J.League News
For the latest J. League news and results on Japan's J.League and the Japanese national team.
See articles on the J-League from 2002 to 2010.
All the action from J.1 and J.2, plus Japanese players overseas and the Blue Samurai in the Asian Cup and World Cup.
Japan World Cup 2010 Team Profile
Japan national team World Cup team profile.
Nagoya Grampus
Nagoya Grampus play the semi-final of the ACL.
Leandro Exits Gamba
Gamba striker Leandro leaves Osaka for Qatari club al-Sadd.
Australia v Japan Match Report
Socceroos grab the bragging rights with a 2-1 win at the MCG.
League Cup
The revamped J-League League Cup is facing an image crisis with clubs and fans.
ACL 2009
J-League teams crush their A-League counterparts in the latest round of Asian Champions League games.
J. League Preview 2009
2009 J. League preview - all the teams and their prospects ahead of the new season.
Japan v Australia Match Report
Stalemate in the Japan v Australia qualifier in Yokohama.
Japan v Australia Preview
Verbal spats ahead of the crucial Japan v Australia qualifier in Yokohama.
J. League Player Awards 2008
J. League Player Awards : The best 10 players in the 2008 J-League season.
J. League Awards 2008
J. League Awards : The best and the worst of the 2008 season.
Emperor's Cup 2009
Gamba Osaka v Kashiwa Reysol : Gamba claim the last trophy of the year after an exhausting season.
Nabisco Cup
Oita Trinita v Shimizu S-Pulse : Oita win their first ever trophy at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
J. League Interview
Interview with a Shimizu S-Pulse fan : Yuichi Korenaga discusses the J-League, Shimizu and Japan's football culture.
Japan v Uzbekistan
Japan v Uzbekistan : only a 1-1 draw and the vultures are circling for the hapless Okada.
Takeshi Okada
Japan's national team coach Takeshi Okada is under pressure to get Japan to the 2010 World Cup.
World Cup Asian Qualifying Zone
Japan meet Australia in the final round of Asian qualification for the 2010 World Cup.
J. League Blogs
The best of J. League blogs and Japanese soccer fan sites.
Shizuoka Derby
Shimizu S-Pulse v Jubilo Iwata ends all square at Nihondaira.
Gert Engels Interview
Gert Engels is relieved after Urawa win their first game of the new season.
J. League Preview 2008
J. League preview we look at all the J-1 teams and their prospects ahead of the new season.
Holger Osieck
Urawa Reds' coach Osieck reflects on the Reds' calamitous end to the J-League season.
J-League Champions 2007
Kashima Antlers are the 2007 J-League Champions.
Holger Osieck Interview
Urawa Reds beat Sepahan in the Asian Champions League final.
Urawa Reds v Seongnam Ilwha in ACL
Urawa Reds beat Seongnam Ilwha in a thrilling Asian Champions League semi-final.
Asian Cup 2007 Japan v Australia Preview
Japan take on Australia in the most-eagerly awaited quarter-final of the Asian Cup.
Ivica Osim
Ivica Osim meets the foreign press pack in Tokyo as Japan prepare for the 2007 Asian Cup.
Ardija On The Up in J.1
Ardija On The Up - At last Robert Verbeek's hard work as Omiya Ardija's coach is showing signs of paying off as the team climbs out of the J-1 cellar.
Sef Vergoossen Interview
Nagoya Grampus' Dutch coach Sef Vergoossen discusses his three year plan for perennial underachievers Nagoya Grampus.
Robert Verbeek Interview
Omiya Ardija's new Dutch coach Robert Verbeek discusses his tough start to the season and his more famous brother Pim.
J. League Preview 2007
J. League Preview 2007 - A look at the teams and their prospects ahead of the new J.League season.
Transfer Scene 2007
All the latest J-League transfer news as Santos and Miyamoto leave for Austria and Paolo Wanchope joins FC Tokyo.
Emperor's Cup Final 2007
Urawa Reds edged the Emperor's Cup in a disappointing match against Gamba Osaka at Tokyo National Stadium.
J-League Nabisco League Cup 2006
JEF United retained the Nabisco League Cup in a hard-fought match against Kashima Antlers at Tokyo National Stadium.
J-League Soccer Stadiums
J-League Soccer Stadiums - A travel guide to J-League soccer stadiums - getting there by public transport, ground capacity and history.
J-League 13 Years On
The J-League 13 Years On - The J-League reaches puberty at last. A personal look back at the last decade and a bit of Japan's J.League.
J-League Match Report - Shimizu S-Pulse v Ventforet Kofu
Shimizu S-Pulse take on local rivals Ventforet at Nihondaira Stadium (19/8/06).
J-League Match Report - Sanfrecce Hiroshima v Shimizu S-Pulse
Shimizu S-Pulse started the J-League second stage in style with a win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Big Arch (12/8/06).
Japan National Team Post Mortem
Japan had a poor World Cup in 2006 - John Herbert looks at the reasons why .
J. League Preview 2006
J. League Preview 2006 - C. Ogawa on the teams, the fans, the stadiums, and who will win it all.
Asian Teams Disappoint In Germany
Asian Teams Disappoint - Europe and South American teams have dominated at World Cup 2006; no Asian teams reached the second round with the exception, sort of, of new member Australia.
Japan Strikers Draw A Blank
Japan Strikers Draw A Blank - Will Marquand on wa + the group ethic = no great Japanese strikers.
Japan Team Preview 2006
John Herbert thinks confidence will be key for Zico's men in Germany. Team Japan Preview 2006.
Shunsuke Nakamura
Shunsuke Nakamura 's first season at Glasgow Celtic.
J. League For Dummies
J. League For Dummies - Liam Ring explains the names, the teams, the fans, the stadiums and how to get tickets.
J. League Preview 2005
J. League Preview 2005 - Naheen Madarbakus & Liam Ring report on what to look for in the 2005 J.League season.
History of Japanese Soccer
History of Japanese Soccer - Christopher Hood looks back at the history of Japanese football, on both club and national level.
Gert Engels Interviews
Ex-Kyoto Purple Sanga coach, Gert Engels talked to Soccerphile in 2002 and again in 2003.
Steve Perryman
Ex-Spurs and England midfielder Steve Perryman talks about his time in the J.League with Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashiwa Reysol.
J. League Links
J. League Links - Links to J.League related sites.
Japan's World Cup Venues and Stadiums
Japan's World Cup Venues and Stadiums - Japan's 10 venues and stadiums for the 2002 World Cup.
J. League Ref
Soccerphile interviews Leslie Mottram - a former J. League referee and now refereeing inspector for the J.League.
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
Keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi endured an unhappy time in England with Portsmouth.
Match Reports
In the run up to the 2002 World Cup coach Philippe Trousier took the national team to Europe to play France and Nigeria.
Monthly News
2003
Yuichiro Nagai came off the bench to score a fluke goal in extra time to give Zico his first victory in his brief tenure as head coach of the Samarai Blue.
Jubilo sits at the top of the J1 table with 21 points in 10 matches.
Japan lose 1-4 to Argentina in a friendly at Osaka's Nagai Stadium; Kyoto Purple Sanga's Gert Engels catches J.League watchers by surprise.
By defeating Mexico 2-0 in a mid-July playoff, the Japan women's team has qualified for the World Cup to be held in the United States this fall. Homare Sawa, who plays for the Atlanta Heat in the US Women's League, opened the scoring from close range.
Japan opened its Women's World Cup campaign on September 20th with a 6-0 thrashing of Argentina.
The Japan men's national team was on the road in the middle of October to play in two friendlies. Against Tunisia, Sampdoria's Atsushi Yanagisawa scored the lone goal of the match to give Coach Zico a much-needed victory.
Yokohama win second stage title. Kyoto Purple Sanga relegated.
2004
In late December 2003, the J.League's executive committee announced that it had ratified plans that would abolish the two-stage format beginning in the 2005 season.
J.League Chairman Masaru Suzuki announced in late January that the 2004 opening day will feature 2003 Nabisco Cup winners Urawa Reds against defending champions Yokohama Marinos.
In a June 1, 2004 friendly match at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (Etihad Stadium), England and Japan drew 1-1, with Michael Owen scoring for England and Shinji Ono equalizing for Japan.
The Japanese women's thrashed Canada in a final warmup before the Athens Olympiad.
In a must-win match against Oman, Japan held on for a 1-0 victory in Muscat.
In spite of a loss to Nagoya Grampus on November 20th, Urawa Reds clinched the J.League's Second Stage title when second place Gamba Osaka lost to First Stage winner Yokohama Marinos.
Japan captain and Fiorentina midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata played but eight minutes in a 1-0 victory in a Serie A league match against Bologna.
2005
Japan v North Korea. It would be hard to find a match played under more tense circumstances. The Japanese government and public consider the regime of Kim Jong Il public enemy number one.
Iran v Japan in Tehran, Iran.
Koji Nakata's French sojourn continues to reek of a disaster in the making.
Japan qualifies for World Cup Germany 2006 after beating Korea DPR 0-2 in Bangkok.
FC Tokyo's coach Osvaldo Ardiles was given the pink slip in late July after more than a month of bad results.
Shunsuke Nakamura got on the scoresheet in his fourth match for Scottish side Celtic.
Japan will meet World Cup bound Angola in November.
Former Japan forward and still Jubilo Iwata player Masashi Nakayama will be in Germany representing Japan at the official draw later this month.
Japan is in the same World Cup 2006 group as Brazil, Croatia, and Australia.
More Japanese Soccer News - all the latest from Japan's J-League