Well-traveled Serbian manager Mihailo Petrovic will take over as Nagoya Grampus boss in 2026, a year of transition for the J.League.
Petrovic previously managed a trio of J.League clubs: Sanfrecce Hiroshima (2006-11), Urawa Reds (2012-17) and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (2018-24).
After a one-season absence from running a team, Petrovic, 68, will return to management duties in an atypical year in Japanese soccer.
“During my long managerial career, I took a one-year break, but my passion and motivation for soccer never wavered during that time,” Petrovic said, according to the Nagoya Grampus website.
The 2025 campaign marked the final season to start in February and wrap up in December.
Before switching to an August start for the 2026-27 season, the J.League will have a tournament, featuring East and West regional rounds, with 10 clubs in each regional group. It starts on February 7, 2026, and runs through May 24. Playoff rounds will follow. (Full details are posted on the J.League website.)
The switch has been made to align Japanese pro soccer with the European leagues’ calendar.
Mihailo Petrovic speaks at a press conference on December 18. (KYODO)
Mihailo Petrovic Embraces New Challenge
In 2025, Grampus finished in 16th place in the 20-team J.League first division. Kenta Hasegawa held the managerial post for the past four seasons. With Hasegawa at the helm, Grampus claimed J.League YBC Levain Cup crowns in 2021 and ’24.
But Grampus had a poor overall performance during the regular season in 2025.
Now it’s Petrovic’s chance to revive the club, which placed 11th in 2024 and sixth in 2023.
“Nagoya Grampus is one of Japan’s most historic and prominent clubs,” he said in a team-issued statement. “I believe it is a team that should always aim for championships and compete in the AFC (Asian) Champions League.
“To achieve that goal, I will pursue attractive, quality soccer, constantly strive for victory, and give my all alongside the club.”
In 2008, Petrovic led Sanfrecce to the J.League second-division championship. That earned the team promotion to J1 for the next season.
In 2016, Petrovic guided Urawa to the J.League YBC Levain Cup title.
He was named the 2018 J.League Manager of the Year when Consadole placed fourth in his first season with the Sapporo-based club. In the previous season, Consadole finished 11th.
His final season in Hokkaido ended in disappointment, with the team being demoted to J2, aka the J.League second division, for 2025.
Petrovic also managed in Slovenia and Austria before taking over as Sanfrecce boss two decades ago.
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Takehiro Tomiyasu in a September 2021 file photo. (KYODO)
Defender Tomiyasu to Launch Comeback with Ajax
Sidelined since October 2024, veteran defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has joined Dutch club Ajax on a six-month contract.
The Amsterdam-based team announced the signing on Tuesday, December 16.
“I feel very excited and I’m delighted to be here,” Tomiyasu said in a statement posted on the Ajax website. “I’d like to thank [everyone] who have been around me because I’ve obviously been out for about 12 months.”
The Fukuoka native described his time away from competition as “the toughest period for sure, but I never gave up, and I worked very hard. It’s like a fresh restart for me.”
The 27-year-old previously played for English Premier League club Arsenal. He was limited to one league match in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign (against Southampton), which came weeks after he was injured during the preseason.
Tomiyasu underwent surgery on his right knee in February.
Prior to joining Arsenal in 2021, he played for Italian Serie A club Bologna. He played in Belgium before that, and began his career with Avispa Fukuoka in J2 in 2015.
Tomiyasu impressed Arsenal officials with his versatility and overall talent.
‘An Excellent Defender,’ Raves Ajax Official
Ajax director of football Marijn Beuker also has a high opinion of Tomiyasu.
“Takehiro has proven himself to be an excellent defender with extensive experience in several top leagues,” Beuker said, according to a news article on Ajax’s website. “He is an intelligent, two-footed defender. Together with the scouting department and the coaching staff, we have reviewed a lot of footage of him in recent weeks, and everyone is enthusiastic.”
Beuker continued: “His injury history was also an important consideration. From the outset, he has worked hard on his recovery, the medical staff have assessed him thoroughly, and once his work permit is finalized, he can immediately join group training.”
What are Ajax’s expectations for Tomiyasu in the coming weeks?
“Although he still needs to regain match sharpness, we believe that, given his experience, he will pick this up almost straight away,” Beuker said. “Contractually, we have also found a good way to enter into a collaboration together. All in all, we expect that with Takehiro we have brought in a player who can bring more balance to our relatively young, but very talented squad in the short term.”
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Former Yokohama DeNA BayStars cleanup hitter Tyler Austin in an October 2024 file photo. (©SANKEI)
Baseball
Austin Finalizes One-Year Deal with Cubs
After six seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, first baseman Tyler Austin is returning to North America to resume his baseball career.
The 34-year-old has signed a one-year contract to play for the Chicago Cubs in 2026, it was announced on Thursday, December 18.
According to MLB.com, Austin’s deal with the Cubs is for $1.25 million USD (about ¥200 million JPY).
Austin appeared in a total of 403 games for the BayStars, hammering 85 home runs and driving in 236 runs. He hit .293.
The right-handed hitter reached the 20-homer plateau three times in a BayStars uniform. He hit 20 in 2020, 28 the next year and 25 in 2024, when Yokohama went on to win the Japan Series.
In 2025, Austin played in 65 games. He had a .269 average with 11 homers and 28 RBIs.
Before he joined the BayStars, Austin had limited playing time over four MLB seasons, (2016-19) appearing in 209 games with the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants.
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Hiroki Kokubo (©SANKEI)
Hawks Skipper Kokubo Receives Contract Extension
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo has signed a contract extension through 2028, according to published reports.
The Pacific League club made a formal announcement on Thursday, December 18.
Kokubo led SoftBank to back-to-back Japan Series appearances in 2024 and 2025. The Hawks won the title on October 30, beating the Hanshin Tigers in the 11th inning in Game 5 to wrap up their first NPB championship since 2020.
Nikkan Sports reported that Kokubo, 54, was originally set to work the final year of a three-year deal in 2026. Instead, he and the Hawks worked out a contractual agreement to keep him as the dugout boss through 2028.
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Shuri Sakuma attends the 2025 JLPGA Awards banquet on December 16 in Tokyo. (KYODO)
Golf
Sakuma Reflects on Successful Season
Shuri Sakuma led all JLPGA Tour golfers with four victories during the 2025 season, which wrapped up in late November. As a result, she earned the tour’s Player of the Year Award.
She was one of the honored recipients of the 2025 JLPGA Tour Awards banquet on Tuesday, December 16 in Tokyo.
“I started the season aiming for my first tour win,” Sakuma said at the banquet, according to the JLPGA Tour website, adding, “I never imagined I’d achieve four victories. This is my second time attending the awards [dinner], but to stand on stage as the season’s top player, thank you.”
In addition to most tourney titles in 2025, Sakuma, who turns 23 on December 11, also had the lowest scoring average (70.0585 per round). She had 19 top-10 finishes in 36 tournaments.
“Today, I realized once again what a fantastic year this has been,” said the Saitama Prefecture native.
Sakuma began her career on the JLPGA’s Step Up Tour in November 2021.
Nagasaki Velca point guard Ko Kumagai runs the offense against the Sunrockers Shibuya on December 20 in Nagasaki. (B.LEAGUE)
Basketball
B.League’s Velca Extend Win Streak to 10
The Western Conference-leading Nagasaki Velca routed the visiting Sunrockers Shibuya, 102-70, on Saturday, December 20 to stretch their winning streak to 10 games.
Nagasaki (22-2) has the best record in the 26-team B.League first division.
Shibuya slipped to 8-16.
Star forward Jarrell Brantley led the Velca with 27 points on 11-for-17 shooting. It was Brantley’s second-highest scoring performance of the 2025-26 season. He had 31 points against the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins on November 9.
Stanley Johnson and Hyunjung Lee scored 25 points apiece for Nagasaki at Happiness Arena.
Velca coach Mody Maor said he was pleased with his team’s defensive adjustments.
“I thought our defensive effort during the second half was outstanding,” Maor told reporters. “While we gave up a lot of points in the paint and on transition in the first half, we managed to control those areas in the second half, which I believe led to this point differential.”
The Sunrockers were held to 30 points in the second half.
Levanga Win Streak Halted
Also Saturday, the Alvark Tokyo defeated the Levanga Hokkaido 81-59.
Entering the game at Toyota Arena Tokyo, Hokkaido had won 12 in a row.
The Alvark (14-10), winners of four straight, outscored the visitors 28-14 in the second quarter to take a commanding 50-31-lead into halftime.
Tokyo’s Sebastian Saiz finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
For Hokkaido (19-5), John Harrar had a team-best 16 points.
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Briefly…
The 2025-26 Japan Rugby League One season kicked off on December 13. Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo are the two-time defending champion.
Check out the league’s results and schedule on its website.
Ryusei Yamada competes in the men’s halfpipe final in an FIS World Cup meet on December 19 in Copper Mountain, Colorado. (KYODO)
Quote of the Week
“I’m glad I was finally able to win. I haven’t qualified for the Olympics yet. [So] I just have to make sure I do what’s required.”
―Ryusei Yamada, on his victory in the FIS Snowboard World Cup men’s halfpipe final on December 19 in Copper Mountain, Colorado, Kyodo News reported. It was the 19-year-old’s first triumph in a World Cup event.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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