Urawa Reds defeated Al Hilal on Saturday night to win the 2017 AFC Champions League Final 2-1, becoming Asian champions for the first time in 10 years. After drawing 1-1 in the away leg, the Reds needed just a 0-0 draw at the sold-out Saitama stadium in order to capture the continental title. Al Hilal dominated possession in the first half, but were u…

V-Varen Nagasaki on Thursday announced the signing of Tokyo fullback Yuhei Tokunaga on a full transfer ahead of their debut J1 season in 2018. The 34-year-old has over 500 total appearances for Tokyo since 2003, having also represented Japan as part of two Summer Olympic squads as well as on the senior international level. “I’m excited to …

The conclusion of the 2017 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League saw plenty of drama as the final two participants in the J1 Promotion Playoff were determined. In the key match between fifth place Tokyo Verdy and sixth place Tokushima Vortis, goals by Tomohiro Taira and Daiki Watari saw the two sides heading to a 1-1 draw before Verdy’s Tatsuya Uchida scored a dr…

The race for the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League is not done and dusted yet, as Kawasaki Frontale saw off Gamba Osaka 1-0 to stay within reach of leaders Kashima Antlers. Elsinho’s 82nd-minute winner finally broke down stubborn Gamba defending and kept Toru Oniki’s men ahead of their visitors’ city rivals Cerezo Osaka, who downed Yokohama F. Mar…

Japan’s national team lost 1-0 to Belgium on Tuesday night, local time in their second and final friendly of the international break. Urawa Reds midfielder Kazuki Nagasawa made his international debut, playing alongside team-mate Tomoaki Makino as well as Gamba Osaka’s Yosuke Ideguchi and Cerezo Osaka’s Hotaru Yamaguchi.  The Sa…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Monday announced that midfielder Mihael Mikic will not renew his contract with the club following the conclusion of the 2017 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League season. The 37-year-old joined in 2009, contributing to Sanfrecce’s three league titles in 2012, 2013, and 2015. As of the announcement, he had scored eight goals in 221 J1 appear…

The penultimate round of the 2017 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League took place over the weekend, promising an exciting climax as four teams vie for a spot in the J1 Promotion Playoff. The story of Saturday was V-Varen Nagasaki, who clinched second place and automatic promotion to next year’s J1 after a dramatic 3-1 win over Kamatamare Sanuki in front of a bey…

V-Varen Nagasaki earned their first-ever promotion to the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League on Saturday night with a 3-1 win over Kamatamare Sanuki. Goals from Daichi Inui, Yusuke Maeda, and Hijiri Onaga pushed the Transcosmos Stadium residents to 77 points on the season, clinching second place behind J2 champions Shonan Bellmare. V-Varen’s path to the J1 …

Japan fell 3-1 to Brazil on Friday in their first international friendly of the October break. Just 10 minutes into the match, Brazil were handed an opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty kick following a video replay. Neymar stutter-stepped at the spot to put the South American titans up 1-0. After a second penalty kick was awa…

Omiya Ardija on Sunday announced the dismissal of manager Akira Ito, as well as the appointment of former Kashima Antlers manager Masatada Ishii as his replacement. Ito, who took over from Hiroki Shibuya in May, earned a record of only three wins from 18 games in the ongoing MEIJI YASUDA J1 League campaign. “I’m sorry that after five month…

The 40th round of the MEIJI YASUDA J2 League took place on Sunday, with three clubs still alive in the battle for second place and automatic promotion to next season’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League. V-Varen Nagasaki notched a 2-0 win at Mito Hollyhock, remaining in second place with 74 points thanks to goals at the end of each half by Ryutaro Iio and Keit…

Kashima Antlers opened their lead at the top of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League table to seven points with a 1-0 win over Urawa Reds. Go Oiwa’s men endured a scare last month when they succumbed at Yokohama F. Marinos, prompting the coach to urge his man to wrap up their title charge quickly. The Japanese champions took a step closer to defending the…

Cerezo Osaka won their first-ever J.League YBC Levain Cup on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale. Yoon Jong-hwan’s side needed less than one minute to take the lead after Kenyu Sugimoto slipped past the Frontale back line to score what would be a key goal.  Frontale pushed for an equalizer with their clever pass-work, but Cerezo&…

Yokohama F. Marinos manager Erick Mombaerts will leave the club at the end of the season, it was announced Thursday. The Frenchman, who took over the side in 2015, has led Marinos to a record of 16 wins and seven draws after 31 rounds of the 2017 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League. “It has been an incredible experience to work in Japan and discover the coun…

The Japan Football Association on Tuesday announced its squad of 25 players for the national team’s upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium Amongst the 13 players called up from J.League clubs are Gamba Osaka defender Genta Miura, Kawasaki Frontale defender Shintaro Kurumaya and Urawa Reds striker Shinzo Koroki.  Reds midfielder Kazu…

Shonan Bellmare clinched the 2017 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League title after their 1-1 draw with Fagiano Okayama on Sunday in the league’s 39th round. Dinei’s goal put the BMW Stadium residents ahead 1-0 in the 44th minute, but former midfielder Yohei Otaka equalised for Fagiano in the 86th.  The result still gave Bellmare their 81st point, e…

Yokohama FC have appointed Brazilian manager Edson Araujo Tavares to take over the first team following the dismissal of head coach Hitoshi Nakata earlier this month for poor results. The 61-year-old has managed a number of international and club sides, including Jordan, Vietnam, and Haiti as well as Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, Iran’s Sepahan an…

The quarter-finals of the 2017 Emperor’s Cup took place on Wednesday night, with Vissel Kobe, Cerezo Osaka, Yokohama F. Marinos and Kashiwa Reysol advancing to the semi-finals in December. Trailing defending champions Kashima Antlers 0-1 at home, Vissel Kobe tied it up in the fourth minute of stoppage time thanks to a priceless goal by Mike Havenaa…

The J.League will recognise former players Daisuke Ichikawa and Hideo Oshima for their career achievements at the 2017 J.League Awards after a decision by the league’s board of directors this week. Ichikawa - a defender who spent 13 seasons at Shimizu S-Pulse before playing for Ventforet Kofu, Mito Hollyhock and Fujieda MYFC - earned well over 400 …

Urawa Reds were denied a thrilling win against Gamba Osaka at the death, as Hiroto Goya’s equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time secured a 3-3 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League draw. The big clash on Sunday lived up to its billing as the Reds went into the lead thrice, only to be pegged back by Kenta Hasegawa’s men. Rafael Silva fired the ho…