Far from Kurashiki, in Africa, a player from Kurashiki is making a name for himself as a professional soccer player.
The soccer player’s name is Morishita Jindo.
After signing professional contracts in Zambia and Ghana, he now plays for a professional soccer team in Morocco. In the Moroccan league held from 2024 to 2025, he was good enough to be named MVP of a match.
We spoke with Morishita about his story and his ongoing challenges in a foreign country.
The information presented was accurate when this article was published in January 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Jindo Morishita
Jindo Morishita is a professional soccer player from Kurashiki City who plays in an African soccer league.
He currently plays for the historic Moroccan soccer team “Stade Marocain,” and has attracted attention as the first Japanese player in Morocco.
In addition to soccer, Morishita is also committed to activities and projects that contribute to international aid.
▼For more details, see this article.
A new stage: taking on challenges in Morocco
Here is an introduction to Morishita’s activities and achievements in Morocco.
Named MVP at Morocco’s oldest club
Morocco is a country strong enough to have ranked fourth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In this soccer powerhouse, Morishita signed with a club called “Stade Marocain,” which plays in the second division of the Moroccan league.
Founded in 1919, Stade Marocain is the club with the longest history in Morocco, and is based in the capital, Rabat.
In the 2024–25 season, the club finished eighth in the Moroccan Botola 2 league and reached the quarterfinals of the Throne Cup. The league’s opening match was Morishita’s first game since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. He started the match, scored, and helped his team win. He was even named MVP of the match.
When we asked Morishita, “How are things with your teammates?” he told us, “Even when we can’t understand each other’s language, there are lots of great guys who try to meet me halfway, just as I try to meet them halfway.”
Japanese anime is apparently popular in Morocco, and conversations often get lively when they talk about anime.
Sharing Japanese culture in Morocco through soccer
Since his time in Zambia, Morishita has organized soccer tournaments for local children.
He decided to hold another soccer tournament in Morocco, co-hosted with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). A longtime friend of Morishita’s father-in-law works at JICA, and that connection led them to work together.
They did more than just play soccer; they also shared Japanese culture during breaks. With the help of JICA volunteer staff, they held quizzes about Japan and traditional dances like bon odori, bringing soccer and Japanese culture together in a single event.
Between 300 and 400 children took part in the soccer tournament, which ended as a great success.
Morishita will continue his activities in Morocco, aiming to represent Morocco in the African Champions League and open an okonomiyaki restaurant in Morocco to promote Japan’s appeal through Japanese food.
Strong support from local businesses
Here are two stories about local businesses in Kurashiki.
Play Sports, a sports shop in Kurashiki, is Morishita’s personal sponsor. In partnership with Morishita, the shop collects soccer equipment at its store and donates it to Africa.
The soccer team at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Seiryo High School, Morishita’s alma mater, also helps out. The team members clean and maintain the soccer equipment before it is sent to Africa.
As the donation program continued, they opened a secondhand soccer equipment shop locally. A single donation initiative grew into a business that creates local jobs.
Also, Aile Engineering Co., Ltd., a construction company headquartered in Kurashiki, has supported Morishita for many years.
Aile Engineering has an overseas branch in Ghana, where the company met Morishita while he was playing for a Ghanaian club. Because they shared the connection of being from Kurashiki, the company became his personal sponsor and also supported his team as the first Japanese corporate sponsor in Ghana.
Aile Engineering continues to sponsor him today. We asked the company to share a few words about its hopes for Morishita’s future.
Shiraga (honorific omitted)
At Aile Engineering, we continue to take on challenges even when they have a low chance of success and others say, “You’d be better off giving up.” Morishita’s determination to take on challenges in a country far from Kurashiki is similar to our belief that “we don’t let the impossible remain impossible.”
We believe that people grow and find fulfillment in pushing beyond their own limits. We will continue to wholeheartedly support Morishita’s success.
It is clear that support from local businesses is a tremendous source of encouragement for Morishita.
Morishita has received encouragement from many people as he takes on the challenge of playing soccer in a different culture. We asked him how he felt about finishing the season in Morocco.
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
