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Honda in Milan

MILAN, Italy - New AC Milan player Keisuke Honda (R) and the club's vice president Adriano Galliani are pictured in the stands during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Atalanta in Milan, Italy, on Jan. 6, 2014. (Kyodo)

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Honda in Milan

MILAN, Italy - New AC Milan player Keisuke Honda (R) and the club's vice president Adriano Galliani are pictured in the stands during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Atalanta in Milan, Italy, on Jan. 6, 2014. (Kyodo)

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S. Korea's Park up before IOC

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - South Korean soccer player Park Jong Woo heads for a disciplinary hearing by the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Feb. 11, 2013. The IOC held the hearing for Woo, who stirred controversy at the 2012 London Olympics by raising a banner in the bronze-medal match against Japan proclaiming his country's sovereignty over the Sea of Japan islets known as Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo by Koreans.

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Ex-soccer player urges proper use of emergency call

OSAKA, Japan - Former Japanese football player Hiroaki Morishima shows off his ball skills as chief for the day at the Minami Police Station in Osaka, western Japan, on Jan. 10, 2015, during an event to promote the proper use of the 110 emergency phone call number.

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Japan, Brazil compete in friendly

SINGAPORE, Singapore - Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar (10) controls the ball in front of Japanese player Tsukasa Shiotani during the first half of a friendly in Singapore on Oct. 14, 2014.

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Japan, Brazil compete in friendly

SINGAPORE, Singapore - Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar (10) vies for the ball with Japanese player Gotoku Sakai during the first half of a friendly in Singapore on Oct. 14, 2014.

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Japan, Brazil compete in friendly

SINGAPORE, Singapore - Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar (10) vies for the ball with Japanese player Taishi Taguchi during the first half of a friendly in Singapore on Oct. 14, 2014.

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Traditional Kemari event held to pray for Japan's victory in World Cup

KYOTO, Japan - Hidetoshi Nakata (2nd from R), a former top Japanese soccer player, walks wearing Heian era (eighth to 12th century) aristocratic attire to attend a "Kemari" event at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto on May 31, 2014. The event was held to pray for Japan's victory in the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil.

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Animated film supervised by Nagatomo aired in Milan

MILAN, Italy - Inter Milan soccer player Yuto Nagatomo responds to questions from the press about an animated film he supervised during the Japan Film Festival in Milan on May 13, 2014. Based on Nagatomo himself, the film depicts in a humorous way how the Japanese footballer grew up to be a top-notch player.

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Nadeshiko Japan midfielder Kawasumi heads for Seattle

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese player Nahomi Kawasumi answers reporters' questions during a press conference at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, on March 22, 2014, ahead of her departure to the United States to join the National Women's Soccer League club Seattle Reign FC. Kawasumi will be on loan to Seattle from INAC Kobe Leonessa of the Japanese women's league until the season ends Aug. 31.

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Japan's oldest soccer player Miura celebrates 47th birthday

TOKYO, Japan - Striker Kazuyoshi Miura of Yokohama FC in the J-League Division 2, the oldest player in the Japanese professional soccer league, holds a birthday cake in Yokohama, Japan, as he turned 47 on Feb. 26, 2014.

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Soccer's Sawa plays at charity futsal match

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese professional soccer player Homare Sawa plays in a charity futsal game to aid the recovery from the 2011 earthquake disaster at a gymnasium in Fuchu, Tokyo, on Jan. 20, 2014.

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IOC inspections in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Women's soccer player Homare Sawa holds a press conference at a Tokyo hotel on March 4, 2013, after giving a presentation to the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission. The commission kicked off four days of inspections in the Japanese capital in the process of the selection of the city to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

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IOC inspections in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Women's soccer player Homare Sawa holds a press conference at a Tokyo hotel on March 4, 2013, after giving a presentation to the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission. The commission kicked off four days of inspections in the Japanese capital in the process of the selection of the city to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

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Kagawa to transfer to Man Utd

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Japanese soccer player Shinji Kagawa. Manchester United announced June 5, 2012, they had come to terms with Borussia Dortmund on a transfer for the Japan midfielder to join the Premier League giants.

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World Cup forward Yano back with Albirex

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken at Kansai International Airport on July 1, 2010, shows Japanese soccer player Kisho Yano. The 27-year-old forward, a member of the 2010 World Cup squad, has returned to his old club Albirex Niigata, the J-League first division team announced on Feb. 8, 2012. He was released by German club Freiburg late in the previous year.

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Sasaki, Sawa with FIFA trophies

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese women's national soccer team coach Norio Sasaki (L) and Homare Sawa, the team's captain, hold their trophies in Tokyo on Jan. 11, 2012, after FIFA named Sasaki the Women's Coach of the Year and Sawa the Women's World Player of the Year in Zurich.

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Women's soccer captain, coach return home

NARITA, Japan - Homare Sawa (L), captain of the Japanese women's national soccer team, and coach Norio Sasaki attend a press conference in Tokyo on Jan. 11, 2012, after they were recognized by FIFA in a ceremony in Switzerland as the best in the world in their respective categories. Sawa was named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, while Sasaki, who guided the team known as Nadeshiko Japan to a first-ever World Cup triumph at last summer's finals in Germany, won the Women's Coach of the Year.

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Women's soccer captain, coach return home

NARITA, Japan - Homare Sawa (R), captain of the Japanese women's national soccer team, and coach Norio Sasaki (L), arrive at Narita airport near Tokyo on Jan. 11, 2012, after they were recognized by FIFA in a ceremony in Switzerland as the best in the world in their respective categories. Sawa was named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, while Sasaki, who guided the team known as Nadeshiko Japan to a first-ever World Cup triumph at last summer's finals in Germany, won the Women's Coach of the Year.

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Matsui to leave Grenoble

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Japanese soccer player Daisuke Matsui. The World Cup midfielder said May 16, 2011, he would leave French Ligue 2 side Grenoble at season's end.

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Bean-throwing event held on top of Osaka's Tsutenkaku Tower

OSAKA, Japan - Former Japan soccer player Hiroaki Morishima (below) and others throw peanuts from the top of Osaka's Tsutenkaku Tower, a symbol of the western Japanese city, on Feb. 1, two days before the lunar calendar ''setsubun'' which heralds the arrival of spring. While scattering the peanuts, they called to drive out evil and invite good luck.

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Takahara sets record with 11th goal of season

FRANKFURT, Germany - Japan striker Naohiro Takahara (C) gets congratulations from teammates after netting a record 11th league goal of the season as Eintracht Frankfurt eased their relegation fears with a 4-0 hammering of 10-man Alemannia Aachen in the German first division on May 5. In scoring his 11th of the campaign, Takahara set a new record for the highest number of goals in a single season by a Japanese player in European top-flight soccer.

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Koji Nakata reunited with Troussier

MARSEILLE, France - Japan international midfielder Koji Nakata (R) appears at a news conference on Feb. 15, to talk about his joining French soccer club Marseille, along with the club's coach Philippe Troussier. Nakata was a regular player under Troussier during the Frenchman's tenure as Japanese national team coach in the 2002 World Cup.

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Nagoya goalkeeper Narazaki holds out in pay talks

NAGOYA, Japan - Japan goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki speaks at a news conference Dec. 17 after turning down an offer from the Nagoya Grampus Eight. Narazaki, who was the highest-paid Japanese soccer player in the J-League with a 100 million yen annual salary this season, did not reveal the details of the new offer.

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Former Japan midfielder Hiroyama joins Montpellier

TOKYO, Japan - Former Japan international midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama (R), who signed a contract to join French first-division club Montpellier, shows off his shirt, assisted by Montpellier President Laurent Nicollin at a news conference July 23. The 26-year-old will become the first Japanese player to ply his trade in French soccer's top flight.

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S. Korean soccer player Choi to marry Japanese celebrity Abe

TOKYO, Japan - South Korean soccer player Choi Sung Yong (L in file photo) and Japan's TV personality Mihoko Abe (R in photo taken from her Web site) will marry in December, South Korean media said on July 11. They first met in 2000 when Abe interviewed Choi for a TV program.

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(1)Argentina train in Japan for World Cup

NARAHA, Japan - An Argentina soccer player throws a T-shirt into a crowd of Japanese spectators at the team's training camp in the J-Village in Fukushima Prefecture on May 19.

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Nissan's Ghosn chosen as one of six 'most ideal fathers'

TOKYO, Japan - Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn (2nd from R), a father of four, was one of six men chosen as ''most ideal fathers'' in a contest in Tokyo on June 5 ahead of Father's Day on June 17. Japan Men's Fashion Unity also gave the 20th Yellow Ribbon Award to (from L to R) Yasuhiko Okudera, a former pro soccer player and current Yokohama athletic club head, actor Naoki Hosaka, Yoshiharu Habu, a master of ''shogi'' Japanese chess, Heizo Takenaka, minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, and Mie Gov. Masayasu Kitagawa (R).

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Football: Kazuyoshi Miura joins Suzuka Point Getters

Kazuyoshi Miura, the oldest active player in Japanese professional soccer at age 54, poses with his new uniform of Suzuka Point Getters in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on Jan. 31, 2022, as he joins the fourth-tier team. (Pool photo)

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Football: Kazuyoshi Miura joins Suzuka Point Getters

Kazuyoshi Miura, the oldest active player in Japanese professional soccer at age 54, attends a press conference in Suzuka in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on Jan. 31, 2022, as he joins fourth-tier Suzuka Point Getters. (Pool photo)

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Football: Kazuyoshi Miura joins Suzuka Point Getters

Kazuyoshi Miura, the oldest active player in Japanese professional soccer at age 54, attends a press conference in Suzuka in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on Jan. 31, 2022, as he joins fourth-tier Suzuka Point Getters. (Pool photo)

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Myanmar soccer goalie receives official refugee status in Japan

Pyae Lyan Aung, a Myanmar national soccer goalkeeper who refused to return home after protesting against the February military coup in his country, officially received a certificate of refugee status in Japan on Friday, the player and his lawyer said. The Immigration Service Agency of Japan granted him the status of long-term resident, which allows him to stay in Japan for five years, saying he could face persecution if he returns to Myanmar. "I am grateful to Japanese people, the Japanese government and everyone who has supported me so far. I am relieved," he told reporters after receiving the certificate at the Osaka Regional Immigration Services Bureau, adding he wishes to study Japanese and work in Japan.

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Transgender soccer star Yokoyama marries girlfriend in U.S.

U.S.-based Japanese soccer player Kumi Yokoyama, seen in this file photo taken in March 2019, revealed on Instagram on Nov. 23, 2021 that the Washington Spirit forward who has publicly come out as a transgender man married their girlfriend in the United States. Yokoyama prefers the "they" pronoun, according to the team.

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Koji Nakata reunited with Troussier

MARSEILLE, France - Japan international midfielder Koji Nakata (R) appears at a news conference on Feb. 15, to talk about his joining French soccer club Marseille, along with the club's coach Philippe Troussier. Nakata was a regular player under Troussier during the Frenchman's tenure as Japanese national team coach in the 2002 World Cup. (Kyodo)

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Takahara sets record with 11th goal of season

FRANKFURT, Germany - Japan striker Naohiro Takahara (C) gets congratulations from teammates after netting a record 11th league goal of the season as Eintracht Frankfurt eased their relegation fears with a 4-0 hammering of 10-man Alemannia Aachen in the German first division on May 5. In scoring his 11th of the campaign, Takahara set a new record for the highest number of goals in a single season by a Japanese player in European top-flight soccer. (Kyodo)

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Nagoya goalkeeper Narazaki holds out in pay talks

NAGOYA, Japan - Japan goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki speaks at a news conference Dec. 17 after turning down an offer from the Nagoya Grampus Eight. Narazaki, who was the highest-paid Japanese soccer player in the J-League with a 100 million yen annual salary this season, did not reveal the details of the new offer. (Kyodo)

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Japanese soccer star Shunsuke Nakamura

REGGIO DI CALABRIA, Italy - Japanese soccer star Shunsuke Nakamura speaks to the press in Reggio di Calabria on Sept. 21 prior to his first game as an Italy Serie A player. (Kyodo)

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Japan coach Takakura names squad

Japanese women's soccer coach Asako Takakura names her squad for an upcoming friendly away to Sweden during a press conference on July 6, 2016, in Tokyo. Regular captain Aya Miyama, the three-time Asian Player of the Year, was overlooked as she "is still not right condition-wise," Takakura said. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Ex-professional soccer player meets with refugee children

Former Japanese professional soccer player Shinnosuke Honda (C) teaches soccer to refugee children at a refugee camp in Umpium, Thailand, on June 20, 2016, World Refugee Day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Soccer: Retired Sawa appears in fan event

Retired soccer player Homare Sawa appears in an INAC Kobe Leonessa fan event in the western Japanese city on Jan. 30, 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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FIFA World Player Award

Japanese soccer player Aya Miyama, who has been for shortlisted for the best female player of 2015, attends the FIFA Ballon d'Or award ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, on Jan. 11, 2016. Argentina's Lionel Messi and Carli Lloyd of the United States won the prize for best male and female player, respectively. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Soccer: Sawa describes husband as "manly"

Japanese professional soccer player Homare Sawa beams as she speaks about her husband after her club team INAC Kobe Leonessa's training session in Kobe, western Japan, on Aug. 12, 2015. Sawa, 36, said her 38-year-old husband and former Vegalta Sendai player Hiroaki Tsujikami is a "manly man who doesn't lie and has a strong sense of responsibility." (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Soccer: Sawa describes husband as "manly"

Japanese professional soccer player Homare Sawa smiles with flowers when she met reporters after her club team INAC Kobe Leonessa's training session in Kobe, western Japan, on Aug. 12, 2015. Sawa, 36, said her 38-year-old husband and former Vegalta Sendai player Hiroaki Tsujikami is a "manly man who doesn't lie and has a strong sense of responsibility." (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Soccer: Sawa describes husband as "manly"

Japanese professional soccer player Homare Sawa (R) gives autographs to fans as they congratulate her on her marriage after her club team INAC Kobe Leonessa's training session in Kobe, western Japan, on Aug. 12, 2015. Sawa, 36, told reporters the same day her 38-year-old husband and former Vegalta Sendai player Hiroaki Tsujikami is a "manly man who doesn't lie and has a strong sense of responsibility." (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japanese soccer player Sawa ties the knot

Photo shows Japanese professional soccer player Homare Sawa. Sawa, 36, who led the Japan women's national team as captain when it won the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, announced Aug. 11, 2015, that she has tied the knot with a man in his 30s. She declined to reveal the name or release a photo of her husband whom she said has been a friend for the past 10 years. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Muto promises goals for Mainz

Japanese soccer player Yoshinori Muto speaks to reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before leaving for Germany on July 7, 2015. The 22-year-old striker pledged to bring goals for his new side Mainz. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Injured Ando to join teammates for World Cup final

Injured Japanese soccer player Kozue Ando is seen at Narita airport near Tokyo on July 4, 2015, before leaving for Vancouver, Canada. Ando, who broke her leg in a match against Switzerland in early June, will join teammates for the Women's World Cup final against the United States on July 5. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Miyaichi to join German 2nd-division St. Pauli: report

Undated photo shows Japanese soccer player Ryo Miyaichi, who has been listed for free transfer by Premier League club Arsenal. German newspaper Bild said on June 18 that the 22-year-old winger is likely to join Bundesliga second-division St. Pauli. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Sawa returns for holders Nadeshiko in time for Women's World Cup

Japanese soccer player Homare Sawa, the 2011 World Player of the Year, smiles in a press conference in Kobe, western Japan, on May 1, 2015, after being named by Japan coach Norio Sasaki to his squad for the Women's World Cup soccer tournament beginning June 6 in Canada. It will be the sixth consecutive World Cup for the 36-year-old Sawa. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Sawa returns for holders Nadeshiko in time for Women's World Cup

Japanese soccer player Homare Sawa, the 2011 World Player of the Year, smiles in a press conference in Kobe, western Japan, on May 1, 2015, after being named by Japan coach Norio Sasaki to his squad for the Women's World Cup soccer tournament beginning June 6 in Canada. It will be the sixth consecutive World Cup for the 36-year-old Sawa. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo