The 2023 J3 League, referred to as the for sponsorship reasons, will be the 10th season of the

J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of . It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan. The third-tier nationwide league is a relatively recent development in Japanese football with a first attempt ...

under its current name.

Changes from the previous season

Iwaki FC is a football (soccer) club based in Iwaki, a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The club will play in J2 League from 2023 season, which is the 2nd level in the Japanese football pyramid. History Founder Club Iwaki FC was founded in 20 ...

and

Fujieda MYFC are a Japanese J2 League football club based in Fujieda, Shizuoka. It is funded by online subscribers and is the first of its kind in Japan. The club spent two seasons in the Japan Football League before having their application accepted in 20 ...

were promoted to the

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

after being champions and runners-up of last season's J3. FC Ryukyu and

Iwate Grulla Morioka is a Japanese association football club based in Morioka, Iwate. It played in the inaugural season of J3 League in 2014 after winning the Tohoku Soccer League, one of the Japanese Regional Leagues, in 2013. Iwate played in the J3 until 2021, wh ...

were relegated from the

after relatively short stint at the 2nd division, with Ryukyu spending four seasons, and Iwate spending just a single season. The clubs finished as 21st and 22nd-placed team at the 2022 J2 League, respectively.

Nara Club is a Japanese football (soccer) club based in the city of Nara, capital of Nara Prefecture. They currently play in J3 League, the third tier professional in the Japanese football league system. History The club was originally established ...

and

FC Osaka is a Japanese football club based in Higashiōsaka, Osaka Prefecture. They play in J3 League, the third tier of professional league football in the Japanese football league system. History FC Osaka was founded in 1996. 11 years after its founda ...

were promoted to the J3 League after being respectively, champions and runners-up of last season's JFL. Both teams are making their debut in the J3 League after obtaining a J.League License, to enable their promotion from the JFL.

Promotion and relegation

This season will be the first to feature promotion/relegation from the

Japan Football League The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League associate membership am ...

, enabling the possibility for teams to be relegated from the J3. The system of promotion/relegation between the leagues can be determined by the eligibility (Promotion to J3 requires a J.League license) of the JFL's champions and runners-up for the season. *If only the JFL champions holds a license, there will be automatic promotion/relegation with the J3's 20th-placed team. *If only the JFL runners-up holds a license, there will be promotion/relegation play-offs with the J3's 20th-placed team. *If both the JFL champions and runners-up hold a license, there will be automatic promotion/relegation between the JFL champions and the J3's 20th-placed team, and promotion/relegation play-offs with the J3's 19th-placed team. *If both the JFL champions and runners-up do not hold a license, no promotion/relegation between J3 and JFL will take place. The dates and the host teams of the promotion/relegation play-off were pre-determined by the J.League. In case it happens, it will be played in two legs on 9 and 16 December, with the J3 team hosting the second leg.

Participating clubs

Personnel and kits

Managerial changes

Transfers

The winter transfer window will go from 6 January to 31 March, while the summer transfer window will go from 21 July to 18 August.

Foreign players

From the 2021 season onwards, there is no limitations on signing foreign players, but clubs could only register up to five of them for a single matchday squad. Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Qatar) were exempted from these restrictions. *Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the January/February transfer window. *Player's name in ''italics'' indicates the player has Japanese nationality in addition to their FIFA nationality, holds the nationality of a J.League partner nation, or is exempt from being treated as a foreign player due to having been born in Japan and being enrolled in, or having graduated from an approved type of school in the country.

League table

Stadiums

Primary venues to be used in the 2023 J3 League season:

Season statistics

''Will be updated as the season starts''.

References

External links

Official website
JLeague.jp {{Japanese Club Football, group=third J3 League seasons 3

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...