is a Japanese

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...

club

Fagiano Okayama is a Japanese football club based in Okayama, the capital of Okayama Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Name origin ''Fagiano'' in Italian means "pheasant", and it is a reference t ...

Early career

He was educated at the

Kashima Antlers The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...

Junior Youth team and played for Yachiyo High School and

Senshu University Senshu University (専修大学, ''Senshū Daigaku''), generally referred to as Senshu (専修) or Sen-Dai (専大), is a private university located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1880 as Senshu College , which was recognised as one of t ...

before moving to Singapore in 2017.

Club career

Albirex Niigata Singapore

Yanagi signed his first professional contract with Albirex Niigata Singapore, a satellite team of

J.League The , commonly a.k.a. shortened to the , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, in ...

side

Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...

, who play in the S.League. Yanagi's stellar performances for the White Swans earned him a spot in the Singapore Selection side that took on

Selangor FA Selangor Football Club ( Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor'') is a professional football club based in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The club currently competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. ...

in the annual Sultan of Selangor's Cup. During the September international break, he was selected to participate in a week-long training stint with his parent club. He traveled to Niigata prefecture with club captain

Shuto Inaba is a Japanese football player who plays as a midfielder for Kagoshima United. Personal life Inaba graduated with first-class honours in Sports Science from Fukuoka University. Career Albirex Niigata Singapore Inaba signed for Albirex Niiga ...

and the duo trained with the first team, playing in a training match against

Iwaki FC is a football (soccer) club based in Iwaki, a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The club competes in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football league system. History Founder Club Iwaki FC was founded in 2012, before getting ...

, a non-J League team. He played a total of 22 league games for the White Swans and scored 2 goals as they claimed the quadruple for the second consecutive year. His importance for the team is highlighted in the fact that the White Swans’ only two losses came when he was not on the field.

Albirex Niigata

Following his stellar performances for the White Swans' satellite club, Yanagi joined the White Swans' parent club for the upcoming

2018 J2 League The 2018 Meiji Yasuda J2 League (2018 明治安田生命J2リーグ) season was the 47th season of the second-tier club football in Japan and the 20th season since the establishment of J2 League. Clubs The participating clubs are listed in the f ...

season.

Loan to Tochigi SC

In 2020, he was originally registered with Albirex Niigata. However, on 11 February 2020, he joined

Tochigi SC , commonly referred to as Tochigi SC (栃木SC, ''Tochigi Esushi'') is a Japanese football club based in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. They set to play in the J3 League after relegation from J2 in 2024, Japan's third tier of profession ...

with a one-year loan deal. On 16 December of the same year, he scored his sixth goal of the season against

JEF United Chiba , full name and also known as , is a Japanese professional football club based in Chiba, capital of Chiba Prefecture. They currently play in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football. History Furukawa Electric SC (19 ...

in Matchweek 41. This was the first J-League goal scored at

Kanseki Stadium Tochigi is a multi-purpose stadium at the :ja:栃木県総合運動公園, Tochigi Prefectural General Sports Park in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan. The stadium was originally opened in 2020 and has a capacity of 25,244 spectators. References Extern ...

, where the J.League official game was held for the first time on the same day. On 29 December 2020, Yanagi permanently transferred to

after his loan from Albirex Niigata expired.

Fagiano Okayama

On 6 January 2022, Yanagi joined J2 club

on a permanent transfer deal. On 7 December 2024, Yanagi helped secure his club promotion to the

for the first time in their history, after defeating

Vegalta Sendai is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Sendai, Miyagi, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, the Japanese second tier of professional football. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Elect ...

2–0 in the promotion play-off final. On 26 December 2024, the club extended his contract for the 2025 season.

Career statistics

Club

.Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社
"J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)"
7 February 2018, Japan, (p. 161 out of 289)

Honours

Club

Albirex Niigata Singapore * S.League:

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...

Singapore League Cup The Singapore League Cup was an annual association football competition in Singapore. It was launched in 2007 and was open to teams who competed in the S.League. Albirex Niigata (S), a satellite club of Albirex Niigata of the J League, has won t ...

* Singapore Community Shield:

Fagiano Okayama *

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasud ...

Promotion Play-off winner:

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

References

External links

* *
Profile at Albirex NiigataProfile at Fagiano Okayama
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yanagi, Yasutaka 1994 births Living people Japanese men's footballers Singapore Premier League players Albirex Niigata Singapore F.C. players J1 League players J2 League players Albirex Niigata players Tochigi SC players Fagiano Okayama players Men's association football midfielders Association football people from Chiba (city) 21st-century Japanese sportsmen