The

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 n ...

ese

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

league system A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport. They are often called pyramids, due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions further down the system. League systems of some sort are used in many sports in ...

is organized in a pyramidal shape similar to football league systems in many other countries around the world. The leagues are bound by the principle of

promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...

; however, there are stringent criteria for promotion from the JFL to J3, which demands a club being backed by the town itself including the local government, a community of fans and corporate sponsors rather than a parent company or a

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and ...

Overview

The top three levels of the Japanese football league system are operated by the J. League, which consists of

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the ...

(J1),

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 Y ...

, and

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 ...

. All of the clubs in the J. League are fully professional. The fourth level, 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 a ...

(JFL) is a semi-professional league consisting of amateur, professional, and company clubs from all over Japan. At the fifth and sixth levels, nine parallel regional leagues are operated by nine different regional football associations, some of which have multiple divisions. The regional associations are divided by political or geographical boundaries. At the seventh level and below, parallel prefectural leagues are hosted by each of the 47 different prefectural football associations, again divided by political or geographical boundaries. Some have multiple divisions.

Men's system

Structure

Level I, II & III: J. League

J. League governs the top three levels of the Japanese football pyramid and comprises a total of 60 clubs, all of which are fully professional and are divided into three divisions,

(J1),

(J2) and

(J3). Eighteen (18) clubs make up the top flight and have access to the Asian premier football competition,

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

. Division 2 now has 22 clubs, after 2 new clubs were promoted into the system in 2012. Division 3 now has 20 clubs, after 2 new clubs were promoted into the system in 2023. Starting from the 2024 season, the three J. League Divisions will consist of 20 teams. All J. League clubs enter the

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...

directly and receive a bye in the 1st round, but only the Division 1 clubs qualify for the

J. League Cup The is a Japanese Association football, football (soccer) competition organized by J.League. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since its inception in 1992. It is also known as the or ...

. In the past, Division 1 teams started from the fourth round and Division 2 teams started from the third round. Nowadays, they all start from the second round due to the expansion of Division 2, this results in some eliminations of professional teams by regional teams in the early stages.

Level I: J1 League (18 clubs (20 clubs from 2024))

;Asian qualification :Currently, through the league games, the J. League champions, runners-up, and third-placed teams qualify for the

. The other means of qualification is the

; however this also gives clubs below level I the possibility of qualification (if they hold a J1 and AFC club license). If one of the top three finishers also wins the Emperor's Cup title, the 4th-placed club receives the final qualification spot. ;Relegation (to J2) :Until 2017 season, the bottom three clubs (16th, 17th and 18th) were automatically relegated to

. Currently, the 17th and 18th positions will be automatically demoted, and the 16th position will be relegated when losing to the J2 team winner of the J1 promotion playoffs. For 2023, 18th position will be automatically relegated will back to 20 clubs from 2024 after expand in 2021 since COVID-19.

Level II: J2 League (22 clubs (20 clubs from 2024))

;Promotion (to J1) :There are three promotion spots available to clubs in J2. The champions and runners-up receive automatic promotion, and the clubs finishing 3rd to 6th participate in playoffs for the remaining promotion spot. To be promoted, a club is obliged to meet all the criteria required for membership of Division 1, although no club in the past has been denied promotion for failing to meet the requirements. ;Relegation (to J3) :Up to two of the top J3 clubs may be promoted to J2 if they have a

J. League Associate Membership J.League 100 Year Plan club status, is a status given to Japanese non-league football clubs. The applicant must have an intention to become a professional club and to join the professional league, J.League, that governs the top three levels of the ...

. Subsequently, up to two of the bottom J2 clubs might be relegated to J3. From 2024, three lower teams have been automatically relegated to J3.

Level III: J3 League (20 clubs)

Rules for promotion to J2 is largely similar to those of

in the recent seasons: to be promoted, a club must hold a J2 license and finish in top 2 of the league. Until the 2016 season, the champions were promoted directly, in exchange with the 22nd-placed J2 club; and the runners-up participated in the playoffs with the 21st J2 club. Currently, the champions and runners-up receive automatic promotion. If either or both top 2 finishers are ineligible for promotion, the playoffs and/or direct exchange is not held in accordance to the exact positions of promotion-eligible clubs. As of 2021, there is no relegation system from J3 League other than withdrawal from the J. League due to non-issuance of a license. In November that year, J.League Chairman Murai announced that promotion from and relegation to the JFL had been planned following after 2023 season. ;Promotion (to J2) :There are two promotion spots available to clubs in J3. From 2024, two top teams have been automatically promoted, 3rd to 6th place will face promotion play-off to J2. ; Relegation (to JFL) :Relegation from J3 to JFL will be introduced for the 2023 or 2024 season, after 2022 did not feature relegation.

Level IV: Japan Football League (16 clubs)

The

(JFL) is the fourth level in the Japanese football pyramid, and is known as the highest level for amateur club football. Prior to 2010, the JFL was governed by

Japan Football Association The Japan Football Association (JFA, ) is the governing body responsible for the administration of football, futsal, beach soccer and efootball in Japan. It is responsible for the national team, as well as club competitions. History The organi ...

(JFA); since 2010, the JFL became independent from the Japan FA with its own status and governing body, and consists mainly of amateur football clubs and company teams, though some fully professional clubs (J. League associate members) also exist. Due to presence of these professional clubs, the league has de facto semi-professional status. Clubs at this level and below enter the

indirectly; most clubs qualify through cup tournaments contested in individual prefectures; the top JFL club at the halfway point of the season may qualify directly. However, if they have also won their respective prefectural cup, the prefectural cup runners-up take their place in the indirect round. ;Promotion (to J3): :Clubs in the JFL must meet following criteria to receive promotion to the professional league. ;*Have

;*Finish in the top four in JFL and top two among promotion-eligible clubs ;*Have an average attendance of more than 2,000 with a significant effort to achieve 3,000. ;*Pass a final inspection by the J. League professional committee ;Relegation (to Regional Leagues) :The number of relegated clubs varies from 0 to 3 depending on the number of clubs promoted to the J3 League and/or the number of clubs disbanded. Depending on the number, the teams ranked 15th and 16th at the end of the season are automatically relegated to their respective Regional Leagues. The team ranked 14th may have to contest a promotion/relegation series to survive relegation. Clubs will be relegated to their designated Regional League (i.e. a club from Tokyo will be relegated to the Kanto League, even if the promoted club is not from the Kanto League).

Level V/VI: 9 Japanese Regional Leagues

In modern Japan, the country is divided into 9 different regions. From North to South they are

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

, Touhoku, Kantou, Tokai, Hokushin-etsu ( Hokuriku+

Shin-etsu is the largest chemical company in Japan, ranked No. 9 in Forbes Global 2000 for chemical sector. Shin-Etsu has the largest global market share for polyvinyl chloride, semiconductor silicon, and photomask substrates. The company was named ...

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

, Chugoku, and

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. Each region has its own football league, and they make up 9 parallel football leagues governed by designated regional FAs. The Hokkaido, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu Regional Leagues have only one division, whereas others have two divisions. On top of that, Touhoku Division 2 is divided into Division 2 North and Division 2 South. Because of differences in structure, each region has its own promotion and relegation regulations between the divisions. Aside from the Emperor's Cup, clubs at this level and the levels immediately below play in the

All Japan Senior Football Championship The , officially called the All Japan Adults Football Tournament, is a football (soccer) cup competition in Japan. It is run by the Japan Football Association. As it only involves non-league teams (teams not affiliated to either J.League or the ...

(''Shakaijin Cup''), qualifying through prefectural cups. Some Regional Leagues may have their own League Cups as well (Kanto, Kansai). ;Promotion (to JFL) :At the end of the season, the champions and certain runners-up from the 9 Regional Leagues qualify to the Japan Regional Football Champions League. The winners and runners-up of the tournament receive promotion to the JFL. The 3rd-placed club may either contest a promotion/relegation series match against the JFL club ranked 14th or receive direct promotion depending on the number of clubs promoted to J3 and whether any clubs have been disbanded. ;Relegation (to ) :Different regulations for each Regional League.

Level VII+: 46 Prefectural Leagues & Hokkaido Blocks

Under the 9 regions, there are 47 prefectures. Hokkaido is by itself as a prefecture, thus the leagues in Hokkaido do not have a prefectural league and are rather divided into 5 blocks (North, Central, East, Sapporo, and South); however, all other 46 prefectures have Prefectural leagues. Most if not all, of these leagues have multiple divisions. ;Promotion (to Regional League) :Different regulations for each Regional League. ;Relegation (to Municipal Leagues) :Different regulations for each Regional League.

History of the Japanese league system's national tiers

Women's system

As of 2022–23 season, all clubs in the top two tiers enter the Empress's Cup directly, with the clubs below having to qualify through regional tournaments. The top tier clubs also qualify to the WE League Cup.