Kazuyoshi Miura, who turns 59 in February and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
This move means Miura might feature in the J.League - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the first time in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, failed to score in just over an hour across seven outings last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My passion for football hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a pro footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be presented with this chance. I vow I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Let's make history together!"
Known as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth temporary move since 2022 from J2 League side Yokohama FC.
The veteran, who has also played club football in Australia, Italy, and Croatia, joined the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He scored 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that concluded in 2000, two years after his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
Miura, who has talked of playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "embrace a fresh test" after being demoted last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima finished 10th in the twenty-club J3 League last season.
