The season will finally kick off on the Sept 30th/Oct 1st weekend (save for a few teams that have expressed their availability to play in the earlier weeks)!

As written by the past operations managers on the "about" page, (http://www.footyjapancompetitions.com/about-footy-japan-competitions) the league serves "to provide an organised, competitive football infrastructure for the international community of Japan" and "to enhance international relations through football".
But such goals can only be accomplished with the cooperation of the team managers. When teams are unorganised and have no international showing within them, it inevitably drags the league further away from its goals. This is certainly a trend that has been observed by many of the long time players of the league and has been noticed by footyjapan officials as well. But very little has been done about it and very little can be done about it from footyjapan's side. To reiterate, team managers play a pivotal role in how the league is presented.
If multiple teams forfeit through out the season, players participating in the league won't feel like they are being provided "organised, competitive football" (it's not organised if clubs can't field a team out). 
If multiple teams have an overbearing reliance on using cross division players, players participating in the league won't feel like they are being provided "organised, competitive football" (there is no competitive integrity if teams are relying on another team's players).

At times, it just seems like the TML is providing football. Not organised football, not honorable competitive football, just plain old football that you would expect from a pickup session (random players playing with each other for the first time, little to no team spirit). While there is nothing wrong with wanting to participate in pick up football, we'd like to see more from a club that participates in a league. Clubs should have their own unique identity, there should be team bonding, there should be recognizable core players present at most of the games. We understand that it is a lot of work for the captains. But it is crucial work, the work that makes the difference between a pickup session and a league game. 
Participating in an official league of any activity means you get to play with a fixed team over the course of the season. This is an experience that cannot be replicated in pickup football. If captains are not keen on having a solid core of committed players and are OK with having a different squad every match, then it would make more sense to join pickup football sessions rather than a league.

As mentioned, it has been 20 years since the league started. Times have changed. Methods of collecting players have changed. In my honest opinion and experience, it is very easy to collect players through social media and websites. They might not be committed, or might not be up to the standard of the division you are playing in. But getting bodies out on the pitch has never been easier. Getting them to commit to the season is a whole different issue. Just like how it is easy to find players through social media and websites, players can find plenty of alternatives to play football using the same means.

This is where the manager plays a role in ensuring those players commit to their team. By having a unique identity (group of lads that love to drink and play football, group of foreigners all from a particular country, group of guys that all live nearby etc) you have a much higher chance of getting players to return to you. Players will find it difficult to commit to a team that always seems to have different players, and consequently, always seem to have a different identity. If the team itself isn't committed, to who/what is the new player joining committing themselves to?

In the long run, managing an uncommitted group of players will be more work. Every other game, you will lack numbers and have people dropping out leaving you scrambling around for players. If you form a core of committed individuals, the team runs itself. 

Random preregistrations/cross division players are a short term solution that don't contribute to a long term team bonding. Teams will encounter moments where they do need to make the emergency callup from another division, but that shouldn't be a consistent theme throughout the season. Cross division players have been making an increasing amount of appearances in the league, leaving very little compet