J-League first-division club Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Thursday announced plans to promote world peace in collaboration with popular football manga "Captain Tsubasa."
When Sanfrecce's new stadium, Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima, begins hosting J-League games from next season, fans will be greeted by an image on the outer wall depicting the manga's main character, Tsubasa Ozora, along with a message of peace by author Yoichi Takahashi.
"I'll be glad if my manga can contribute to world peace," Takahashi said in Hiroshima, one of the two Japanese cities hit by U.S. atomic bombs in the final days of World War II in 1945.
"I hope my message will spread: fight battles through football, not war."
Shingo Senda, president of the J-League club, voiced hope that fans visiting the new stadium will "strengthen their desire for peace" by also viewing nearby landmarks such as the Atomic Bomb Dome.
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