The head of the USSF Overseas Referees Branch, Mr. Mack Alarcon and his Assistant Mr. Bill Shelton visited Japan from 19 May to 02 June 1999.  They were hosted by the Japan American Sports Officials Association (JASOA) and stayed at the United States Naval Base in Yokosuka.

This was Mack Alarcon's second visit (he had visited Yokosuka in 1997) and Bill Shelton's first.

The timing of their visit had been carefully arranged so that it would coincide with the Kanto Plain Invitational Tournament, the most important  U-17 girls tournament in Japan which features teams from various international and U.S. Military schools in the country, held in Yokosuka 21-22 May. More importantly, the Department of Defense Educational Activies (DoDEA) Far East Tournament, the biggest U-17 military high school boys soccer Tournament in Asia, was also scheduled to take place in Yokosuka a week later from 27-29 May. As USSF Referees from all corners of Japan would be present in Yokosuka to officiate both events, this represented the perfect opportunity for Mack and Bill to conduct a one-week long clinic to prepare the Referees for the Far East Tournament. It was also the chance for them to meet many of the USSF Referees in Japan for the first time.

The clinic covered a variety of topics from basic entry level to  advanced Referee material as well as Instructor and Assessor training. 

 Also present at the clinic were FIFA Referee (retired) Leslie Mottram of Scotland (FIFA World Cup USA '94, UEFA EURO '96) and Referee Hiroshi Yamaguchi of Japan. Both officiate in the Japanese Professional League and entertain strong professional and personal relationships with Referees of the JASOA.  Mr. Mottram and Mr. Yamaguchi offered their advice and encouragement and officiated games in both the girls and boys tournaments demonstrating to all present what Mack and Bill had been teaching. 

The clinic was a success in every aspects and will be remembered by the Referees who were part of it.

On 30 May, Mr. Alarcon and Mr. Shelton travelled to Tokyo for a meeting with the President of the Japan Football Association (JFA), Mr. Shun-Ichiro Okano. The meeting, a courtesy visit, had been arranged by FIFA Assistant Referee Noboru Ishiyama, a friend of the Soccer Referee Commissioner in Yokosuka. Mr. Alarcon expressed his gratitude for the instruction and the advice that the Japanese Referees were providing to the USSF Referees in Japan as it permitted them to greatly improve their skills and performance.

Mr. Alarcon  and Mr. Okano also exchanged pennants and souvenirs.

(from left to right):  FIFA Referee (retired)  Shizuo Takada (JFA Director of Referees), Mr. Junji Ogura (JFA Vice-President),    Mr. Shun-Ichiro Okano (JFA President), Mack Alarcon, Bill Shelton  and Andre Colomas (Yokosuka).

(from left to right): FIFA Assistant Referee Noboru Ishiyama, Bill Shelton and Mack Alarcon.