Back in the days before the professionalization of Asian soccer, towards the end of the 20th century, a green force emerged in Japanese football. The famous Yomiuri soccer team, founded in 1969, won the Club Asia Cup in the late 1980s.
In 1993, the Japan Football Association (JFA) sounded the horn of specialization, and the Yomiuri soccer team changed its name to Kawasaki Midorin and became one of the ten founding clubs of the J-League. Since there was no suitable base in Tokyo, the team chose the neighboring city of Kawasaki, also known as Kawasaki Beldi.
In the inaugural season of the J-League, Kawasaki Green was in the thick of things, with Asian names such as Chirashi Miura, Ramos Weiwei, Hiroshi Kitazawa, and Shuhiro Takeda helping the team to win its first title since going professional and the inaugural J-League Cup.
In 1994, Kawasaki Midorin won back-to-back J1 League championships, cementing its symbolic position in the new era of Japanese soccer, as if it was on its way to becoming an old-fashioned powerhouse.
Not only did Chiryo Miura make a name for himself at the club, but he was also honored as the J-League's Most Valuable Player and 1993 Asian Footballer of the Year at the age of 26.
Between 1990 and 1998, Chira Miura became the first Japanese player to be named Asian Footballer of the Year, scoring 100 goals for Kawasaki Green in the 1992 season, a milestone in Japanese professional soccer.
After the establishment of the J-League, Kawasaki Midorin jumped to become the first league king, followed by a runner-up finish in the J1 League in 1995 and the Emperor's Cup in 1996.
In addition to Chira Miura and Ramos Weiwei, the team also featured such notable players as Tetsuji Jutani, Daisuke Takagi, Shogi Oguro, Nihiro Hattori, and Makoto Maeno. This Super Green Army has left a brilliant mark on Japanese and even Asian soccer.
Despite a bright future as the founding champions of the J-League, business woes saw the team relegated in 2008, and the last time they played in the top flight was 15 years ago.
Tokyo Green, which changed its name in 2008, has not slackened off after 15 years in the J2 League and has finally been promoted. The team has developed and improved its youth training system and ladder construction in accordance with J-League regulations, and has produced a large number of soccer youth and professional players.
Tokyo Green Women's Soccer Team NTV Beauties (NTV Tokyo Green Women's Soccer Team) has also risen to become a superpower in Japanese women's soccer, winning the inaugural AFC Women's Soccer Championship in 2019, formerly known as Yomiuri Beauties in 1981.
The NTV beauties now play in the WELeague, Japan's professional women's soccer league, which has been officially renamed professional since 2021 and is considered the first women's soccer league in Asia to be fully professionalized.
Tokyo Green's successful transformation is due not only to its deep roots as a veteran club, but also to the J-League's Hometown concept, which connects people from different fields, age groups, and industries.
To this day, fans can still be seen at the home of Tokyo Green wearing the classic Genesis championship jerseys and cheering on the team.
The economic foundation determines the superstructure, and the same applies in the soccer world. Surprisingly, Kawasaki Midorin, which once dominated the Japanese soccer world, has been losing financial support in the sub-league for 15 years.
Tokyo Green returns to the J1 League after 16 years next season, and I'm sure they will continue to fight in the top flight with even more conviction.
Despite the late start, the team has far surpassed the situation it was in when it was relegated 15 years ago in terms of ladder construction, women's soccer strength, and club operations. Tokyo Green's road to recovery is undoubtedly fortunate.
