J-League restarts after pandemic halts play for 4 months

By: The Associated Press Posted: 6:00 AM CDT Saturday, Jul. 4, 2020

TOKYO - Japan’s professional soccer league restarted on Saturday after a four-month break caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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TOKYO - Japan’s professional soccer league restarted on Saturday after a four-month break caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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This article was published 04/07/2020 (2280 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOKYO – Japan’s professional soccer league restarted on Saturday after a four-month break caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

All 18 top-flight teams were in action, and the nine games were played without fans. Japan’s popular pro baseball league restarted last month, also without fans.

The first division of the J-League suspended play in February after only one round of matches had been played.

Consadole Sapporo players pose for a photo prior to their J-League soccer match against Yokohama FC at Nippatsu Stadium in Yokohama, near Tokyo Saturday, July 4, 2020. Japan’s soccer league is back in action this weekend after a four-month delay because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

It is expected to gradually start allowing fans to enter later this month although that could be slowed with Tokyo reporting a steady increase in COVID-19 cases.

Japan has reported just under 1,000 deaths from the virus, in a population of 126 million. This compares to almost 130,000 in the United States with a population of 330 million.

A key J-League match saw defending champion Yokohama facing the Urawa Reds in Saitama, just on the outskirts of Tokyo.