The Japan Diamond Softball League (JD.League) is a Japanese women's softball league that consists of 16 teams (8 in the East Division and 8 in the West Division). The league is the premier women's softball league in the country. The league was formed in 2022 and is headquartered in

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

, Tokyo. The JD.League is a member of the Japan Top League Alliance, which comprises the top-tier sports leagues in Japan. Nitori entered into the title partnership with the JD.League, and thus the league is officially called Nitori JD.League.

History

The first national women's softball league was founded in 1968, as the Japan Softball League. In 1994, the league's First Division expanded from 8 to 12 teams and adopted a postseason with the page playoff system. Since then, this season's format was lasted until 2021, although there were minor changes. In 2021, the league announced a new top-tier women's softball league is planned for 2022, the Japan Diamond Softball League (JD.League). All 12 teams from the First Division and four teams from the Second Division, i.e., 16 teams in total joined in the new league. The other remaining teams in the Second/Third Division and several fresh teams formed the reborn Japan Softball League. The opening game of the J.D. League was held between

Bic Camera Takasaki Bee Queen The are a Japanese women's softball team based in Takasaki, Gunma. The Bee Queen compete in the Japan Diamond Softball League (JD.League) as a member of the league's East Division. History The Bee Queen were founded in 1981, as Hitachi Takasaki ...

and

Toyota Red Terriers The are a Japanese women's softball team based in Toyota, Aichi. The Red Terriers compete in the Japan Diamond Softball League (JD.League) as a member of the league's West Division. History The Red Terriers were founded in 1948, as Toyota s ...

on March 28, 2022. Meanwhile, the Japan Softball League still exists as a de facto lower-tier league. Until now, the league is an industrial league, where most of the teams are owned by major companies and many players are their companies' employees. A player who is signing a professional contract is only a small portion.

Teams

The JD.League consists of 16 teams divided into two divisions with 8 teams each.

Format

The JD.League's regular season runs from late March to late October, with each team playing 29 games. The league's postseason tournament extends into mid-November. The league has a fixed membership like

NPB or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

and most sports leagues in the United States, which makes it that does not use a promotion and relegation process.Regulations
JD.League

Regular season

The JD.League consists of two divisions, the East Division and the West Division, which each has 8 teams. Each team plays 21-game Division Series against the seven other teams in its division, i.e., one home series, one away series and one neutral-site series. Furthermore, each team plays 8-game Inter-division Series against each team in the other division. Following the conclusion of the 29-game regular season, seven teams (the top three teams in each division and one wild card team) advance to a postseason tournament that determine the Grand Champion.

Postseason

Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams compete in the four-round postseason tournament (the two-round Playoffs and the two-round Diamond Series) with a single-elimination stepladder format. Each division winner directly advances to the Diamond Series. The second-place and third-place teams in each division, and the wild card team (either fourth-place team in each division with better winning percentages) advance to the Playoffs, that culminates in the Diamond Series. The Diamond Series is contested among the four teams (two division winners and two Playoffs winners) to determine the Grand Champion. The winner of the Diamond Series is referred to as the Grand Champion of JD.League.

Champions

Japan Softball League (1968–2021)

Until being formed the JD.League, the Japan Softball League was the top-tier league in the country from 1968 to 2021. The

won the most championships with 14 titles. From 2022 onwards, although the Japan Softball League is still acting, no longer it is the top-tier league.Teams
Japan Softball League * * * Runners-up are recorded only after 1994, when the postseason playoff introduction. * In 1968, 1969 and 1971 seasons, the spring (S) and autumn (A) tournament were held.

JD.League (2022–present)

Notes

References

External links

*
JD.League live stream

Japan Softball League
{{Sports leagues in Japan Women's sports leagues in Japan Sports leagues in Japan Professional sports leagues in Japan Softball competitions in Japan Softball competitions Softball in Japan Women's softball Softball Sports leagues established in 2022 2022 establishments in Japan