Sint-Truiden have long had a connection with Japan, having been owned by Tokyo based internet company DMM.com for five years. Today, the club announced that it has agreed a new sponsorship deal with Osaka tourism board to promote the 2025 World Expo. Takayuki Tateishi, the CEO of the club stated “STVV wants to strengthen the exchange between Japan and Europe through football…This partnership gives STVV access to a very interesting network of companies. This way we can attract extra sponsors and strengthen the financial strength of our club”.
The upcoming match against OH Leuven will be the annual Japanese themed game, named Nishitan Day after the main sponsor. Sint-Truiden have a history of bringing Japanese players to Belgium from the J-League and other European leagues.
This year the club boasts two of Japans premier European based players in former Leicester City striker Shinji Okazaki, and former BVB Dortmund and Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa.
The club will be hoping that the annual Japanese themed game will inspire the team to turn around their current two game losing streak.
