was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. His brother Nobuo Matsunaga and Seki Matsunaga also played for Japan national team.

National team career

Matsunaga was born in

Yaizu is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 139,578 in 57,593 households, and a population density of 2000 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Yaizu is a noted port for commer ...

on 21 September 1914. In 1936, when he was a Tokyo Liberal Arts and Science University student, he was selected Japan national team for 1936 Summer Olympics in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. At this competition, on 4 August, he debuted and scored a goal against Sweden. Japan completed a come-from-behind victory against Sweden. The first victory in Olympics for the Japan and the historic victory over one of the powerhouses became later known as "Miracle of Berlin" ( ベルリンの奇跡) in Japan. In 2016, this team was selected

Japan Football Hall of Fame is housed at the Japan Football Museum ( :ja:日本サッカーミュージアム), in JFA House in Bunkyo, Tokyo. The Hall aims to celebrate the achievements of the all-time top Japanese football players, managers, and other persons who have been ...

. On 7 August, he also played against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. He played 2 games and scored 1 goal for Japan in 1936.Japan National Football Team Database
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Death

In 1937, Matsunaga entered the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

and served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

with the 230th Infantry Regiment as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

.https://web.archive.org/web/20200417073130/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ma/akira-matsunaga-1.html Akira Matsunaga On 20 January 1943, he was killed in action during the Guadalcanal Campaign at the age of 28.

National team statistics

References

External links

* *
Japan National Football Team Database
(Japan team at 1936 Olympics) at Japan Football Association
Sports-Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsunaga, Akira 1914 births 1943 deaths University of Tsukuba alumni Association football people from Shizuoka Prefecture Japanese footballers Japan international footballers Olympic footballers of Japan Footballers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Japanese military personnel killed in World War II Association football forwards Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II Imperial Japanese Army officers