Shonan Bellmare announced that youth academy midfielder Mitsuki Saito had been registered as a Type-2 player last Friday. The 16-year-old high school student will be assigned the squad number 32 and can therefore make his professional debut this season. “I’ve played for Bellmare since I was in elementary school and I’m incredibly hap…

Matsumoto Yamaga announced the sale of “High Schooler Pair Tickets” on Sunday in an effort to attract young fans to Matsumotodaira Park. 50 pairs of tickets will be sold for 1,000 yen ahead of the club’s upcoming Yamazaki Nabisco Cup group stage match against Albirex Niigata next Wednesday. Interested fans must present high school id…

Albirex Niigata have released limited-edition “Souvenir Set Tickets” for their matchday 15 game against Nagoya Grampus on 7th June. A set of famous foodstuffs from Niigata prefecture, such as ginoshio salt, Koshihikari rice and crackers produced by club sponsor Kameda Seika will be included in ticket price. Only 300 fans will be able to pu…

A brace from Tsukasa Shiotani was instrumental for Sanfrecce Hiroshima as they swept past Albirex Niigata 4-2 on Saturday. The matchday 13 encounter had been crucial for Sanfrecce to establish themselves firmly in the running for the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League title. And the reemerging side quickly signalled their intentions against Albirex, with Shiotani…

Nagoya Grampus announced the details of a charity tee-shirt collaboration between the club, apparel makers Laundry, and the Japanese Red Cross last Thursday. The partnership is intended to promote the activities of the Red Cross, which Grampus began its partnership with in April 2011. A portion of proceeds from sales of the tee-shirt, which go on sale…

Japanese champions Gamba Osaka announced the addition of three cities to their designated hometown area on Thursday. The Osaka cities of Ikeda, Settsu, and Minoh will join Suita, Ibaraki, Takatsuki, and Toyonaka as the club expand their footprint to seven cities in accordance with their plans for a new stadium. “In addition to inspiring local ch…

Yokohama F. Marinos have unveiled plans to relocate their training facilities from Marinos Town to Shin Yokohama Park in 2016, with new club offices to be established nearby. The move comes as a result of the Marinos Town land lease’s scheduled conclusion in May 2016, with the move to Shin Yokohama Park bringing various aspects of the club’s …

The fifth round of the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup group stages took place on Wednesday night, with six matches played across groups A and B. Yoshinori Muto scored twice as Group A leaders FC Tokyo earned a dramatic 2-1 win over Ventforet Kofu, moving them up to 10 points and undefeated in all four matches. Shonan Bellmare rose to second in the grou…

Third-tier outfit SC Sagamihara announced details for their “MEIJI YASUDA LIFE DISCOUNT” promotion on Wednesday. In recognition of Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, the J.League’s title partner for 2015, the club will offer a 500 yen discount to fans with any of the Japanese characters that spell “Meiji Yasuda Life” in their name…

Takashi Usami continued his devastating run of form as his brace helped Gamba Osaka demolish FC Seoul 3-1 in Wednesday’s AFC Champions League round of 16’s first leg. The MEIJI YASUDA J1 League top scorer opened his account on the continent late, against Guangzhou R&F in round 5 of the group stages. But both his goals at Seoul World Cu…

Gamba Osaka have announced details for their Fan Appreciation Day event on 28th June at Expo ‘70 Stadium. The club will hold a “GAMBA DREAM MATCH” featuring club alumni and other players to commemorate their final season at the stadium before they move into their new facility in 2016. Midfielder Yasuhito Endo and former centre-back T…

Winger Shun Ito has undergone successful surgery on his right anterior cruciate ligament, his club Montedio Yamagata announced on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Hokkaido native could require up to six months to rehabilitate, meaning he is potentially at risk of missing the rest of the 2015 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League season. Ito, who sustained the injury during …

MEIJI YASUDA J2 League side Consadole Sapporo announced the sale of the club’s official LINE app stamps on Tuesday. The set of 40 stamps will feature all of the team’s players, as well as manager Ivica Barbaric, club chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura and mascot Dole-kun. The stamps are available for 120 yen ($1) or 50 LINE coins from the in-app …

Kawasaki Frontale will play Germany’s Borussia Dortmund in a friendly this summer, the Japanese club announced on Tuesday. “I’m really happy to be able to play a friendly in Japan,” Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa told the Frontale website. “I hope we can play well and demonstrate our abilities so that more fans in Japa…

Kashiwa Reysol appear poised to march on in the AFC Champions League, after Leandro’s brace helped them beat Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3-2 in the round of 16’s first leg. Tuesday’s victory had been all the more impressive since it was the Koreans who had gone in front in the first minute through Yeom Ki-hun’s opener from close range…

Cerezo Osaka confirmed on Monday that former Germany international Cacau will leave the club at the end of June, once his contract expires. The ex- Stuttgart striker arrived at the club in August 2014 but was unable to save the club from relegation despite netting five goals in 12 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League appearances. 34-year-old Cacau has netted two go…

Kyoto Sanga announced their plans to participate in the city government’s Linear Invitation Project on Monday. The MEIJI YASUDA J2 League club have thrown their weight behind plans for Japan’s next-generation bullet train to operate in Kyoto, rather than bypassing the former capital as it travels between Nagoya and Osaka. The first 8,000 a…

J.League Female Manager Miki Sato will attend this Saturday’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League clash between Montedio Yamagata and Vissel Kobe, the league has announced. Sato will participate in various events at ND Soft Stadium as part of Montedio’s “Citizen Support Day”, as 15th-placed Montedio look to recover from last weekend’s lo…

Urawa Reds held another successful round of fundraising before Saturday’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League game against FC Tokyo. It marked the continuation of the efforts of several J.League clubs to contribute to rebuilding in Nepal following that country’s series of catastrophic earthquakes. The Reds raised 130,369 yen before the 4-1 victory over…

Yokohama F. Marinos midfielder Shingo Hyodo took part in several events as the “Honorary One-Day Police Chief” of Tobe Police Station in Kanagawa Prefecture on Sunday. The 29-year-old was named to the position as part of the Kanagawa Safety Campaign held in concert with traffic safety exercises across Japan. After receiving the commendatio…