What can Japan do for Asia? Does Japan want to be part of Asia's soccer fraternity? It's a long-standing question, but now maybe some answers are emerging.

With the World Cup boosting soccer's profile in the region, the Japan Football Association is planning to launch a couple of new projects -- a new tournament for the East Asian area and a new regional federation to run it -- in an attempt to boost soccer and soccer's power among East Asian countries.

According to the JFA's blueprints, the new competition will feature all nine countries in East Asia: Japan, South Korea, China, North Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Guam and Mongolia. However, the six weaker nations -- i.e., not South Korea, China and Japan -- will have to play a preliminary competition to determine just one qualifier. This qualifier would then join South Korea, China and Japan in the final stage of the tournament, which would be played on a round-robin basis. The new tournament, if it gets the nod, could be held as early as 2003.

The tournament will be organized by a new regional federation that will divide all revenues among the nine countries in an effort to develop the game in the region.

Currently, the eastern part of Asia is the only region not to have its own sub-federation. For example, the West Asian federation covers the Middle East countries, while the Southeast Asian federation deals with ASEAN countries. These regional federations hold their own tournaments and distribute the profits to the respective soccer federations in their area.

Some JFA officials have lamented the lack of a close relationship among East Asian countries. They used to have the Dynasty Cup featuring China, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong or North Korea, but the tournament disappeared in 1998.

Japan has grown into a leading country on the pitch, winning the Asian Cup in 1992 and 2000 and taking the runnerup spot in the Confederations Cup in June, but off the pitch Japan has been less imposing.

Some JFA officials pointed out that this has been reflected in the results of elections for posts in the AFC and FIFA.

Japan lost out in 1994 for a FIFA vice presidential post when then-JFA vice president Tadao Murata stood; it lost out again in 1997 for a FIFA executive committee post when JFA vice president Saburo Kawabuchi ran; and it failed again in 1998 when Junji Ogura, then-JFA general secretary, tried to gain a place on the FIFA executive committee.

Now the JFA is hoping to place one of its officials in a senior FIFA and/or Asian Football Confederation post to give it a greater voice on the international stage. JFA vice president Ogura will again stand for a spot on the FIFA executive committee at the AFC election in May.

Gradually, the JFA has started to launch some projects in neighboring countries. Former Japan junior youth team coach Ichiro Fujita visited a total of 15 countries in Asia from 1997 to 1999 as a part of a youth development program at the AFC's request. The program included coaching clinics for local coaches and children. Japan also has provided coaches to the Macao national team and the Philippine national team. Japan has also offered the use of training facilities and expertise to smaller countries.

"Japan didn't do anything for Asian countries for a long time," Fujita, a member the JFA international project committee, admitted.

"When they asked Japan for help in the 1970s when Japan's economy was still growing, Japan couldn't meet their demands because the JFA didn't have the money at the time.

"Unfortunately, that made the Asian countries think Japan had given them the cold shoulder. I feel it's a pity and I would like to do something for them," Fujita added. "We can establish a relationship of mutual trust little by little."

The JFA frequently receives requests for assistance from Asian countries. Fujita completed his Asian youth project but is often asked to make followup visits to countries he has visited. The Japanese association handles them case by case.

But what one person and one association can offer is limited. The regional federation is hoped to take up the slack and offer greater assistance to other countries in the area.

With the first Asian World Cup just around the corner, some cross-border connections have already been made. The J. League and South Korea's K. League, for example, held a joint All-Star match in January. The Chinese League, the K. League and the J. League also reportedly reached an agreement recently to hold a competition featuring their league champions in 2003.

On top of that, China qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever and will host the Asian Cup in 2004.

The mood is there and now seems to be a good time to take further action. If things work out, this could prove to be one of the major benefits of Asia's first World Cup.