A national second tier of Japanese league
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
was first established in 1972, as the
Japan Soccer League Second Division
, or JSL, was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional ...
. In 1992, with the breakup of the JSL and restructuring of the
top flight
Top Flight (April 15, 1929 – 1949) was an American U.S. Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. She was the leading American filly of her generation at two and three years of age.
Background
Bred in Kentucky by the very prominent horseman Harry ...
into the
J.League, the
(former) Japan Football League became the second tier. In 1999 the J.League has established a second division (officially known as
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 ...
).
Japan Soccer League Second Division (1972–1992)
Numbers in parentheses indicate number of wins at the date.
† Not promoted to Division 1 due to losing promotion/relegation series
‡ Not promoted to the newly formed J.League
(former) Japan Football League Division 1 (1992–1993)
An extra season of Japanese football was done by 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 ...
in late 1992, as the top flight clubs were still re-organizing and adopting new identities before the J.League kicked off in 1993.
† Not promoted to J.League
(former) Japan Football League (1994–1998)
In 1994, the Japan Football League Division 2 was abolished.
† Not promoted to J.League ( J1 after 1998)
J2 League (1999–present)
From 1999 to 2014 the league was known as J.League Division 2.
† Not promoted to J1
‡ Not promoted to J1 due to losing promotion/relegation series
For play-off winners, the number in parentheses indicates their position after the end of the season.
Total wins
Clubs in bold compete in J2 as of
2023 season. Clubs in ''italic'' no longer exist.
Years in ''italic'' indicate seasons of amateur football (Japan Soccer League D2 and former Japan Football League).
See also
*
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional ...
*
Japan Football League (1992–1998)
The former was an association football league that existed from 1992 to 1998. Also known as the JFL, it was the 2nd tier of the Japanese football hierarchy following J.League.
History
When the Japan Football Association decided to found a p ...
*
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 ...
*
List of Japanese football champions
The Japanese football champions are the winners of the top league in Japan, the Japan Soccer League from 1965 to 1992 and the J1 League since then.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy are the only teams that have won the title four times in a row ...
*
List of winners of J3 League and predecessors
{{Japanese Club Football, group=second
Winners
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.
It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...
Japan Soccer League
Japan Football League (1992–1998)
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 ...