
American football is a sport played in Japan. Introduced in the 1930s, the sport has grown into one of the most popular in the country. Each team is only allowed to have three Americans per team.

The 2007 IFAF World Championship was the third instance of the IFAF World Championship, the quadrennial international American football world championship tournament. It was held July 7–15, 2007 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.


The All Mitsubishi Lions are an American football team located in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. They are a member of the X-League.

The Elecom Kobe Finies are an American football team located in the Kobe, Japan. They are a member of the X-League.

Eyeshield 21 is a Japanese manga series written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. The series tells the story of Sena Kobayakawa, an introverted boy who joins an American football club as a secretary, but after being coerced by quarterback Yoichi Hiruma, becomes the team's running back, whilst wearing an eyeshield and the number 21, under the pseudonym of "Eyeshield 21". Inagaki chose American football as a central subject of Eyeshield 21 after realizing that it fit perfectly with his idea for the series.

Fukui Prefectural University is a public prefectural university founded in 1992 in Eiheiji, Yoshida District, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It has undergraduate faculties in economics, biotechnology, marine bioscience, and nursing and social welfare sciences. There are graduate programs in economics and business administration, bioscience and biotechnology, and nursing and social welfare science.

Hitotsubashi University is a national university located in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda. One of the top 9 Designated National University in Japan, Hitotsubashi is a relatively small institution specialized solely in social sciences with about 4,500 undergraduate students and 2,100 postgraduate students.

The Hosei Orange football program represents Hosei University in college football. They are members of the Top 8 in the Kantoh Collegiate American Football Association.
Hosei University is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha, established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō. This was from 1883 headed by Dr. Gustave Boissonade, and was heavily influenced by the French legal tradition. It merged in 1889 with a school of French studies, Tōkyō Futsugakkō, that had been founded three years earlier. It adopted the name Hosei University in 1903 and was recognized as a private university in 1920.

William Jeffrey Hostetler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins. His nickname is "Hoss."

Jeremy Ito is a former placekicker and punter for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA Division I-A football team. He was most recently a kicker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Ito is half Japanese. During his career at Rutgers, he was given the nickname "The Judge" - after Lance Ito, by fans for his clutch, game kicking performances.

The Japan American Football Association oversees junior high school, high school, collegiate, club, and corporate American football teams throughout Japan. Since 1984, the JAFA has organized and sponsored the Rice Bowl, a championship game played between the college national champion and the X-League champion. It also organizes the Japan national American football teams.

The Japan national American football team represents Japan in international American football competitions. The team is controlled by the Japan American Football Association, and has been one of the world's strongest international teams since it began participating regularly in international tournaments in the 1990s, and currently possesses the second most American Football World Cups.

The Japan National Stadium, officially named National Stadium and formerly known as New National Stadium or Olympic Stadium , is a multi-purpose stadium used mostly for association football in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The facility served as the main stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the venue for track and field athletics events at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics in 2021.

The Kanazawa Evergreen football program, established in 1981, represents Kanazawa University in college football. Kanazawa is a member of the Hokuriku Collegiate American Football League.

Kanazawa Institute of Technology is an institution of higher learning in Nonoichi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often called KIT, or koudai for short.
The Kanazawa university|(Japanese: 金沢大学, Japanese pronunciation: [Kanazawa-dai],abbreviated to Japanese: 金大, Japanese pronunciation: [Kindai]) is a Japanese national university in the city of Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Founded in 1862, it was chartered as a university in 1949.

The Kansai Collegiate American Football League (関西学生アメリカンフットボール連盟) is an American college football league made up of fifty-three colleges and universities in the Kansai region of Japan.

The Kantoh Collegiate American Football Association is an American college football league made up of colleges and universities in the Kanto region of Japan.

Keio University , abbreviated as Keio (慶應) or Keidai (慶大), is a private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.

The Kokushikan Rhinoceros football program represents the Kokushikan University in college football. They are members of the Big 8 in the Kantoh Collegiate American Football Association.

Kokushikan University is a private university in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan.
Komazawa University , abbreviated as 駒大 Komadai, is one of the oldest universities in Japan. Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center of learning for the young monks of the Sōtō sect, one of the two main Zen Buddhist traditions in Japan.

Hanshin Koshien Stadium , commonly referred to as simply Koshien Stadium, is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on August 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.

Koshin Gom Athlete Park Sendai (弘進ゴムアスリートパーク仙台) is a multi-use stadium in Sendai, Japan. It is currently used mostly for track and field events. The stadium's total capacity is 30,000 people, with 7,000 seats, plus 23,000 standing places.

The Legacy Bowl was an exhibition college football game played in Osaka, Japan on March 21, 2015 between Princeton University and Kwansei Gakuin University. Princeton was invited to play by Kwansei Gakuin.

Meiji University , abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大), is a private research university located in the heart of Tokyo, Chiyoda City. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School by three Meiji-era lawyers, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao, Meiji University is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in Japan.

The Nagoya Tech Silverbacks football program represents the Nagoya Institute of Technology in college football. They are members of the Tokai Collegiate American Football Association.

Haruki Robert Nakamura is a former American football safety who was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Cincinnati.

Nihon University , abbreviated as Nichidai (日大), is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School, was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of the private universities representing Japan. The university's name is derived from the Japanese word "Nihon" meaning Japan. Nihon University now has "16 colleges and 87 departments, 20 postgraduate schools, 1 junior college which is composed of 5 departments, 1 correspondence division, 32 research institutes and 3 hospitals." The number of students exceeds 70,000 and is the largest in Japan.
Nippon Sport Science University , abbreviated as Nittaidai (日体大), is a private university in Setagaya, Tokyo and Aoba-ku, Yokohama. The precursor of the school was founded in 1893, and it was chartered as a university in 1949. The school is known for the many famous athletes among its alumni.

The Pine Bowl (パインボウル) is an annual college football bowl game played in Japan. The game features the champions of the Hokkaido American Football Association and the Tohoku Collegiate American Football Association. The winner claims the title of North Japan champions and goes on to play the Kanto League champion in the East Japan Championship.

Rikkyo University , also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan.

The Ritsumeikan Panthers football program, established in 1953, represents Ritsumeikan University in college football. Ritsumeikan is a member of the Kansai Collegiate American Football League.

Joseph Lawrence Roth was a college football player and All-American quarterback at the University of California, Berkeley. Roth played the 1976 season knowing he was dying of melanoma; he died in February 1977, three months after his last regular season game and just weeks after playing an all-star game in Japan. His jersey, number 12, is the only one ever retired by the California Golden Bears football program.

Paul Frederick Rusch was a lay missionary of the Anglican Church in Japan.

The Ryukyus Stingrays football program represents University of the Ryukyus in college football. Ryukyus is a member of the Kyūshū Collegiate American Football Association.
Louie Sakoda is an American former college and professional football player who was kicker and punter in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for two seasons. He played college football for the University of Utah, and earned unanimous All-American honors. Sakoda played professionally for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Seinan Gakuin Green Dolphins football program represents Seinan Gakuin University in college football. Seinan is a member of the Kyūshū Collegiate American Football Association.

Senshu University is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
Takebishi Stadium Kyoto (たけびしスタジアム京都) is a multi-purpose stadium in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It was formerly known as Kyoto Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium. Since August 2019 it has been called Takebishi Stadium Kyoto until July 2029 for the naming rights by Takebishi.

Takushoku University is a private university in Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Duke Taro Katsura (1848–1913). It is in Tokyo and has two campuses: the main campus in the Bunkyō district and a satellite campus in Hachiōji city. Takushoku University has five faculties: Commerce, Political Science and Economics, Foreign Languages, International Studies, and Engineering.

Teikyo University is a private university headquartered in the Itabashi ward of Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1931 as Teikyo Commercial High School (帝京商業高等学校). It became Teikyo University in 1966. It is part of Teikyo Group, a multinational educational foundation that also operates language and cultural exchange facilities at pre-university levels in various countries.

Tokai University is a private university founded by Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

The Tokyo Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played in December in Tokyo, Japan. The game matches up the 2nd place team from the Kansai Collegiate American Football League and the 2nd place team from the Kantoh Collegiate American Football Association.
Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome, adjacent to the predecessor ballpark, Korakuen Stadium. It has a maximum total capacity of 57,000 depending on configuration, with an all-seating configuration of 42,000.

The University of Tokyo , abbreviated as Todai or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university is the first Imperial University and currently selected as a Top Type university of Top Global University Project by the Japanese government.

Tomahawks Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in Tokyo, Japan, the home field of the Hosei Orange of the Kantoh Collegiate American Football Association. With permission, and assistance, from Boise State University, Hosei is the first university to have a blue turf playing surface granted to them under the first international licensing of the playing surface through a Boise State trademark.

The University of Toyama is a Japanese national university in Toyama Prefecture established in 1949. The University of Toyama has three campuses, namely the Gofuku, Sugitani, and Takaoka campuses.

The University of Fukui is a national university of Japan located in the city of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.

The FUTE Lions football program represents the University of Teacher Education Fukuoka in college football. FUTE is a member of the Kyūshū Collegiate American Football Association.

Waseda University , abbreviated as Sōdai (早大), is a private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902.

The Western Japan Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played in December in Japan. The game is a quarterfinal matchup to determine the top team in the West Japan bracket for the right to go to the Koshien Bowl.

The X-League is the top-level American football league in Japan. It was founded in 1971 as the Japan American Football League, and changed its name to the X League in 1997. There are three divisions among which there is promotion and relegation. Teams in the three-tier league are split into East, West, and Central divisions. There are two types of teams, one being a company team in which only employees of that particular sponsoring company may play, and the other being a club team for which anyone can try out.

Yokohama College of Commerce is a private university in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

The Yokohama Harbors are an American football team located in Yokohama, Japan. They are a member of the X-League.

Yokohama National University , or Yokokoku (横国) is a national university located in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 1876, it became a national university in 1949, and currently comprises five graduate schools and four undergraduate faculties.