is a former

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player.

Playing career

Arai entered professional football with Albirex Niigata after graduating from

Rissho University , one of the oldest universities in Japan, was founded in 1580, when a seminary was established as a learning center for young monks of the Nichiren shu. The university's name came from the Rissho Ankoku Ron, a thesis written by Nichiren, a prom ...

in 2001 but was unable to hold on to the first team place although he played 20 league games for Albirex Niigata in his first season. He was on loan to

Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) Albirex Niigata Singapore FC, abbreviated as Albirex Niigata (S), is a Singaporean football club that plays in the Singapore Premier League. The club is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of Japan. History Albirex Niigata Singapore, a satellite ...

in 2004 and in 2006 he secured a permanent move to

Singapore Armed Forces FC Warriors Football Club is a Singaporean professional football club that played in the Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. Before changing their name on 20 January 2013, they were previously known as the Singapo ...

. He is also the second Japanese player, after his

teammate Masahiro Fukasawa, to play in the

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

for a non-Japanese club. In November 2009, Kenji joined

SC Goa Sporting Clube de Goa, simply known as Sporting Goa (also known by its abbreviation SCG), is an Indian professional football club based in Panaji, in the Indian state of Goa, that competes in Goa Professional League. The club has also competed ...

.Indian Football
He returned to Singapore and joined

Sengkang Punggol FC Hougang United Football Club is a Singaporean professional football club that competes in the Singapore Premier League. History Hougang United Football Club was founded as Marine Castle United Football Club, which was formed by Newcastle Un ...

on 2010 and subsequently

Home United FC Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as The Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional football club competing in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Singapore football league system. Since the 2021 season, the t ...

in 2011.

Club statistics

Honours

Albirex Niigata *

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

: 2003 Singapore Armed Forces * S.League: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 * Singapore Cup: 2007, 2008

Videos

youtube.com

References

External links

* *
ameblo.jp
(Official blog)
data2.7m.cn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arai, Kenji 1978 births Living people Rissho University alumni Association football people from Saitama Prefecture Japanese men's footballers J2 League players Singapore Premier League players Albirex Niigata players Albirex Niigata Singapore FC players Hougang United FC players Lion City Sailors FC players Japanese expatriate men's footballers Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Singapore Expatriate men's footballers in Singapore Men's association football defenders