Brisbane-based freelance writer Taka Uematsu has been writing about A-League, the Socceroos, and Japan-Australia matches ever since arriving in Australia in 2003.
He says Japanese players have become important member of the A-League in recent years, with their demands becoming more diverse.
No other leagues in the world that have hosted Japan's so-called legends, such as Kazu Miura, Shinji Ono and Keisuke Honda, says Mr Uematsu.
He says the impact left by these "big named players", and the achievements left by Japanese players at the local level have "clearly raised the level of what is expected of Japanese players" in recent times.
Taka Uematsu hopes for Japan and Australia to have regular matches to strengthen each other. Credit: Taka Uematsu
The 2006 Japan-Australia match at the World Cup has made him dedicate his life to covering the two nations.
Known as the "Kaiserslautern tragedy", Japan was 1-0 ahead of the Socceroos into the 80th minute, until three consecutive goals were made by Tim Cahill (84' and 89') and John Aloisi(90').
"I knew I had to follow this", he says.
Since then, Mr Uematsu has been on the ground for every Japan-Australia match, except for one match that he could not travel to due to the COVID pandemic.
He says that Australia has contributed to raising the level of football in Asia.
However, although the two countries are can now reach the World Cup frequently, they are yet to produce notable results.
There are many ways the two countries can cooperate, such as holding regular Japan-Australia matches in the future.
For the full interview with Taka Uematsu, listen below.
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