Kozo Arai

Kozo Arai
Personal information
Full name	Kozo Arai
Date of birth	October 24, 1950 (age 74)
Place of birth	Etajima, Hiroshima, Japan
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1966–1968	Hiroshima Technical High School
Senior career*
Years	Team
1969–1978	Furukawa Electric
Total
National team
1970–1977	Japan
Honours
Furukawa Electric
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Kozo Arai (Japanese: 荒井公三, Arai Kozo, born October 24, 1950) is a former Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team.

Biography

Arai was born in Etajima on October 24, 1950. After graduating from Hiroshima Technical High School, he joined Furukawa Electric in 1969. In 1976, the club won Japan Soccer League and Emperor's Cup. The club also won 1977 JSL Cup. He retired in 1978. He played 124 games and scored 17 goals in the league. He was selected Best Eleven 4 times (1971, 1973, 1974 and 1976).

In December 1970, Arai was selected the Japan national team for 1970 Asian Games. At this competition, on December 10, he debuted against Malaysia. He also played at 1974 Asian Games, 1972 Summer Olympics qualification, 1974 World Cup qualification and 1976 Summer Olympics qualification. He played 47 games and scored 4 goals for Japan until 1977.