Soccer: Japan match still on for All Whites

The All Whites match against Japan later this match is still on. Photo / Getty Images

The All Whites' scheduled soccer friendly against Japan later this month will go ahead despite the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan on Friday night.

New Zealand and Japan are due to meet on March 29 in Tokyo, four days after Japan host Montenegro at the Shizuoka Stadium.

Japan Football Association (JFA) general secretary Kozo Tashima says the two friendlies would help rally the nation.

"It would mean something to stage these games, more than ever," the Kyodo news agency reported Tashima saying at the JFA headquarters in Tokyo.

"We will hold it in Shizuoka of course, and I think having the game in Tokyo will really mean something. The matches are still two weeks away and we need to send a message to the rest of the world."

The All Whites will also play China in Nanning on March 25.