J.LEAGUE announced to further extend suspension of matches below on account of the novel coronavirus outbreak and to prevent cluster of the coronavirus from expanding further. ■Matches Suspended   Sec. Date # of matches 2020 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE 7th sec. Friday, 3rd April Saturday, 4th April 9…

The “God of Football” came to Japan in 1991. Although Zico had once hang up his boots, he was back to join Sumitomo Metal Industries Factory Football Club (which later became Kashima Antlers), two years ahead of the creation of the J.League. Zico was already 40 on the opening of the J.League in 1993, but that day Kashima’s number 10 put…

J.LEAGUE decided to change format in the 2020 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE and apply exceptional rules for promotion/relegation in all categories after the board of directors held on 17 March and the extraordinary executive committee held today. Further announcements of when to resume and details on league format and match schedules will be made on 25 March. …

The new season of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League kicked off on February 23. The defending champions Yokohama F.Marinos hosted Gamba Osaka. The home side was hoping for a good start to defend the title, but conceded in the 6th minute and again in the 34th. F.Marinos were dominant in the second half and Marcos Junior halved the deficit in the 74th, but could n…

A season opener away, facing the defending champions was a tough fixture for Gamba Osaka; however, they dealt very well with Yokohama F.Marinos and managed to snatch a 2-1 victory.  “We thought about how to beat F.Marinos both in defensive and offensive phases. I don’t need to go into details, I think we showed it during the game.”…

The third and last installment of this series about the Tokyo Olympics generation focuses on forwards. We start with Yuki Soma of Nagoya Grampus. He was a rookie fresh out of university last year, as he joined Kashima Antlers on loan in the middle of the season. After impressing fans with great dribbling, the 165 cm-tall attacker returned to Nagoya this …

This series looks at youngsters who could be stars of Tokyo Olympics this summer. This time, we look at midfielders. Kawasaki Frontale’s Ao Tanaka had a breakthrough season last year (his third after signing a professional contract) and was voted the Best Young Player in J.League. His passing ability is supported by his excellent skill and vision, …

Tokyo Summer Olympics is just around the corner. Let’s have a look at the Japanese players who could become the stars of the tournament. Goalkeeper Keisuke Osako is the most likely to be between the sticks for Japan. The youngster from Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s academy claimed a starting spot in the team last season, which was only his second as …

J.LEAGUE announced to extend suspension of matches scheduled in March after the executive committee and board of directors meeting held today. ■Matches postponed   Sec. Date # of matches 2020 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE 2nd sec. Friday, 28th February Saturday, 29th February Sunday, 1st March 9* …

J.LEAGUE announced the appointment of members of the board of directors effect from 12 March, 2020. Position Name Organisation Chairman Mitsuru Murai Japan Professional Football League Vice Chairman Hiromi Hara Japan Professional Football League Senior Managing Director Mas…

There are other strikers to watch besides Teruhito Nakagawa and Diego Oliveira. Douglas, who joined Vissel Kobe from Shimizu S-Pulse, is one of them. He scored 21 goals in 2015 to help Sanfrecce Hiroshima win the league, and after playing in UAE and Turkey, he joined Shimizu S-Pulse in the summer of 2018. The Brazilian striker scored 11 goals in 15 appea…

This season’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League kicked off on February 21. The race for the top scorer promises to be very interesting. Last year, Teruhito Nakagawa and Marcos Junior shared the honor as they managed to score 15 goals each. It was the first time in J.League history that two players from the same team became the top scorers. The attacking duo o…

J.LEAGUE Chairman Mitsuru Murai commented that the league reached to a basic agreement with the J.Clubs to extend suspension of matches until at least 3 April on account of the novel coronavirus outbreak. J.LEAGUE has decided to suspend matches until 18 March last week and has been holding liaison councils with medical experts and Nippon Professional Bas…

The J.League is again hosting an eSports competition starting from 28th March, 2020 which will award valuable EA SPORTS™ FIFA Global Series Points on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup™ 2020. EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series eJ.LEAGUE will be played in FIFA Ultimate Team™ mode on EA SPORTSFIFA 20, the game produced by Electronic Arts (EA). …

Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) and Japan Professional Football League (J.LEAGUE) will establish a liaison council to share knowledge and discuss about effective measures to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). NPB and J.LEAGUE will work hand-in-hand as professional sports to protect the health of all peoples, including…

Following the postponement of the J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP on the 26th February, J.LEAGUE will also postpone all J.LEAGUE matches scheduled in between 28th February and 15th March. The decision has been made at the Board of Directors held today, considering the statement made by the experts on a government panel that the upcoming one to two weeks are crit…

J.LEAGUE announced the matches below will be postponed, considering the statement made by the experts on a government panel that the upcoming one to two weeks are critical to prevent clusters of the new coronavirus from expanding further. J.LEAGUE will discuss on the possibility of postponing further matches scheduled until 15th March at the Board of Direct…

The new season of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE kicked off on February 21. Shonan Bellmare were the dominant side in the early phases of the opening match against Urawa Reds, and Naoki Ishihara opened his account in the 7th minute. However, Urawa gradually picked up pace and took the lead after Shinzo Koroki and new signing Leonardo found the net respective…

A new season of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League begins on February 21. Can Yokohama F.Marinos defend their title? Will the two newly promoted clubs thrive in J1? Young talents are also under the spotlight ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.  The opening match is a clash between Shonan Bellmare and Urawa Reds. Shonan lost several regulars this winter, but they s…

The 2020 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League kicks off on February 21. Ahead of the opening day, let’s look at the key player of all 18 teams. In this final installment, we look at the players to watch for title contenders Kashima Antlers, FC Tokyo and Yokohama F.Marinos. ■Kashima Antlers Achievements in 2019 J1: 3rd place Levain Cup: Semifinals ・Play…