Major electronics maker Hitachi Ltd. will disband its once-mighty women's volleyball club next March, at the end of the upcoming season, as part of its restructuring drive, company officials said Monday.
The announcement came just two weeks before the opening of the 2000-01 season and followed the scrapping of fellow V-League club Unitika in July.
Both cases have shocked Japanese volleyball officials struggling to recapture Japan's position in the world game.
"I never thought the decision would be made like this, just before the start of a new season.
But we'll have to keep our composure throughout the season to get over it," Hitachi manager Kazunori Yoneda said.