Saburo Kawabuchi is widely recognized as the founder of the J. League, Japan's first professional soccer league which this week celebrates the 20th anniversary of the start of its inaugural season. Now 76 but seemingly having lost little of the energy and drive that brought about the biggest revolution in Japan's soccer history, Kawabuchi sat down with The Japan Times recently to discuss the past, present and future of the J. League.
When you started the J. League, what was the No. 1 thing you wanted to achieve?
I wanted to make Japanese football strong, and in doing so I wanted to make football a major sport in Japan. Twenty years ago, football in Japan was minor — amateur, with small crowds and stadiums. I wanted to help give Japanese football the same kind of environment as European clubs. Doing so would also raise the level of the Japan national team. I wanted to turn Japan into a strong football country.