It is often said that football is more than a game. Whilst this is mostly just hyperbole, that cannot be said of the match scheduled for next Tuesday March 29 - the charity match between the Japanese national team and a J.League XI, known as ‘Team as One'.
This is no mere football match, this is an occasion for Japan to come together as one and take a step forward in the recovery process.
And Japan is doing just that, with tickets for the game at the 50,000 capacity Nagai Stadium in Osaka selling out in under two hours.
It is a shame that the scheduled friendly with New Zealand is not going ahead. Given the recent disaster in Christchurch the match would have provided one of world sport's finest moments this year as the two nations rallied together and showed support for each other at the most important of times for both countries.
As it is though, this match will be just as powerful and emotion charged.
The match presents Japan's overseas based starts a chance to return and show their support to everyone affected by the disaster. The Japanese are a very proud people, particularly their footballers, and this disaster has hit them hard, whether they are playing in Japan or abroad.
Yuto Nagatomo, the Samurai Blue's flying left back who starred at the recent Asian Cup and secured a move to Italian giants Inter Milan, is one of many players who have demonstrated just how much this upcoming match means.
Speaking to Mainchi Daily News, Nagatomo said: "I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about missing out on playing time with Inter.
"But right now, I need to play for something more important than myself. I hope I can show the fans how important it is to not give up."
It is an attitude shared by every Japanese player and one that highlights perfectly the psyche of the Japanese - country comes first.
Nagatomo also provided a very poignant moment after Inter Milan's UEFA Champions League victory over Bayern Munich last week, when he did a lap of the Allianz Arena holding a Japanese flag with the words "You'll never walk alone" written on it.
Whilst this game will capture most attention world wide and understandably so, the J.League clubs are also playing their part by staging a number of charity friendly games to raise funds for the disaster relief.
Cerezo Osaka, Gamba Osaka, Vissel Kobe, Avispa Fukuoka, Kyoto Sanga, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and J2 sides Gainare Tottori, Giravanz Kitakyushu and Sagan Tosu were all involved in games that raised millions of yen for the Japanese Red Cross appeal.
It's at times like these we are reminded in the most horrific of ways that sport, and football, is just a game. But it is also at these times, when Football comes together to put on events such as this charity game, that you realise just how powerful the game is and how it can play a leading role in the healing process of a country.
Football is just a game, but next Tuesday night in Osaka it will become much more than that.
Check out Paul's Asian Football Feast blog for regular updates, interviews and features from the world of Asian football.
