Football / Writing / Culture
Football Journalist & Author
Japan-based journalist, author, columnist and translator covering football, sport, culture and the ideas surrounding them.
Profile
Japanese football journalist and author with a long career in magazines, books, interviews, translation and editorial work.
Subjects range from football tactics, World Cup history, clubs and managers, supporter culture and sport business to long-form interviews. Also the author and translator of books on music, culture and social affairs.
Selected Works
Sports Graphic Number, No. 1148 — “WORLD CUP 2026 THE FINAL”
Two articles republished for the 2026 World Cup, based on an exclusive interview with former Japan national team manager Hans Ooft.
Five articles based on themes from xGENIUS: Football Through Probability and Statistics.
Stephen G. Mandis — Japanese edition
James Tippett — Japanese translation by Masayuki Tanabe
Jitsuwa Knuckles Ultra vol. 44 (Taiyoh Tosho)
On-site reporting and interviews
Interview
Sports business / risk management
Interviews, columns, travel writing, tactical analysis, book reviews and more.
A long-form interview on Japanese football history and what the national team needs to compete at the highest level.
PDF →
A tactical feature using diagrams to examine the evolution of counter-attacking and wide play.
PDF →
A long-form feature on Arsenal’s tradition and modernism, from Herbert Chapman to Arsène Wenger.
PDF →
Reportage on European clubs, celebrity football and their expanding presence in Asia. Reporting, text and photography by Masayuki Tanabe.
PDF →
A long-form interview on Arsenal, Japanese football and the identity of a team.
Official programme
A review essay exploring the contradictions, intelligence and humanity surrounding Ivica Osim.
PDF →Football Books
Author · Gentosha
Contributor · Bungeishunju
Contributor · Bungeishunju
by Afshin Ghotbi
Interviews & Composition · Fusosha
with Jonathan Wilson
Co-author · Kanzen
by Brian Glanville
Co-translator with Shuichi Tamura and others / Supervised by Hiroshi Kagawa · Soshisha
by Brian Glanville
Co-translator with Shuichi Tamura and others / Supervised by Hiroshi Kagawa · Shin-Kigensha
by Gianluca Vialli & Gabriele Marcotti
Supervisor (Japanese Edition) · Gakken Education Publishing
by Guillem Balagué
Translation Supervisor · From One
by James Montague
Translator · Kanzen
by Michael Cox
Translator & Contributor · Futami Shobo
by James Montague
Translator · Kanzen
by James Tippett
Translator · East Press
by Steven G. Mandis
Supervisor (Japanese Edition) · Heibonsha
Beyond Football
An interview with former Japan national team manager Takeshi Okada, chairman of Imabari.Yume Sports, on the OKADA METHOD, FC Imabari’s initiatives and NEC’s sports development support platform.
Read →
A regular football column commissioned for the official textbook accompanying an English-conversation programme produced by NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster. The series explored British club culture, supporters and local communities, presenting football as an integral part of British culture and everyday life.
PDF →
Interviewed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Tomoyama explains how Toyota brings its culture of continuous improvement into the pits and builds a stronger racing team.
Read →
An interview on data, our picture of the world and the unexpected effects of the fake-news era.
Read →
An interview with actor Makoto Unisuga, who played the title hero for 19 years on Stretchman, an NHK Educational TV program for students at special-needs schools.
PDF →
A dialogue between Shoji Kokami, founder of the theatre company Third Stage, and Kensuke Iwabuchi, Deputy President of the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU).
Sports Books
by Kensuke Iwabuchi
Interviews & Composition · KADOKAWA
Football Projects
Direction, Music Selection & Liner Notes · Sony Music Direct
Contact
For enquiries about reporting and writing, planning and editing for books, magazines and web publications, translation, branded content and partnership projects, please feel free to contact me.
