WHERE SCHOOL KIDS AND PROS COMPETE TOGETHER:
Soccer Competitions in Japan

	The Emperor's Cup. (J.League Photos)

A variety of soccer tournaments are held in Japan every year. The most famous one is the J. League. The 16 teams of the First Division (J1) all play each other twice, once at home and once away, in a league format. The 12 teams of the Second Division (J2) play each other four times, twice each at home and away. As well as a league, the pro teams also compete in the Nabisco Cup, which we will look at later.

But that is not all. The Emperor's Cup, a knockout tournament in which J. League sides compete alongside company, school, and other teams, has a unique charm. And the Toyota Cup, in which the champion clubs of Europe and South America meet to decide which is the best club in the world, is held in Tokyo.

The Emperor's Cup

Fans cheer their team at an Emperor's Cup Match. (J.League Photos)

The oldest and best loved soccer tournament in Japan is the Emperor's Cup, which was held for the first time in 1921. A trophy engraved with a chrysanthemum emblem (the Emperor's Cup) is awarded to the winning team. (The chrysanthemum is a symbol of the Japanese imperial family.) Since the end of World War II a number of sports have started awarding "Emperor's Cups," but none of these have the long history of the soccer version. Every year since 1968 the final of the Emperor's Cup has taken place at the National Stadium in Tokyo on New Year's Day, one of the most important national holidays for Japanese people.

Because the tournament is open to high-school and local teams, playing in it is the dream of soccer players all over Japan. Currently over 6,000 teams compete for the right to play at the National stadium on January 1. There are surprises and upsets most years, but recently the top places have usually been occupied by the professional teams of the J. League. This year's dramatic final pitted Shimizu S-Pulse and Cerezo Osaka, a team that was due to be relegated to J2. Shimizu won their first ever Emperor's Cup with a "golden goal" by Marcelo Baron.

The list of past winners shows that after the launch of the semi-pro Japan Soccer League, every Emperor's Cup was won by a JSL team, except for the 1966 victory of Waseda University. And after the J. League was launched, the cup has been won every year by a J. League team.

The world soccer calendar is currently being reviewed, and the schedule of the Emperor's Cup might be rethought. If that happens, the custom of holding the final on New Year's Day, which has lasted over 30 years, could change.

The World Is Watching
Soccer fans around the world follow the Toyota Cup. South America and Europe have long been the leading regions of world soccer. Of the past 16 World Cups, South American and European teams have won eight each; no other countries have won at all. Japan have got much stronger, and African teams have also improved, but South American and European teams are still the strongest. Each country in these regions has a hard-fought professional league where players compete at a high level.

The Toyota Cup pits the champion clubs from these two powerful soccer continents against each other. In South America the Libertadores Cup decides the best club team, while in Europe it is the UEFA Champions League. The champions of these two competitions meet in the Toyota Cup, and winner of this game effectively takes the title of number-one club team in the world.

Originally, when the competition was called the European-South American Cup, the two teams would play two games, one each at their respective home stadiums, but some teams and fans wanted to win so much that there was trouble at some games. Some people were even arrested, and the future of the competition was in doubt.

Japan came to the rescue of the competition. It was decided that instead of the home-and-away format, which could get too heated, the winner should be decided in one match at a neutral venue, Japan. Toyota Motor Corp. decided to sponsor the event, and in February 1981 the historic first Toyota Cup took place.

Every year since then, some of the superstars of world soccer, such as Zico (Brazil), Michel Platini (France), Ruud Gullit (Holland), and David Beckham (England), have come to Japan and thrilled Japanese fans with their brilliant soccer skills. In 2001 Bayern Munich (of Germany) beat Boca Juniors (of Argentina) to claim the title of world club champions for the first time in 25 years.

The Nabisco Cup: A Chance for Young Players to Shine
The Nabisco Cup is a tournament contested just by J. League teams. This year the 16 J1 teams took part, and the winner was decided by a group-league round and a knockout round. Nabisco Cup matches have a different feel from league games, and the cup has recently become known as a showcase for young players. In 1996 the New Hero Award was created to reward the performances of young players and help to find new stars. The winners so far have included Hiroshi Nanami (Jubilo Iwata), Atsuhiro Miura (Tokyo Verdy), Naohiro Takahara (Jubilo Iwata), and Hitoshi Sogahata (Kashima Antlers), all of whom have gone on to become important players in the Japanese national team. For the teams, the Nabisco Cup is not only about winning but about giving young players a chance to develop their talents.

Numerous other soccer tournaments take place in Japan, including the Japan Football League, the women's L. League, regional leagues, university leagues, local competitions, futsal (five-a-side soccer) contests, and senior tournaments. Nowadays the appeal of soccer is of a similar level to that of baseball.