First, please introduce yourselves.

Kiyohiko SAOTOME of NHK:I was in my fourth year at university when J.LEAGUE started, and I joined NHK the following year. I was immediately assigned to a programme called Sunday Sports and have been involved in sports broadcasting and programmes for a long time since. There was a reshuffle in May 2022, and I happened to be given the live broadcasts of matches commemorating the J.LEAGUE’s 30th anniversary. As I have covered football longer than anything else and am fond of it, I felt some pressure hearing about the assignment, but I also enjoyed it tremendously.

Eisuke SEKI of NHK Enterprises, Inc.:After joining NHK, I was involved in news and programming before moving to NHK Enterprises in 2022. About a year before that, I launched a programme called SupoJikara (Sports Power) to convey the courage and hope that sports bring to communities. Then, I had the opportunity to use the same concept for the J.LEAGUE’s 30th-anniversary project, turning various people’s stories into mini programmes, documentaries, and specials.

Thank you. Now, could J.LEAGUE members also introduce themselves?

Yasuaki IWASADA of J.LEAGUE:私I belong to J.LEAGUE’s Multimedia Business Division, where I handle broadcast rights and video-related aspects. In working with NHK as a rights holder and on secondary video utilisation and promotional campaigns using video footage, I had the chance to request their support for the special matches and documentary programmes.

Akito MAEDA of J.LEAGUE:I work in promotions, focusing on maximising J.LEAGUE’s exposure on terrestrial channels. With the 30th anniversary approaching, I considered possible collaborations with NHK, leading to J.LEAGUE and Me.

Nearly 20 J.LEAGUE-related programmes aired on NHK in 2023. Could you share how each project came about?

Saotome:The centrepiece of this series of projects was the live broadcast on NHK General TV of the J.LEAGUE 30th Anniversary Special Match held on May 14, 2023. We started by reaching out internally to people working on various programmes, encouraging them to feature J.LEAGUE. Building up to May 3 broadcast of Special: J.LEAGUE and Me—30 Years of Stories as a peak, everything converged towards the J.LEAGUE 30th Anniversary Special Match live broadcast as the overall core attraction.

Iwasada:From J.LEAGUE’s perspective, as we approached the significant milestone of 30 years, it was about the challenge of building up a crescendo towards “J.LEAGUE Day” on May 15. With various adjustments, we ultimately settled on the idea that connecting broadcast stations across the country on Sunday, May 14, to air J.LEAGUE matches happening concurrently in different locations would be a fitting representation of the breadth of club reach built over 30 years. As Mr Saotome mentioned, things then came together towards May 14 with plans for various associated programmes.
We started working with NHK around Spring 2022 on concepts for related programmes. Frankly, my thinking was that montages revisiting memorable moments in J.LEAGUE’s history had been done thoroughly at previous anniversaries. Rather than repeating the same idea, I proposed changing the approach and asked if we could collaborate on something new. Concrete plans thus took shape with NHK Enterprises for J.LEAGUE and Me documentary concept conceived from that idea.

Connecting seven venues live was an unprecedented scale for J.LEAGUE, right?

Iwasada:Yes, it was. We had never done anything like this before, so while nervous about how it would turn out, I was also tremendously excited.

Saotome:Since this was the first time attempting concurrent relays encompassing all J1 to J3 league categories, the commentators and crews on-location at each venue seemed to be having so much fun, too. It really was football’s Yuku Toshi Kuru Toshi. When we briefed the local relay teams beforehand, likening it to the Yuku Toshi Kuru Toshi New Year’s Eve live from famous places in Japan television special, it clicked immediately what we were aiming for.

What was the reaction when it was decided that the special match would see Kashima versus Nagoya?

Saotome:There were various opinions, but ultimately, having the same match-up as 30 years ago (at the opening section) was really great. That match was where Zico scored a hat-trick, which made the promotion a breeze.

The ceremony featuring a live performance by RADWIMPS of the J.LEAGUE 30th anniversary anthem, “DAI-DAN-EN (Grand Finale) feat. ZORN”, was also aired.

Maeda: We’d been mulling over this idea since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020. Personally, I had been thinking about the ceremony content for the special match around that time. I had heard that there might be a broadcast, but we hit a wall right at the beginning, wondering whether a performance could fit into a limited broadcast slot. Of course, the song’s length wasn’t decided at that point, but I imagined the whole ceremony would run long if we secured enough time for a performance. Consulting NHK back when things were still up in the air, I cheekily asked for an expanded slot if they aired the special match. Eventually, I informed them that the live performance would take about eight minutes, which definitely wouldn’t have fit in the usual broadcast slot. But incredibly, the NHK staff negotiated internally to secure a full three hours on General TV. Without that, the nationwide audience couldn’t have shared the anniversary ceremony, so we were genuinely grateful.

The ceremony featured about 900 middle and high school students in brass band, choir, dance, and flag performances, adding a further touch of colour to the celebratory atmosphere.

Saotome:They were really great, weren’t they? It felt very festive. For us to relay it all nationwide, we had to figure out where it would fit into the broadcast schedule. The final pre-match order relayed J1 and J2 matches across four stations, cut back to the National Stadium on all stations for the ceremony, and then relayed the three J3 matches across three stations to make the kick-off time.

The 30th-anniversary ceremony at the National Stadium aired not only on NHK’s national broadcast but also on local broadcasts in all regions with the seven venues, right?

Saotome:That’s right. Each station started broadcasting at 13:05, first relaying the local scenes. We linked four venues in a relay, then took the National Stadium as the key station to first air the anniversary ceremony, including the live performance of the J.LEAGUE 30th-anniversary anthem, “DAI-DAN-EN (Grand Finale) feat. ZORN.” Wrapping that and relaying three more venues, we switched to local broadcasting at 13:28, saying, “Enjoy your local matches, and we’ll be back later.” After each match ended, around 15:40, coinciding with the broadcast of Zico’s interview, each station returned to the National Stadium. So, viewers could watch their local team’s match on their local station, and everyone nationwide could witness the same pre-match anniversary ceremony and post-match coverage. Additionally, this year, we were also able to livestream the match airing on General TV through the NHK Plus app. So, audiences in the countryside could watch two games simultaneously—the local match on their regional station and the National Stadium special match distributed on NHK Plus.

The complex relays and simultaneous streaming were pulled off successfully.

Saotome:We desperately hoped to avoid any contingencies like earthquakes that would disrupt live match coverage. In most cases, NHK General TV inserts breaking news if an earthquake or other disaster hits. So, with this special match broadcast and all seven venues being linked up, we definitely prayed hard. Since the special match would be between Kashima and Nagoya, I visited Kashima-Jingu Shrine in Kashima City, Atsuta Jingu Shrine in Aichi prefecture, and Meiji Jingu Shrine near the National Stadium, praying for safe, smooth broadcasts whenever I was in the area for work.

(Everyone expresses surprise)

So, you even included divine intervention in your preparations.

Maeda:The operations and production teams working on the ceremony were also concerned about the weather from the setup and rehearsal stages. The rain came and went from the final May 13 rehearsal, which was worrying not just for the RADWIMPS’ appearance but also for the students in the brass band participating in the ceremony since their performance would be affected if their instruments got wet. While we prepared rain contingency plans, that was still the toughest challenge.

Thank you. Next, we’ll delve into the behind-the-scenes story of producing the J.LEAGUE and Me programme.

Seki: J.LEAGUE profoundly values its connections with local communities, so we decided to gather anecdotes from various people, including supporters, local residents, and club staff. We planned to turn these anecdotes into a programme, shaping each into an individual story. This gradually cemented into a process of producing an extensive special, building towards J.LEAGUE Day on May 15.

Let me ask J.LEAGUE member what was your impression when you first heard about the plan from NHK?

Iwasada:When NHK first explained the concept, they said they wanted to use individual stories to showcase how much the ties between each region and club and their fans and supporters had grown. Just hearing about it made me feel it was a heartwarming idea. We were all for it.

Iwasada:NHK’s local stations also produced their own J.LEAGUE and Me specials, didn’t they?

Seki:はYes. Some local stations created their own version of J.LEAGUE and Me. If I remember right, NHK Yamaguchi was particularly enthusiastic, airing a series every Monday for 16 weeks. Apart from the programme, some stations also held events. For instance, NHK Niigata set up a special booth at Albirex Niigata’s home stadium on match days, showcasing stories from locals on panel displays and screening mini-episodes of J.LEAGUE and Me, and it even hosted a talk show stemming from that. Additionally, there were instances where individuals featured in the stories came to the games in person, and we could combine that with our live match coverage.

Saotome:Yes, the story of that boy who found his voice.

Seki:The boy had a speech disorder and struggled to articulate words, making him fear vocalising altogether. But, after attending Albirex Niigata matches several times with his mother, surrounded by chanting supporters repeatedly calling out player names, he spoke his first word: “Shingo.” It referred to Shingo SUZUKI, then a player for Niigata. His mother was astonished to hear “Shingo” as her son’s first spoken word. In a way, it was like a miracle brought about by sports, so we featured this story in the programme. It received a significant response, with many people telling us on social media that it had touched them.

Saotome:It was during a match in March this season after Niigata was promoted to J1. We were broadcasting live and learned that the boy was attending the match that day to support Niigata. We coordinated with the club’s PR staff to find out where he was seated, and our director went to interview him. During halftime, we broadcast his episode from J.LEAGUE and Me and, with consent, filmed him in the stands watching the game. Our announcer introduced him as “here at the stadium again today”. It was an instance where we felt the synergy of documentary and live coverage.

That’s quite remarkable.

Saotome:Every match broadcast, we thought about people who had shared their stories for J.LEAGUE and Me, wondering if they were in the stands watching that day. There were also many accounts of people meeting through J.LEAGUE and getting married.

Yes, and there were also stories about parents and children watching together now.

Saotome:Indeed. There were also stories about people who now bring their grandchildren to watch matches. We often wondered how many of these individuals might be in the stadium on any given day.

It makes you feel the intergenerational bonds fostered over these 30 years. Are there any other episodes that left a lasting impression?

Seki:One story that resonated powerfully with our audience involved the older sister of the late J.LEAGUE player Naoki MATSUDA. She actively promoted the spread of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) after her brother collapsed during training and passed away. This led to AEDs being installed at all J.LEAGUE stadiums. I found it to be a profoundly impactful story. There were also numerous submissions reflecting J.LEAGUE’s philosophy of being a part of local communities, making it a very meaningful project in that regard.

The programme’s background music used Michiya HARUHATA’s guitar rendition of the J.LEAGUE’s official theme song, “J’S THEME.”

Seki: I chanced upon a video online of Mr Haruhata playing the song on acoustic guitar. We initially considered using the audio from that web version, but when I consulted him, he kindly offered to make a fresh recording for us instead. The acoustic guitar rendition of “J’S THEME” used in the broadcast was extremely well-received. It evoked a sense of nostalgia and warmth while also expressing the essence of J.LEAGUE. That music deepened the programme’s impact significantly. Admittedly, various adjustments were needed for the production costs (laughs), but it was well worth it.

Saotome:Many stations asked to borrow that track, so we distributed it. It was in high demand for use in evening news segments or for soliciting stories in broadcasts during halftime.

Finally, from your standpoint of being involved in sports broadcasting, what are your expectations for J.LEAGUE going forward? What sort of relationship would you like to see between sports and broadcasting towards the next 30 years?

Saotome:While preparing for the special match broadcast, we looked back at iconic J.LEAGUE scenes from NHK’s archives, and I was reminded of how impactful these preserved moments remain. We want to keep working with J.LEAGUE to continue capturing memorable scenes everyone remembers and talks about and preserve them for the future. Alongside this, we want to continue live coverage as partners since our greatest value lies in the live broadcasting of matches. Whether via television, tablets, or the NHK Plus app, maintaining that sense of connectedness feels hugely important. I want to keep bringing J.LEAGUE to all corners of the nation forever so people can be inspired anytime, anywhere.

Seki:I believe sports’ greatest appeal lies within the competition and plays themselves. The development of competitions is what it’s all about and what we look forward to seeing—the brilliance of the plays, the dedication of the players, their incredible skills, and their growth. This leads to emerging stories around rising talents or connections to the local community for us to potentially showcase through documentaries and special programmes, creating a tremendous positive feedback cycle.

Iwasada: I was expecting a pep talk, but it’s encouraging to hear such warm, encouraging words. Thank you.

Saotome:Among our viewers, there are undoubtedly future J.LEAGUE players. I want to showcase the positive quality of football, its terrific aspects, and the “here’s what you should emulate” parts for those children. I always remind my staff, “Let’s make broadcasts like that.” It’s always on my mind that we must remain faithful to the backbone of what we are doing—presenting sports culture and football culture through our broadcasts.