Japanese only banner

“Japanese only” banner scandal shakes up J-League
Japan’s professional soccer league on Monday said it was investigating after a banner reading: “Japanese only” was displayed at a weekend match. The large banner, written in English, was hoisted near a gate to the stands of a stadium in the city of Saitama near Tokyo, where home club Urawa Red Diamonds were taking on rivals Sagan Tosu. J-Laegue chairman Mitsuru Murai told Japanese media on Sunday that “we will deal with it in a stern manner” if the message was proven to be “discriminatory.” (read more..www.taipeitimes.com)

The Urawa Reds soccer team has identified and is considering punishing the individuals who put up a banner saying “Japanese Only” during the J.League club’s home opener at Saitama Stadium. The exact message they were trying to get across remains unclear, team officials said. Urawa Reds President Keizo Fuchita and other executives met on March 9 to discuss further investigations into the case and possible punitive measures. Although the banner was hung where none of the players could have seen it, one of them learned about the wording and expressed his resentment on Twitter on March 8. (read more..http://ajw.asahi.com)

The banner bore the words “JAPANESE ONLY” in English and was hung in front of an entrance for the Urawa supporters’ section inside the concourse of the stadium during a game against Sagan Tosu. The Reds announced that the club will indefinitely suspend the activities of the supporter group that put up the banner, and that members of the group will be banned from entering all games hosted by the team. The J.League said it took especially seriously the fact that the club did not remove the banner until the end of the game. (read more..the-japan-news.com)