This past week the lists of the top income taxpayers in Japan were announced and bantered about in all the media. And, as this country loves youth like just about no other, 17-year-old singing sensation Hikaru Utada and 19-year-old Seibu Lions pitching phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka garnered more attention than any other wage earners.

It was pointed out the teenagers had remarkable debut years in 1999. Utada's first album "First Love" sold a record more than 8 million CDs and helped boost her to No. 1 on the singer chart with 265 million yen in tax paid on income of more than 700 million yen. And for the still pimple-faced Matsuzaka, he jumped all the way to No. 11 among pro athletes, paying 90 million yen in tax on 250 million yen in income. "Smiley" Daisuke, reports gushed, added so much luster to the Seibu company that its stock jumped at least 1.1 billion yen in value this year (about $11 million).

What I noticed more about the top player list though, was the glaring absence of any soccer players. Sure Hidetoshi Nakata has fled these shores (maybe he is getting all his dough in lira, and banking it in Switzerland) but you would think with the next World Cup of soccer fast approaching that maybe enthusiasm, attendance and even salaries would be climbing.