Japanese soccer captain writes notebook during World Cup qualifiers

Hajime Moriyasu, the skipper of the Japan national soccer team, holds a notebook in his left hand during a pre-World Cup friendly match against Canada in Dubai on November 17. Tatsuo Kanai When Japanese national team coach Hajime Moriyasu would scribble in a notebook during a World Cup match, speculation as to the contents ignited a firestorm on social media.

Could it be Moriyasu's death note? When the name was sentenced to death, the next team to bow in defeat before the powerful Samurai Blue?

The innocuous action broadcast live across the globe caught the attention of a major stationery maker in Japan that produced the notebook.

A representative of Kokuyo Co., an Osaka-based company with a 117-year history, said they wanted to convey their gratitude to the head coach.

Moriyasu was often seen standing on the sidelines of the pitch and taking out a notebook during the matches in Group E throughout the tournament.

He would write something down while he glancing at the action.

The Moriyasu notebook was apparently a product of Kokuyo, which was founded in 1905.

The Japanese coach was jotting down what he noted on the pitch.

As people buzzed about the role of note-taking in the fate of the teams in the so-called Group of Death on social media, Kokuyo employees eyes were glued to the pad in Moriyasu's hand.

Some Kokuyo employees had known that Moriyasu regularly uses the company's Campus series notebook, typically a B- 6 size with 6 mm lines or an A- 6 size.

The buzz reached the ears of Hidekuni Kuroda, Kokuyo's president.

A representative of the company said that we are genuinely happy about Moriyasu's choice. The digitalization of things going paperless has decreased the chance for people to write in a notebook, the representative said, adding that notebooks in general have rarely attracted attention as an everyday item.

The representative said that Moriyasu has felt the power of note-taking.

As a token of appreciation, the company is considering presenting a notebook to the Samurai Blue coach.

The design of the gift has yet to be decided, and the company said it has yet to contact the Japan Football Association about its proposal.

This is like a one-sided love, but we hope we can express our appreciation in a concrete manner, the representative said.