This is an original A4 souvenir programme issued for Kirin Cup Soccer ’95—the three‑team round‑robin staged in Japan from 21–28 May 1995 and contested by Japan, Ecuador, and Scotland. Japan won the cup on home soil, drawing 0–0 with Scotland in Hiroshima and beating Ecuador 3–0 in Tokyo (Nakayama once, Miura twice from the spot); Scotland’s 2–1 win over Ecuador in Toyama left them runners‑up on goal difference. This booklet is the stadium‑sold match programme for the tournament; the back cover carries a full‑page Kirin Lager advertisement starring Harrison Ford, linking mid‑’90s international football with Japan’s best‑known beer brand.
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Design
The front cover uses a dynamic, abstract tournament graphic: KIRIN CUP SOCCER ’95 in bold red capitals sweeps across the page, while a multicolour, almost kaleidoscopic trail of footballs spirals out from a stylised player striking a shot. In the lower right corner sit the crests/flags of the three national teams—Japan, Ecuador, and Scotland—alongside Japanese tournament credits for the 21, 24, and 28 May fixtures. Inside, the programme runs across multiple pages in Japanese with match information, team/official listings and tournament data, in the familiar glossy match‑day style.
The back cover is pure mid‑’90s Kirin Lager: a studio portrait of Harrison Ford in a dark crew‑neck top, holding up a silver Kirin Lager Beer can against a white background. Above him runs the headline 「この味が、ビール」 (“This taste—beer”), with the lower red band reading 「キレ味、だいご味 キリンラガー」 (“sharp, ultimate flavour – Kirin Lager”), plus the legal line reminding buyers that beer is for over‑20s and that empty cans should be recycled. It’s the same visual language seen on surviving 1995 in‑store posters from Kirin’s Harrison Ford campaign, making the programme double as a premium advertising piece.
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Why this programme matters (football & pop‑culture)
Japan’s home triumph: This edition captures Japan in the early J.League era, with stars like Kazuyoshi “Kazu” Miura, Masashi Nakayama, and naturalised playmaker Ruy Ramos in the squad. Japan drew 0–0 with Scotland in Hiroshima before dismantling Ecuador 3–0 at the National Stadium; Nakayama opened the scoring and Miura added two penalties in that final game to secure the cup.
Scotland & Ecuador line‑ups: Scotland travelled under Craig Brown with a recognisable core including veteran keeper Jim Leighton, Paul Lambert, Craig Burley, Billy McKinlay, Darren Jackson, John Robertson and future international regular Stevie Crawford—Robertson and Crawford scoring in the 2–1 win over Ecuador. Ecuador’s side featured key names from their mid‑’90s national team such as José Cevallos, Iván Hurtado, Eduardo Hurtado and Agustín Delgado.
Kirin Cup heritage & Harrison Ford × Kirin Lager: By 1995 the Kirin Cup had settled into its now‑classic format: Japan hosting a compact national‑team round‑robin each year, bringing in opponents from Europe and South America as part of Kirin Brewery’s long‑running support of the national side. At the same time, Kirin was running a high‑profile Kirin Lager “Mr. Beer” advertising push fronted by Harrison Ford, with multiple TV commercials and store posters; the Ford back cover here comes straight out of that campaign and gives the programme real crossover appeal for film, advertising, and football collectors alike.
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Format & use
A4 (approx. 21 × 29.7 cm), around 58 pages, printed in Japan for sale at the grounds during the 1995 tournament (Hiroshima Big Arch, Toyama Athletic Recreation Park, and Tokyo’s National Stadium). It displays beautifully framed—either front cover for the tournament art or back cover for the Ford advert—and also works as a very readable piece of mid‑’90s football ephemera.
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Condition
Excellent for age. Covers are bright and glossy with only light handling and tiny edge/corner touches consistent with stadium‑sold programmes; spine is solid and the interior pages are clean with no writing or missing leaves. Please review the photos—they show the exact booklet for sale.
This is an original 1995 Japanese A4 match programme (not a reproduction or reprint). It is roughly 30 years old. Certificate of Authenticity included.
