J-Football Journals Round-Up #12

Adam Błoszko
Sep 11
5 min read

Issue 12 is upon us as the proper Autumn weather begins to hit Europe. Most of the happenings - whether in or out of sport - usually happen during this time of the year and many people are glued to their phones.

In the UK it gets dark pretry early so it can be miserable. Here we'll try to brighten your evening up with a great round-up of some Japanese football profiles and stories.

Enjoy!

Saitama Girl Fuka Tsunoda Joins Brighton & Hove Albion

20-year-old starlet Fuka Tsunoda departed Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies after a short beginning to her season in the WE League had caught the attention of the recruitment team in England.

Her time in Saitama has been a long time now - with the local girl playing for her girlhood club, so it must make for an emotional farewell.

The 5 '1 midfielders’ sublime performances on paper told the story of an insanely consistent midfielder - winning most matches she took part in. The first WE League match in August against Hiroshima ended in a 0-0 deadlock, but from then on it was consecutive wins for Fuka and co.

Extensive experience has also played a massive part in the decision, as Tsunoda has been playing at the top flight of women’s football for the Reds since 2021.

In her last eight games her match rating had not descended the 7.0 mark - despite not notching many assists or goals, she was ever-present and a crucial chess piece for the Urawa Red Ladies in the middle of the park.

Tsunoda was a deadline-day addition for Brighton, and has been named as a “midfield option” for coach Dario Vidosic.

Women’s Additional; More News!

Ririka Nezu is Promoted to the JEF Chiba Ladies First Team!

A forward from the JEF Chiba development squad, Ririka Nezu, has earned her step up to the first team and has already played matches. She will officially be a member of the side in 2026, fully integrated with the squad.

More to come from the promising 18-year-old.

J-Football Journals X Kyoto Seika Leoreson

Kyoto Seika are back! But not in the way you'd think... our writer has began a role at the club, helping them gain traction overseas and to generate interest surrounding their development.

Our partnership with Kyoto Seika Leoreson will involve helping them create an image and write news stories about them in English. It is a bundle of media operations which will help the club grow.

The new badge embodies the growth of young footballers amongst the club as well as the image of Seika Town, which has a heavy farming background.

Kyoto Seika have since begun community operations such as visiting local farmers and launching youth coaching.

Most recently, Rei Fukasaka- founder and chairman of the club- had visited the local Kanayagi Tourist Farm which grows and harvests strawberries! It is a brilliant community act embodying the spirit of the club. Alongside the strawberries, we also hope the bond between club and local people grows, too!

Seika ran out 3-1 winners in one of the most recent matches against "FC Bloom S" - courtesy of a Yamamoto Katayama brace.

Japan U23 Rue Chances, but Players Stand Out

A wasteful match against Myanmar U21 saw the Japanese U23 side throw away a lot of clear-cut chances - but won the game 2-1 courtesy of a Gaku Nawata penalty in the second added minute of stoppage time.

Albeit making it three straight wins in a row, Japan U23 are not the finished product they’d like to be before the Asian Cup Qualification group concludes. In their match against Kuwait U23, a more complete side walked out.

Jubilo Iwata’s 18-year-old Tokumo Kawai bagged a hattrick in their 6-1 match against Kuwait U23. While a more established name in Keisuke Goto also left a mark on the match, Kawai was ever present in this dominant display.

The youngster came through the ranks of Jubilo and has featured for the first team netting a total of twice in his 19 appearances in the J2 League, League Cup and Emperor’s Cup.

Japan National Team Fall in the States

Matthew Freese between the sticks was one of the biggest problems all day. A heavily rotated Japan side meant Hajime Moriyasu was testing different options ahead of the World Cup, Henry Mochizuki and Kaishu Sano amongst the names drafted in.

Despite several great technical performances, there was no clinical finishing or scoring tenacity in the final third. Koki Ogawa was changed in the 73rd minute for Yukinari Sugawara to no avail or change up front.

USMNT Goalkeeper Freese pulled off six saves, with five of them from within the box. Tiim Ream’s men in the back three of the side kept a good lockdown on the Japanese – Chris Richards and Tristan Blackmon not facing any real threat.

Japan NT's Next Up

A taste of South American football will grace the Japanese as Paraguay visit the Panasonic Stadium Suita (10th October) while Brazil will play on the Ajinomoto Stadium (14th October).

Moriyasu's men will look to make the most of these matches as every member of the squad looks to prove that their names belong on the FIFA World Cup 2026 selection sheet.

As Moriyasu has named very alternating sides in the past couple of matches, it might mean there will be more chances given out to players who may have missed out on starting spots. Whether the formation will change is also yet to be seen.

The main problem with the team at the moment is their lack of finishing will - albeit a 6-0 win against Indonesia, 0-0 vs Saudi Arabia, 1-0 loss to Australia, 0-0 with Mexico, 2-0 loss to the USA, shows that there is a big problem with scoring goals.

However the attacking units have been frequently changed in testing ahead of the World Cup, Moriyasu could be trying to find the missing puzzle pieces, but time is running out fast.

J3 League - Tochigi City 3-2 Matsumoto - What a Match!

My viewing of the match online meant I was graced with a dynamic J3 introduction! Four goals before the 30 minute mark!

It was the visitors Matsumoto who went in front first thanks to super consistent Yusuke Kikui who opened the scoring of the match.

Tochigi replied two minutes later with some expert wing-play - ex-Iwaki FC Masahide Hiraoka with an equaliser. Another two minutes passed and the seasoned Chilean Byron Vasquez put Tochigi rightfully in front, for the home fans.

Matsumoto did not let that go unscathed - the 27nd minute saw defender Takato Nonomura add a second. He stood out as an aerial threat winning 100% of his duels in the air for the rest of the match.

A Spotlight on Yusuke Kikui

Kikui was the left-winger of Matsumoto’s 5-4-1 low-block which was deployed to make them extra hard to break down - albeit to no avail, losing the match with a high scoring 3-2. Yusuke Kikui stood out for his performance, not only notching a goal, but attempting high risk moves.

Even though the winger lost the ball often, he was ever present in both defensive and offensive areas of the pitch. He has been one of the most consistent players in J3 - his Sofascore rating descending 7.0 only three times so far this season, that’s in 25 games!

Seven goals and three assists this seaso

- 2.4 key passes per 90. 4.6 balls recovered per game also tell the story of a workhorse who partakes in defensive actions deeper into his own half or in high-intensity pressing events.

Still only 25, it is a possibility that he may be picked up by a J2 or even J1 team in the near future if his statistics continue to help him stand out.