The Japanese FA have today confirmed that their scheduled match against Montenegro has been called off, in the wake of the earthquake and resulting tsunami which hit the country earlier this week.
The JFA were initially hopeful that matches against Montenegro and New Zealand would go ahead as planned, but later backtracked on that statement, saying that no hasty decisions would be made, and that consideration must be taken for fans travelling to and from the matches.
However despite this match being called off, there is still hope that the match against New Zealand will go ahead. Originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo, the JFA are planning to move the match to Osaka, which has been unaffected by the tsunami.
There are also plans to turn the match into a charity event in support of those affected by the disaster. There certainly wouldn't be a more appropriate nation to hold this against, as New Zealand's city of Christchurch was struck by a severe earthquake less than a month ago.
You can find information on how to help those in need in Japan and elsewhere from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
