Reds and Kashiwa Reysol on September 11. The number of fans who turned up at Saitama Stadium to watch the hosts win 1-0 was initially reported at 29,169, but has since been revised to 23,957. Urawa Reds officials have apologise…

The J.League is saddened to announce the death of former Japan assistant coach Dettmar Cramer in Germany on Thursday at the age of 90. Cramer is revered in Japan for his contributions to the growth of the country’s footballing programme in the 1960s and 1970s. The German coach had been one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Ja…

The match between Vegalta Sendai and Gamba Osaka has been moved to October 25, the J.League confirmed on Wednesday. The MEIJI YASUDA J1 League second stage matchday 15 clash is now set to kick off at 14:00 local time at Yurtec Stadium. The original fixture list had been disrupted by Gamba’s victory against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the AFC Champ…

Juntendo University defender Ikki Arai revealed he wants to make an instant impact for Yokohama F.Marinos, after his new club registered him as a JFA Type II-designated player. The 21-year-old had already been tentatively signed for next season, and will now be able to take part in club activities given his new player status. “I hope this will a…

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan Football Association (JFA) and J.League will work together to build stability in Asia. The trio announced a joint agreement on Thursday to use football in order to contribute to regional development in emerging nations and contribute to efforts to build peace. This agreement will see all three o…

Koki Yonekura was Gamba Osaka’s hero as he struck a stoppage-time winner to help his team defeat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3-2 in the AFC Champions League quarter-final second-leg. The Japanese domestic Treble winners were in charge of their own fates following their 0-0 first-leg draw in Jeonju, though things had threatened to go wrong for them early…

The J.League on Wednesday confirmed the new scheduling of Kashiwa Reysol’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League second stage matches. The new arrangements follow on Tatsuma Yoshida’s AFC Champions League elimination at the quarter-final hurdle with a 4-2 aggregate loss to Guangzhou Evergrande. Reysol will play their matchday 13 to 17 fixtures on Saturda…

Shimizu S-Pulse on Tuesday announced that defender Calvin Jong-a-pin is expected to miss four weeks after tearing his right hamstring. The 29-year-old faces another lengthy spell out after sustaining the injury in his team’s 1-1 draw against FC Tokyo on August 29, when he had to be substituted in the 89th minute. That game had been just Jong-a-p…

Despite Cristiano’s opener forcing a 1-1 draw, Kashiwa Reysol never looked likely to overturn their deficit in the second leg of the AFC Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday. The 2013 semi-finalists therefore bow out of this edition of Asia’s premier club competition having lost 4-2 on aggregate, following the 3-1 defeat they suffered a…