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Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo midfielder Shinji Ono will throw the ceremonial first pitch at an upcoming baseball match, the club announced on Monday. The former Samurai Blue star will take to the mount before the Nippon Professional Baseball match between the Nippon Ham Fighters and Rakuten Golden Eagles at the Sapporo Dome on April 27. Third-place Cons…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Sunday announced the launch of the club’s official Instagram. The account will be regularly updated with photos and video in order to share the excitement of the club with followers. The 2015 Japanese champions are fourth in the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League, picking up four wins from their opening eight games. Hajime Mor…

Sagan Tosu will have to soldier on without midfielder Daichi Kamada for two weeks, the club announced on Friday. The 19-year-old was substituted out just 11 minutes into the team’s recent 1-0 Nabisco Cup loss at Yokohama F. Marinos after dislocating his left elbow. Kamada, in his second year at the club, has six starts for the Kyushu side this s…

Ventforet Kofu on Saturday announced an injury to Brazilian striker Nilson which could see him miss the remainder of the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League first stage. The 25-year-old suffered a torn right thigh muscle in the team’s 0-0 draw against Nagoya Grampus in Nabisco Cup play on Wednesday. Nilson had been handed six starts for 12th-placed Vent…

The ninth round of the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League took place on Saturday with 10 matches played across Japan. Cerezo Osaka suffered their first loss of the season away at Consadole Sapporo, losing 1-0 thanks to Junichi Inamoto’s first goal for the Sapporo Dome residents since joining in 2015. Machida Zelda’s Yuki Nakashima scored the game…

Kawasaki Frontale talisman Kengo Nakamura is on course to make his 350th appearance in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League this weekend. The J.League has announced a list of potential career achievements which could be completed in the upcoming round of the first stage. And Frontale captain Nakamura leads the lot and can achieve the appearance milestone as lon…

The J.League on Thursday announced the postponement of three more fixtures involving Roasso Kumamoto. The club’s activities have been disrupted due to last week’s severe earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture. The following matches will be rescheduled at a later date: 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Round 10 Montedio Yamagata vs. Roasso Kumamo…

Nagoya Grampus have announced an injury to veteran goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki. The former Samurai Blue starter suffered subluxation to his right elbow in the team’s scoreless draw against Ventforet Kofu in Wednesday’s Nabisco Cup match. Nagasaki is expected to fully recover in three weeks. The injury comes as a blow given how the 40-year…

The fourth round of the 2016 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup took place on Wednesday night with six matches played across the two groups. A dramatic stoppage time goal by Kosuke Taketomi saw Kashiwa Reysol past Kawasaki Frontale with a 2-1 win, bringing the 2013 winners into the second place position in Group B. Yokohama F. Marinos protected Sho Ito&rsq…

Three J.League teams took to the pitch on Wednesday night in the fifth match day of the 2016 AFC Champions League Group Stage. FC Tokyo were soundly defeated at home in a 3-0 loss to K-League champions Jeonbuk Motors.  Former Cerezo Osaka midfielder Kim Bo-kyung scored the opener and assisted Lee Jae-sung on the second goal, with Ko Mu-yeol makin…

The J.League has confirmed that Kashima Antlers forward Mu Kanazaki is on its list of suspended players for the upcoming weekend’s league fixtures. The striker will be suspended on matchday 8 following his caution in last week’s 3-0 win at Shonan Bellmare having now hit the yellow card limit, and will not be able to feature when Kashiwa Reyso…

Gamba Osaka became the first J.League club eliminated from the 2016 AFC Champions League on Tuesday night following their 2-1 loss to Suwon Bluewings. The hosts had a chance to take late in the first half, but Takashi Usami saw two penalty kicks blocked by No Dong-geon after the referee called for a retake. Brazilian midfielder Santos Junior put Bluew…

J.League clubs raised over $90,000 over the weekend for disaster relief in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures, the league announced on Monday. The announcement follows a weekend visit of vice chairman Hiromi Hara to the region, where he inspected Umakana Yokana Stadium as well as Rosso Kumamoto’s clubhouse and offices. After distributing a donation o…

The April 23 match between Roasso Kumamoto and Yokohama FC has been postponed due to the recent earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture, the J.League has announced. A rescheduled date for the match will be announced upon confirmation. Fans with tickets are urged to store them in a safe place.

MEIJI YASUDA J2 League side Roasso Kumamoto provided an update to its activities on Monday as its hometown prefecture continues to recover from last week’s deadly earthquakes. The top team, who did not travel to face Kyoto Sanga on Sunday as originally scheduled, will not meet through April 20 when their schedule on April 21 and beyond will be deci…

The J.League on Monday revealed partial balloting results for the 2016 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup New Hero Award. The award, which recognises players up to the age of 23 years old, is voted on by attending media representatives. Yokohama F. Marinos striker Cayman Togashi, Vegalta Sendai midfielder Shunsuke Motegi and Jubilo Iwata defender Ryoma Ish…

Vegalta Sendai on Sunday announced a severe injury to Naoki Sugai that could rule the midfielder out for up to two months. The 31-year-old is expected to miss eight weeks after sustaining ligament damage to his right knee. Sugai has represented Vegalta for his entire professional career since 2003, amassing over 350 J1 and J2 League appearances. Ho…

The J.League has recognised referee Kenji Ogiya following his 200th J1 fixture as the head official. The 45-year-old Kanagawa native, who made his debut as an assistant referee in the 1999 J2 League, blew the whistle in Jubilo Iwata’s 5-1 loss to Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday night. In addition to 200 J1 and 91 J2 matches, Ogiya has officiated…

An abbreviated eighth round of the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League took place over Saturday and Sunday, with two games on hold due to acts of nature. In Saturday’s match, former Japan international Akira Kaji scored the lone goal in Fagiano Okayama’s 1-0 win at Thespa Kusatsu Gunma. Of the eight Sunday fixtures, only Matsumoto Yamaga earned th…

The following matches have been postponed due to continuing severe seismic activity in Kumamoto Prefecture and the Kyushu region: 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League First Stage Round 7 (April 16) Avispa Fukuoka vs. Nagoya Grampus - 13:00, Level 5 Stadium Sagan Tosu vs. Vissel Kobe - 19:00, Best Amenity Stadium 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League Round 8 (Apr…