Kim Sung-gan: Korean footballer and 1940 Japan national team member

Kim Sung-gan (김성간, 1912–1984) was a Korean association footballer notable for his selection to the Japan national team in 1940 during the colonial era; his career reflects complex sporting and political history.

Kim Sung-gan (Hangul: 김성간; November 17, 1912 – May 19, 1984) was a Korean association football player remembered primarily for being chosen for the Japan national team in 1940. Contemporary accounts identify him as an athlete active during a period when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945), a context that shaped many Korean sports careers of the era.

Overview

Kim is commonly described in sporting records as a Korean-born footballer who competed at a high level in the first half of the 20th century. Sources list him as an athlete in general reference works and as an association football player in team records. His selection for the Japan national side is the most widely cited fact about his international career.

Career and historical context

During the colonial period, Korean players sometimes appeared on Japanese teams and in Japanese tournaments. Kim's inclusion on the Japan squad in 1940 reflects that historical situation: colonial subjects could be selected for Japan’s representative teams, and their participation is now viewed in the light of both sporting achievement and political complexity. Exact details about his club career, playing position, and match appearances are sparse in publicly available records, and historians treat surviving documents with caution.

Legacy and significance

Kim's career is often cited as an example of how athletes from colonized territories were incorporated into imperial sports structures. In Korean sporting history he is noted both for his footballing role and for the broader story his career illustrates. For more background on athletes from the same period, see an athlete profile and general material on association football in East Asia.

Notable facts

Born: November 17, 1912; Died: May 19, 1984.
Hangul name: 김성간.
Documented as a member of the Japan national team in 1940; referenced in period records and summaries (team records).

Because archival information is incomplete, researchers rely on match reports, contemporary newspapers, and national registers to reconstruct careers like Kim’s. For additional reading and archival leads, consult the collections and bibliographies indicated by specialist repositories and databases (further reading).