LFC turning Japanese on Facebook

The club's latest international social media account - operated out of Tokyo - will open up LFC's digital content to thousands of Japanese fans for the first time and forms part of the club's ongoing commitment to breaking down language barriers when it comes to engaging with supporters.

Today's announcement follows the news on January 15 that the club had launched a Vietnamese Facebook page and means the club now operate no fewer than eight international Facebook pages - making Liverpool the only Barclays Premier league club to deliver tailored, local-language content daily to fans overseas on Facebook.

As well as the Japanese and Vietnamese pages, the club have an official Spanish-language Facebook account - followed by more than 1.6million fans across Spain and South America - as well as Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai, Indian and Australian versions.

Yumiko Tamaru, branch secretary of the Official Liverpool FC Japanese Supporters' Club, believes this latest initiative from the club's international media department can only increase Liverpool's popularity in Japan.

"LFC are already incredibly popular in Japan," Yumiko told Liverpoolfc.com. "The club visited Japan in 1981 and 1984 to play in the Intercontinental Cup, and again in 2005 for the Club World Cup, and each visit created a lot of excitement for the Japanese fans.

"LFC are a club with great managers, great players and lots of trophies but what people here like most about LFC is the way the club and the supporters stick together and support each other like a big family.

"The Official Liverpool Supporters' Club Japan branch was founded in 1995 by Keiko Hirano, the most passionate Liverpool supporter in Japan, and our supporters' club often holds viewing events at pubs in Tokyo, Shizuoka, Osaka and Fukuoka and the pubs are always full of passionate supporters.

"We've always been able to watch the games but fans here have always wanted to learn more and more about the club and that means being able to read articles about LFC in our own language. Fans want to know everything about LFC but sometimes it is a little difficult for them to read what the manager or the players have said in English, so today's news will be greeted very positively in Japan.

"Liverpool's decision to create a local Facebook page in Japan will be really appreciated by the supporters here as it proves that the club are trying to improve communication with Japanese fans.

"Japan is 6,000 miles away from Liverpool but I think people here will feel that LFC is now much closer to them through this Japanese Facebook page. I am sure that LFC will gain more fans here through this venture and existing supporters will grow even more passionate and loyal to the club."

Click here to visit the new official Liverpool FC Japanese Facebook page.