Japan

United Airlines has agreed to sponsor the official website of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea, FIFAworldcup.com.

UEFA has signed a major marketing deal with Japanese advertising giant Dentsu.

TV rights to the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups have been moved to KirchSport after KirchMedia filed for insolvency this morning.

Octagon CSI - the television arm of the global sports marketing agency - has signed a TV rights agreement with the Japan Football Association.

The World MotoGP Championship roars into action this Sunday in Japan, the first of 16 races in the 2002 calendar.

Australian terrestrial broadcaster SBS has signed a TV rights deal for this summer's FIFA World Cup, despite the national team's failure to qualify for the tournament.

MLB International and its business partners in Japan will highlight MLB's Japanese-born players on television and with promotional activities in Japan to mark the opening week of the 2002 season.

The FIFA World Cup is the only bright light ahead for the Japanese economy, say leading economists at international investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi have vowed to seize the historic opportunity of the World Cup to improved their often troubled ties.

South Korea plans to draft in soldiers as emergency translators to help visitors at the World Cup after failing to recruit enough people with language skills, the South Korean organising committee (KOWOC) says.

Soccer officials in Japan, South Korea and China have agreed to a new East Asian club competition which will feature the league champions of each of the three countries.

The Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Korean President Kim Dae-Jung will hold a summit meeting tomorrow to discuss the World Cup - and how to resolve possible disputes between the two countries.

Avaya, the technology partner for this summer's World Cup in Japan and South Korea has signed a six figure sponsorship deal with pan-European sports website Sports.com.

UK-based player management agency First Artist Corporation and World Sport Group, the sports marketing company focused on the Asian market, have signed a joint venture agreement.

New Zealand has tied up a TV rights deal for this summer's soccer World Cup with KirchMedia, accepting a joint bid from the country's two main broadcasters.

The protracted World Cup rights negotiations between Kirch Sport and China Central Television (CCTV) have reached a historic conclusion.