“The Athletic”, “Total Football Analysis”, and many more: Japan is on the map. It’s not just the performance at 2022 FIFA World Cup – where the Samurai Blue upset both Germany and Spain to win the group -, but it’s also around the professional attitude of players, the contained costs, and the easier accessibility to scouting tools towards the country.
This spurred a literal revolution in the last windows of the transfer market. On average, 10 players from the J.League are leaving the country to try the European leap, and also this last Winter transfer window surpassed the average of five (with Hiroki Sekine joining Stade Reims, Isa Sakamoto, Hiiro Komori and Ayumu Ohata going to Belgium, Ryo Hatsuse close to the Championship, etc.).
So the question is not anymore why European clubs are picking Japanese clubs, but rather from where. And a few hubs consolidated themselves in the last years – and that’s what we’re gonna investigate in the next months, also looking at the Summer. We’re gonna start from a place that clearly took a gamble towards the J.League – and it’s paying back, also for some cultural reasons.
The Netherlands and the Eredivisie welcomed an incredible amount of players from the J.League and they’re a well-respected league, plus they have a really strong national team. We sat down with Owen van Leeuwen, Content Manager for Transfermarkt for the Netherlands, to understand a few things about this special relationship. Please enjoy the read!
1. Let’s start from afar – Netherlands and Japan haven’t played against each other. Just three times, all condensed between 2009 and 2013 – two wins for the Netherlands, one draw in the last face-off. Do you see any similarities in the way of interpreting football?
Although the Netherlands and Japan are quite different in terms of soccer culture and history, some interesting similarities can be found in their approach to the game. Both countries place a high value on technique and ball handling. The Netherlands is known for “total football,” where players can occupy multiple positions and ball circulation is crucial. Both countries invest heavily in the development of young players.
The Netherlands are known for tbeir renowned youth academies, such as Ajax’s, where talents such as Johan Cruijff and Wesley Sneijder were trained. Japan has invested heavily in the development of young players in recent decades, learning much from the European approach.
2. The Eredivisie hosts six players, 2.6% of the total foreign force. It’s been a steady rise – which factors have pushed that?
Every country has its own soccer culture. Japan is a country with many technical players, with good handling speed in small spaces. In addition, they all have a solid attitude and mentality – so they are quickly suited for the Eredivisie.
Physically they are not quite ready for the highest level and our Dutch Eredivisie is not the league with the highest intensity in Europe. That makes it a nice intermediate step for these players to then be able to make a further leap.
3. Eight Japanese players joined a Eredivisie club in the last three summers – more than how many actually featured in the Dutch championship until 2010. Compared to the time where the likes of Shinji Ono, Kazuyuki Toda and Sota Hirayama played in the Netherlands, what’s changed? Both from the Japanese side and the Dutch side.
Much has changed since the days when players such as Shinji Ono, Kazuyuki Toda and Sota Hirayama were active in the Eredivisie, both from a Japanese and Dutch perspective.
In the early 2000s, Japanese players were still a rarity in Europe. Players like Ono, who grew into a crowd favourite at Feyenoord, were mostly seen as exotic talents with unique technique and work ethic. But their arrival was rather incidental and often dependent on specific connections or successes at the international level (such as Ono’s strong performance at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup).
In the past decade, however, Japan has undergone tremendous development in football. The J.League has become more professional, youth programs are stronger, and Japanese players have become better and better trained technically and tactically. This has ensured that Japanese soccer players no longer stand out simply because of their exotic status, but actually add something to the team play and intensity demanded by the Eredivisie.
Moreover, Japanese players are often better prepared physically than they used to be, allowing them to settle in faster in a league like the Dutch one. And from a Dutch perspective, much has changed as well. The Eredivisie has increasingly become a springboard for talents looking to prove themselves on their way to bigger leagues.
Clubs have become more active in scouting players from non-traditional markets, including Japan. This is partly due to financial realities: Dutch clubs cannot compete with salaries in the larger European leagues, so they are looking for talent in less obvious regions. Japanese players, with their technical skills, discipline and team mentality, fit well into this philosophy.
4. At the top of your head – best and worst deal for a Dutch club around a Japanese player. And if you look at the 2024-25 Japanese contingent in the championship, who’s the player that’s impressing you the most?
One of the most successful transfers of a Japanese player to a Dutch club is that of Shinji Ono from Urawa Red Diamonds to Feyenoord in 2001. Ono played a crucial role in winning the 2002 UEFA Cup and quickly became a crowd favourite. His technical skills and game insight made him one of the best midfielders in the Eredivisie at the time.
A less successful transfer was that of Kazuyuki Toda to ADO Den Haag in 2004. Although Toda came with high expectations after his participation in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he could not live up to them in the Netherlands. His stay with ADO Den Haag was short and without significant success, making this transfer a disappointment.
This season, Seiya Maikuma is making a solid impression. Maikuma came over from Cerezo Osaka last Summer and he’s leaving a good impression. He has a good drive forward and has also already scored two goals in the UEFA Europa League. In the Eredivisie, unfortunately, Maikuma still has no goals nor assists, but they will come if he continues to play well.
Ayase Ueda is experiencing a challenging season at Feyenoord. In November 2024, he suffered a hamstring injury during the game against Ajax, leaving him out until the Winter break. This injury came at a time when Ueda was already facing stiff competition from Santiago Giménez for the striker position. Nevertheless, Ueda has scored important goals, like against in the UEFA Champions League against Benfica and Bayern Munich.
Following his recovery, Ueda has been reinstated in the Japanese national selection for the World Cup qualifiers against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (author’s note: he played only the first match). His ability to come back after injuries and still be decisive in important matches underscores his professionalism and perseverance.
5. Last but not least, this could work the other way around. The Dutch arrivals from the last years – Alex Schalk, Bryan Linssen, Jay-Rot Grot – really struggled to leave a mark. Do you see a couple of names that could do some good in the J.League from the Dutch football movement?
It is true that Dutch players such as Alex Schalk, Bryan Linssen and Jay-Roy Grot struggled to really impress in the J.League. The Japanese league requires not only physicality and technique, but also a strong mental adjustment and understanding of Japanese culture, both on and off the pitch.
Still, there are certainly some Dutch players who could thrive in the J.League. Consider, for example, Joey Veerman of PSV. With his refined passing and game insight, he would fit perfectly into the technical and tactical game played in Japan. In addition, Veerman is a type of player who can speed up the game and keep control in midfield, something Japanese coaches appreciate immensely.
This is just the second episode of a column that we hope that will give the best to the curious followers around the J.League. We can only thank Owen for his availability – you can follow him on LinkedIn and here’s his Transfermarkt profile. Episode 1 was around Belgium and you can find it here.
Transfermarkt is surely one hub to refer to, and we hope to have other protagonists of their team involved. Meanwhile, a new column has started, and you know how much we like them (check here all categories). See you soon!
