Sanfrecce Hiroshima surged in April and manager Michael Skibbe has been duly rewarded with the J1 Manager of the Month award.

The Viola went undefeated, winning their first three contests via clean sheet, including a 2-0 win against Yokohama F·Marinos. Sanfrecce added to this by rounding out the month with a pair of 2-2 draws, as Skibbe’s side showcased some impressive attacking verve alongside an ability to grind out results.

Sanfrecce’s strong April vaulted them into the top half of the table and into the mix for the AFC Champions League places, which will no doubt delight Sanfrecce fans after finishing 11th last season.

Elsewhere, Vegalta Sendai’s Masato Harasaki was named top manager for April in the Meiji Yasuda J2 League. His side put together an impressive month, winning four out of five matches with an attack that scored at least two goals in each of April's contests.

Manager of the Month in J3 went to Matsumoto Yamaga’s Hiroshi Nanami after he orchestrated a fearsome attack of his own. Nanami's team scored 10 goals in four games in April, winning three and drawing one in a spectacular run of form that put them in the battle for promotion to the second tier.