In the board of councilors and directors of 29th March, the re-election of officers was discussed, and I, KUNIYA Daini, was reappointed to the post of president, vice-president Tashima and general secretary Hara were also reappointed and J-League’s chairman, Mitsuru Murai and the National Museum of Western Art’s director Akiko Mabuchi were newly elected vice-presidents. We will continue to make efforts in order to develop Japanese football and sport.

In the “JFA Declaration 2005” we have made a promise, the “JFA’s promise 2015” of “becoming one of the best ten organizations in the world” (click here for details) and this is substantially the last year for its realization. It is a promise that we have made to family members surrounding Japanese football, so, in this one year, we will do our best in order to realize this goal. On the other hand, at the present time, in parallel with the renewal of marketing contracts for 2015 that we are now conducting, we should draw up business plans from 2015 to 2022, and, considering that there is still some time until the “JFA’s promise 2050”, we have to strive for a more specific and active realization of these ideas, setting new goals for 2030. In such situation, we have drawn up five focused guidelines for the development of Japanese football.。

First of all, the “Strengthening of JFA organisation”. At the present time, we are proceeding with the examination of various aspects, in a process that we call “JFA Reform”. Regarding the changes of JFA’s statute in conformity to FIFA Standard Statutes, we have started the work in order to revise it in this one year. In this way, we are thinking of improving the transparency and of making JFA an organization in which many stakeholders can participate.
From April of this year, Disciplinary Committee, Consultative and Mediatory Committee and Appeal Committee, which are JFA’s judicial bodies, will become completely independent organisations, but these days serious problems such as violence in the field of coaching, match-fixing and racism are occurring and thoroughness of governance and compliance is requiring immediate attention, so, regarding these matters, we are going to work on them with a high conscience of danger.
Prime Minister Abe has held up “Women’s participation” as part of growth strategy and we, JFA, are also actively promoting women’s appointment. This was the intention of the appointment of Ms. Mabuchi as vice president in this year. We believe that as outside director, she will demonstrate her skills in creating women-friendly work environments, starting with women’s football.

For the strengthening and the development of the organisation, it is necessary to build a firm financial basis. In order to realize the “JFA Declaration 2005”, in 2012 JFA became a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation. This year we have settled the accounts for the second time as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, the total income was 12,862,224,990 yen and the total expenditure 11,190,587,027 yen and (although these are irregular results of the period of 9 months from April to December 2013) the net assets increase obtained from the deduction of total expenditure from total income, was 1,671,637,463 yen.
From this amount of about 1,670 million yen, we have reserved 140 million yen for the development of diffusion programs that are part of the coming 100th Anniversary Project and 800 million yen for the construction of the JFA Football Centre. We would like the JFA Football Centre to be not only the base for the strengthening of the National Team of each generation, but also to be a fulfilling place for coaches and referees training courses, medical and technical information centre, training place, practice field for foreign team coming to Japan and we are thinking of deciding its candidate site within 2 years.

Second, the “Strengthening of the National Team”. Japan National Football Team is becoming an indispensable presence for the development not only of Japanese football, but also of Japanese sports. This June, 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, where the National Team is expected to make bigger progress than the last World Cup, will take place, but next month Nadeshiko Japan will participate to AFC Asia Cup and in June of next year, FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada, which Nadeshiko Japan is expected to win for the second consecutive time, will take place. The improvement of the level of men’s and women’s football, of futsal and beach football, the strengthening for the Olympics and for FIFA World Cup, are constantly considered as our important tasks.

The third guideline is “Promotion of the grassroots”. It is necessary to make efforts not only in order to diffuse football for all ages, from kids to seniors, women’s football, futsal and beach football, but also in order to promote sports for people with a disability and for elderly people. As declared in the JFA and J-League’s principle, Japanese football world is professing “the establishment of sports culture” and “the local sports promotion”, and we think that grassroots will play a particularly important role in an aging society with a falling birthrate. We are going to carry out this project cooperating with prefectural football associations, J-League, and other associations.

The fourth guideline is “Strengthening of international competitiveness”. For the development of Asian football, Asian Football Confederation has to become a more transparent, fair and equitable organisation. For it, we think that Japan should show leadership in Asia. As before, we are actively promoting contribution to Asia through the dispatch of coaches and the exchange programs of referees and players. We aim at all costs to send an Executive Committee Member from Japan to FIFA following honorary president Junji Ogura. Also improving international competitiveness and organisational capacity by hosting world championships and other events of each category and contributing to world peace and international goodwill through sports, are important missions as sport organisation. Regarding these, we are going to make a holding plan considering the movements of the whole sport world.

The last one is the “Cooperation with J-League”. We are now carrying out this plan, but we are going to examine the best calendar/ schedule for Japan and to adjust AFC, FIFA’s calendar and JFA, J-League’s calendar. We will make efforts, including the continuous support of AFC Champions League, in order to improve J-League’s value.

Moreover, we are going to support the promotion and the development of local sport through the cooperation between prefectural football associations and J-Clubs. We are going to establish development systems of the entire Japanese football world, such as JFA Academy and Training Centre, J-League Academy etc. and we are going to discuss the best way to cooperate and to develop good players.

Carrying out these five focused guidelines, we are going to concentrate our efforts on the support of the reconstruction after Great East Japan earthquake, on Kokoro Project and JFA Green Project, we think that contribution to society is our responsibility as Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.
Regarding the reconstruction after Great East Japan earthquake, after three years, the situation has been changing, so we are going to support it considering the needs of each place and each person. And, regarding J-Village, we are thinking to contribute to the reconstruction of Fukushima, using it as base of strengthening of men’s and women’s national team for the Olympic Games of Tokyo in 2020.
“JFA Kokoro Project” is running smoothly since its start, and in this 6 years the “Dream class” was held 5,475 times. 166,187 children and students has participated to this class. The development of this project is due not only to the presence of dream teachers, but also to the mutual agreement with municipalities of each region and to the support system of companies. We will continue to contribute to the healthy development of children in body and mind cooperating with municipalities, education boards, schools and supporting companies.

This year World Cup will take place and interest in football will remarkably increase. We hope the football world will carry out these issues as one, and we hope to contribute to society as a leading presence for Japanese and Asian sports.
We believe that Japan National team will show a splendid fight in the World Cup that will be held in June in the football kingdom, Brazil and will bring impression and excitement to all country. It will be a hard fight but we hope we can leave a good result for the development of Japanese football. Please continue to support us.

Japan Football Association
President Kuniya Daini

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Below are the comments of the new officers appointed on 29th March

Vice President TASHIMA Kozo (re-appointed)

I am going to support President Kuniya Daini and to contribute to the development of Japanese football. Especially in the fourth guideline, the “Strengthening of international competitiveness”, I will do my best focusing on the winning the election for the place of FIFA’s Executive Committee Member. I will contribute to the development of Asian football making use of the advantage of women being world champion and of men being Asian champion. Doing steadily these things will increase the number of people supporting Japan, I will do my best to get the place of FIFA’s Executive Committee Member and I hope to increase Japan’s international influence. I will also make efforts for the firm cooperation between East Asian countries. Asia is a vast area and it may be difficult to be united because of religious and cultural diversity, but in football, East Asian countries are leading Asia and also East Asian market is strong. In this sense, I will make efforts in order to make East Asian countries band together and become leaders of Asia.

Vice President MURAI Mitsuru (newly appointed)

JFA and J-League’s principle is to contribute to the healthy development of people in body and mind, to the development of society and to the international goodwill through football and sport. I think J-League can greatly support the strengthening and the diffusion of football, Japan’s progresses in international tournaments of national teams of each generation, of women and each category and the increase of football family members. When I was appointed to the chairman of J-League, I declared “I will increase the number of new supporters”, but considering that the fact that this is World Cup year, I will return once again to the basics of football and I will make efforts in order to liven up Japanese football.

Vice President MABUCHI Akiko  (newly appointed）

I have no experience of football and until now I have had nothing to do with JFA, but since the start of J-League I am a football fan and now football has become part of my life. President Daini asked me to support female players and female staff in JFA and to give my opinion from an external point of view. In comparison with overseas countries, in Japan there are many female supporters. This may be Japan’s strong point. Many women are coming to stadiums, they enjoy football and they diffuse football’s charm, I think that these can be considered as Japan’s merits. I hope to be able to reflect these merits in some way, taking on board the opinions of President Daini, of vice presidents and of many other people.

General Secretary HARA Hiromi (re-appointed)

I think that first, we should prepare ourselves to FIFA World Cup Brazil and try to leave a good result, exhibiting Japan’s good points at the maximum. Regarding the future, in order to make Japanese football reach the level of world’s football, it is necessary to revise the problem of match schedule for both men and women. Moreover, as requested by FIFA, we should make JFA a more transparent organisation. I will make efforts in order to create a more solid organisation, cooperating with each federation and with prefectural football associations.