Japan Football Association
The Japan Football Association or Japan FA (日本サッカー協会, Nihon Sakkā Kyōkai)[1] is the governing body responsible for the administration of football in Japan. It is responsible for the national team, as well as club competitions.[2]
History
[change | change source]The organisation was founded in 1921 as the Greater Japan Football Association (大日本蹴球協会, Dai-Nippon Shūkyū Kyōkai), and became affiliated with FIFA in 1921.[3] In 1945, the name of the organisation was changed to the Japan Football Association (日本蹴球協会, Nihon Shūkyū Kyōkai); its Japanese name was changed to the current title in 1975. This reflected common use of the word sakkā (サッカー), derived from "soccer", rather than the older Japanese word shūkyū (蹴球; literally "kick-ball"). The word sakkā gained popularity during the post-World War II occupation of Japan by the Allied powers. The association generally translates its name to "Japan Football Association" in English,[4] though "Japan Soccer Association" is also used.[5]
Symbol
[change | change source]
The symbol of the JFA is the Yatagarasu, a mythical three-legged raven that guided Emperor Jimmu to Mount Kumano. Yatagarasu is also the messenger of the supreme Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu.[6]
Presidents
[change | change source]The following is a list of presidents of Japan Football Association (JFA). The Honorary President is Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado.[7]
| Presidency | President | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jikichi Imamura | 1921 | 1933 |
| 2 | Ryutaro Fukao | 1935 | 1945 |
| 3 | Ryutaro Takahashi | 1947 | 1954 |
| 4 | Yuzuru Nozu | 1955 | 1976 |
| 5 | Tomisaburo Hirai | 1976 | 1987 |
| 6 | Shizuo Fujita | 1987 | 1992 |
| 7 | Hideo Shimada | 1992 | 1994 |
| 8 | Ken Naganuma | 1994 | 1998 |
| 9 | Shunichiro Okano | 1998 | 2002 |
| 10 | Saburo Kawabuchi | 2002 | 2008 |
| 11 | Motoaki Inukai | 2008 | 2010 |
| 12 | Junji Ogura | 2010 | 2012 |
| 13 | Kuniya Daini | 2012 | 2016 |
| 14 | Kozo Tashima | 2016 | Present |
Sponsorship
[change | change source]Japan has one of the highest sponsorship incomes for a national squad. In 2010, their sponsorship income amounted to over 12.5 million pounds.
Primary sponsors include Kirin, Adidas, Panasonic, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, Fujifilm, ANA, Bank of Yokohama, NTT Docomo and Nissan.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "組織-JFA-日本サッカー協会". 公益財団法人 日本サッカー協会（JFA）.
- ↑ Byer, Tom (2011-02-02). "Asian Cup: Japan Is on the Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ↑ "Organisation JFA Japan Football Association". www.jfa.jp. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
- ↑ "Home | Japan Football Association Official Web Site". Jfa.or.jp. 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
- ↑ "World Cup Roundup: Japanese decide on a new coach". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 2, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ↑ "general information | Japan Football Association". Jfa.or.jp. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ↑ "Empress's Cup of Soccer". Imperial Family website. January 2015.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Japan Football Association (JFA) – official website (in English)