A stadium hit by a massive earthquake last March is one of candidate venues for the under-20 women's football World Cup to be hosted by Japan this summer, the country's football chief said Thursday.
"We will need at least four venues. One of them will be located in the disaster area," Japan Football Association president Junji Ogura said. "We want to encourage the disaster area."
The 16-nation tournament will be held from August 19-September 8 with the final expected to be played at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Miyagi Stadium, near Sendai in northern Japan, is a possible candidate. It staged some matches in the 2002 men's senior World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
The 9.0-magnitude seabed quake and ensuing monster tsunami left more than 19,000 people dead or missing in Japan's northeast.
The inland stadium was spared tsunami devastation but the tremor shattered glass, cracked walls and damaged roof pillars at the facility, an official said, adding that it will be reopened in late July after repairs.
The U-20 tournament was originally scheduled to be played in Uzbekistan but world football's governing body FIFA determined in December that the central Asian country was not ready, citing "logistical and technical" problems, so the organisation turned to Japan.
Ogura said if the tournament proves a success it would help Japan's bid for the women's senior World Cup in the future.
"We want to prepare ourselves to be able to host it in 2023," he said, according to the Mainichi newspaper.
The last U-20 women's World Cup, held in 2010, was won by hosts Germany.
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