Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has signed a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
This move means Miura could play in the J.League - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the first time in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, failed to score in 69 minutes across seven outings last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game remains undimmed, no matter how old I get," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a pro footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Let's make history together!"
Referred to as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth loan since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.
Miura, who has also featured in Australia, Italy, and Croatia, signed for the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He netted 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that ended in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
Miura, who has expressed a desire for playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "embrace a fresh test" after being demoted last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima United ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.
