Two clubs abroad
　Hitachi F.C. of Tokyo, winners of the league and cup double, made a three week tour of Australia and Indonesia at the end of February. At the same time, Nihon-Kokan, fifth in the First Division, went to Indnesia and Malaysia.

　Training Camp of the national team
　The Japanese Football Association began preparations for the preliminary tournament of the World Cup to be held in Seoul next May. Forty candidates for the national team attended a training camp for four weeks in February at Kemigawa near Tokyo and Naruto of Tokushima prefecture in the southern part of Japan. They will have practice matches against league clubs in their local cities during March and April.

　Last season's round-up
　The season:― Usually the Japanese football season begins in April and lasts until January of the following year. The leagues used to hold the first half of their season in April and May, and the second half in October and November. (Exceptionally, in1973, the first division clubs of the Japanese league will hold their matches between July and November to allow time for the national team to practise for the World Cup preliminary tournament. Second division clubs and other local league clubs will keep to the usual schedule.) As in previous years, June and September are left open for foreign clubs to visit Japan, as the Japanese national side usually make its overseas tour during the summer. The preliminary rounds of the Emperor's Cup are to be played before the end of November, and the competition-proper will be played during December, with the final on New Year's Day at the Olympic stadium in Tokyo. The format of the above schedule was established last year following the reoganisation of the cup system.
　Hitachi wins the double :― In the 1972-73season, Hitachi F.C. of Tokyo won the league and cup double. Hitachi won the Emperor's Cup beating Yanmar Diesel of Osaka by a score of 2-1 in the final. 　A bad year for the League : ― Attendance of Japanese league matches totalled 281,500 (5,000 per game) in the preceding four seasons, There has been a remarkable increase in number of footballers especially younger ones. Spectators were so attracted to matches between the national team and foreign clubs, that it resulted in a decrease in the league attendance. Pele's Santos F.C. of Brazil, Coventry City from England, Ferencvaros of Hungary and Union Espaniola de Chile were the the famous foreign clubs which visited Japan last season.
　International matches:― The national team performances were not impressive last season. Although the Japanese Association had concentrated on winning the Merdeka tournament in Malaysia by sending its strongest team, they only succeeded in reaching the semi-finals. After the Merdeda tournament they competed in Pestaskan tournament in Singapore but were eliminated in the second round. The only full-international match at home in 1973 was the first friendly international against the South Korea, which was held in Tokyo on Sept.14. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, Japan scoring the equalising goal in injury time. It must be admitted that our national side has not really made much progress during the four year period since the Olympics in Mexico in 1968, when the Japanese won the Bronze Medal.

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