Japanese Non-league Football News

25-year-old defender Kosuke Iwase, formerly with Nippon University, has left JFL side Sagawa Kyubin Tokyo.

Tohoku League side Grulla Morioka have announced the signing of a new player in a bid to reverse their recent run of form that has seen them slip some three points behind leaders TDK Akita in the fight for a place in the end-of-season promotion play-offs. Junpei Onodera is 21 next week and moves from Tokyo 23 SC, a club which entered the Tokyo Prefectural League in 2005 with the intention of bringing J-League football to their own area of the capital. Onodera's first opportunity to make an impact in the league comes at the beginning of August, when Grulla travel to TDK in a crunch match that looks likely to decide the destination of this season's Tohoku League title.

With front pair Honda Suzuka and Kasugai Club out of action in the Tokai League Division 2 over the weekend, third place Konica Minolta Toyokawa made the most of the opportunity to close the gap as they strolled to a 6-1 win over FC Kawasaki. This result will potentially take on more significance come the next round of fixtures, when Konica play host to Kasugai knowing that a win could see them move into one of the promotion spots. Elsewhere, mid-table Mind House TC made it four wins in five games as they beat Nagoya Club 1-0, while Morishin's FC and Fuyo Club drew one apiece.



Fuyo Club on the ball against Morishin’s FC

Sun 16 Jul: FC Kawasaki 1-6 Konica Minolta Toyokawa
Sun 16 Jul: Mind House TC 1-0 Nagoya Club
Sun 16 Jul: Morishin's FC 1-1 Fuyo Club

1 Honda Suzuka 22 (+9)
2 Kasugai Club 19 (+9)
3 Konica Minolta Toyokawa 16 (+6)
4 Mind House TC 13 (+3)
5 Morishin's FC 11 (+1)
6 Fuyo Club 11 (-5)
7 Nagoya Club 9 (-4)
8 FC Kawasaki 3 (-19)



Mind House TC take on the snazzily-numbered Nagoya Club

Time is running out for Shikoku League champions Nangoku Kochi if they hope to retain their title this year. For although the team and most notably striker Yohei Ueta are in form and winning - as demonstrated by Sunday's 7-1 thrashing of Ventana AC, in which Ueta notched up four - they're still having to play catch up to their new rivals from the north of the island, Kamatamare Sanuki. Although they needed to come from a goal down at half-time, Kamatamare's 3-1 win at Tokushima Vortis Amateur was their fourth in a row since the team's single slip-up of the year against Ehime Shimanami and the gap between themselves as frontrunners and Nangoku remains at five points. Shimanami are indeed in joint second after they put nine past relegation certainties Sanwa Club, while in the other match Sanyo Electric Tokushima eased to a 3-0 win over their neighbours Alex SC.



Sanyo Tokushima’s beautifully-located ground stages the Tokushima Vortis Amateur - Kamatamare Sanuki match

Sun 16 Jul: Ehime Shimanami 9-1 Sanwa Club
Sun 16 Jul: Sanyo Electric Tokushima 3-0 Alex SC
Sun 16 Jul: Tokushima Vortis Amateur 1-3 Kamatamare Sanuki
Sun 16 Jul: Ventana AC 1-7 Nangoku Kochi

1 Kamatamare Sanuki 30 (+30)
2 Nangoku Kochi 25 (+35)
3 Ehime Shimanami 25 (+25)
4 Sanyo Electric Tokushima 19 (+8)
5 Tokushima Vortis Amateur 9 (-7)
6 Alex SC 8 (-24)
7 Ventana AC 7 (-28)
8 Sanwa Club 1 (-39)

第40回中国社会人サッカー選手権大会兼

Sat 15 Jul: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 9-0 Notorious
Sat 15 Jul: SCD Okayama 1-5 SC Matsue
Sat 15 Jul: JFE Steel 2-2 Nippon Oil Mizushima (PK 4-5)
Sat 15 Jul: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 1-6 FC Central Chugoku
Sat 15 Jul: Hiroshima Teachers 4-1 Renofa Yamaguchi
Sat 15 Jul: Matsue RM Friends 0-4 NTN Okayama
Sat 15 Jul: Mazda SC 3-3 Genki SC (PK 11-10)
Sat 15 Jul: Yahhh Man SC 1-6 Fagiano Okayama

Sun 16 Jul: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 2-0 SC Matsue
Sun 16 Jul: Nippon Oil Mizushima 0-3 FC Central Chugoku
Sun 16 Jul: Hiroshima Teachers 6-1 NTN Okayama
Sun 16 Jul: Fagiano Okayama 4-1 Mazda SC

Mon 17 Jul: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 3-0 FC Central Chugoku
Mon 17 Jul: Fagiano Okayama 4-0 Hiroshima Teachers

Mon 17 Jul: Fagiano Okayama 3-2 Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku

Fagiano Okayama and Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku therefore qualify for the national finals in Akita in October.



Fagiano Okayama fans cheer their team on to victory over Hiroshima Teachers