| Born | (1963-06-08)June 8, 1963 (age 62) Kagoshima,Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1996-2007 | J. League | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1998-2007 | FIFA listed | Referee | |
Toru Kamikawa (上川徹,Kamikawa Tōru; born June 8, 1963) is a formerJapanesefootball (soccer)referee, debuting in Japan's professionalJ. League in 1996.
Kamikawa was born inKagoshima,Kagoshima Prefecture. An international referee since 1998, he refereed one match at the2002 FIFA World Cup and three matches at the2006 FIFA World Cup.
In the 2002 World Cup, he refereed a first round match betweenIreland andCameroon.
In the 2006 World Cup, he refereed first round matches betweenPoland andEcuador inGroup A, and betweenEngland andTrinidad and Tobago inGroup B. He also refereed thethird place playoff match betweenGermany andPortugal.
He was theAFC Referee of the Year in 2002, and the J. League Referee of the Year in 2003 and 2006.
Kamikawa became the first Asian referee to officiate aRussian Premier League match when he refereed a match betweenLuch-Energia Vladivostok andSpartak Moscow on August 20, 2006, inVladivostok.[1][2]
Before becoming a referee, he played football as a forward. He was educated at and played for Kagoshima National College of Technology andTokai University. He represented Japan at an underage level in 1981. After the graduation, he joinedJapan Soccer League side Fujita S.C. (currentShonan Bellmare) and finished his playing career there in 1991.
He announced his retirement from the international game in October 2006 partly because of his knee injury although he still had two years before he reached the mandatory retirement age of an international referee. He quit refereeing entirely in January 2007. He now works for theJapan Football Association to help younger referees to develop their skills.[3]