The 1.35 million tickets for the 2002 World Cup, of which 675,000 will be sold in Japan, will finally go on sale Feb. 15-March 14 by mail application forms or through the Internet, the Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee (JAWOC) announced on Monday.

After the abrupt postponement of ticket sales three days prior to the originally planned date of Oct. 2, a few changes were made. The general application forms can be acquired at post offices and official FIFA shops around Japan.

Tickets can also be acquired through the Internet at www.FIFAworldcup.com. A computer draw will decide to whom the 221,000 tickets allotted to the general public (including 2,100 wheelchair seats) will be sold. Those chosen will be informed by mail around June and a telephone service will also be available at 0990-68-2002 to find out.

The remaining domestic tickets will be allotted to the following: 45,000 to official sponsors; 157,000 for "soccer families" made up of JFA authorized coaches, referees, teams and fans (to be determined later); 126,000 to local citizens living in venue cities; and 63,000 "pre-stage" tickets, originally called "premier" tickets.

The remaining 63,000 are scheduled to be sold during the second round of ticket sales around January 2002 after the final draw is made in December. Local citizens need to use a different application form if they wish to acquire tickets for matches to be held at their local venues.

Contact the city hall or office for more information. "Soccer families" should contact the JFA World Cup ticket office at (03) 3476-2011. For more information, call the JAWOC ticket center at (03) 3287-1199. English service is available. A 24-hour Japanese-only info service is also running at 0180-993-531. Those who want to cheer for a specific team should contact the 2002 FIFA World Cup ticket bureau starting Feb. 15 at 44-870-123-2002. Tickets can also be acquired on the Internet. These tickets are part of the remaining 675,000 to be sold to the rest of the world by FIFA. Prices vary from 7,000 yen to 84,000 yen. One person can apply for up to four tickets per match and six matches in total, providing they do not apply for the same match twice nor two matches on the same day. Repeated applications will not increase one's chances, as JAWOC will reject overlapping applications.