The Japan Football Association (JFA, ) is the governing body responsible for the administration of football,
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
efootball
''eFootball'' is an association football simulation video game developed and published by Konami. It is a free-to-play game after being completely rebranded from the original ''Pro Evolution Soccer'' (known as ''Winning Eleven'' in Japan) ser ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. It is responsible for the national team, as well as club competitions.
History
The organisation was founded in 1921 as the , and became affiliated with
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
in 1929. In 1945, the name of the organisation was changed to the ; 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
Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the
Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States ...
by the United States-led Allied powers. The association generally translates its name to "Japan Football Association" in English, though "Japan Soccer Association" is also used.
Source JFA
''Only includes tournaments organized by the JFA.''
International competitions
Senior
''Last updated: 20 September 2022''
Youth
''Last updated: 21 September 2022''
Domestic competitions
Senior
''Last updated: 27 November 2022''
''Last updated: 31 October 2022''
Youth
''Last updated: 31 October 2022''
''Last updated: 31 October 2022''
Over-age
League system
Japanese clubs' placements at each league may determine the JFA-organized competition the club will participate in, or if they will be qualified to one at all.
Men's
As of the
2023 season
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many soci ...
, all clubs in the top two tiers ( J1 and J2) enter the
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...
directly, with the clubs below it having to qualify to the tournament through prefectural tournaments.
''Last updated: 10 December 2022''
Women's
As of 2022–23 season, all clubs in the top two tiers enter the Empress's Cup directly, with the clubs below having to qualify through regional tournaments. The top tier clubs also qualify to the WE League Cup.
''Last updated: 15 October 2022''
Branding
The symbol of the JFA is the Yatagarasu, a mythical three-legged raven that guided Emperor
Jimmu
was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Kumano. Yatagarasu is also the messenger of the supreme
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...
sun goddess
Amaterasu
Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the '' K ...
.
In 1994, the JFA asked Ryuichi Sakamoto to compose the instrumental song - "Japanese Soccer Anthem". There is an
arrangement
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orche ...
version by
Yasuhide Ito
is a contemporary Japanese composer.
Early life
As a child, Ito began to cultivate his interest in music by taking piano lessons. He continued to pursue a musical education and, by his third year of high school, had composed his first piece o ...
. This anthem is played at the beginning of JFA-sponsored events, such as the Emperor's Cup matches and as a prelude to kickoff at stadiums.
Presidents
The following is a list of
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
s of Japan Football Association (JFA). The Honorary President is Her Imperial Highness
Princess Takamado
(born ; 10 July 1953), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado.
Background and education
Hisako was born on 10 July 1953 in Shirokane, Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of Japanese industrialist ...
*JFA Academy Fukushima
*JFA Academy Sakai
*JFA Academy Imabari
*JFA Academy Kumamoto Uki
Source JFA
Sponsorship
''Last updated: 30 June 2022''
See also
*
Sports in Japan
Sports in Japan are a significant part of Japanese culture. Both traditional sports such as sumo and martial arts, and Western imports like baseball, association football, basketball and tennis are popular with both participants and spectators.
...
Women's football in Japan
Women's football in Japan is one of the rising powers of women's football.
History
The first women's football team in Japan was formed in 1966.
In the first national female football tournament in 1980, women played 8-a-side football and on small ...
Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...