List of Japanese football champions
Japanese football champions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Japanese football champions are the winners of the top league in Japan, the Japan Soccer League from 1965 to 1992 and the J.League since then.
| Japanese League (1st tier) |
|---|
| Japan Soccer League (1965–1971) Japan Soccer League Division 1 (1972–1992) J.League (1993–1998) J.League Division 1 (1999–2014) J1 League (2015–present) |
| Country |
 Japan |
| Founded |
| 1965 |
| Number of teams |
| 20 (2024) |
| Current champions |
| Kashima Antlers (2025) |
| Most successful club |
| Kashima Antlers (9 titles) |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy are the only teams that have won the title four times in a row (in 1965–1968 as Toyo Industries and in 1991–1994 as Yomiuri S.C./Verdy Kawasaki, respectively). Notice that from 1985 to 1992 Japanese football adjusted to the "fall-spring" season schedule (common in most of Europe) but after establishment of J.League switched back to "spring-fall" scheme (common in North America, East Asia, and Nordic European latitudes).
List of champions
Teams in bold have completed the double of the title and the Emperor's Cup in the same season. In 1985 no double was possible due to the season's timeframe change; thus, the doubles completed between then and 1992 are won in the middle of the season.
Numbers in parentheses indicate number of wins at the date. Leading goalscorer's nationality is at the time of award and does not necessarily indicate the national team played for.
Before the professional era (1965–1992)
Japan Soccer League (1965–1971)
| Season | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyo Industries | Yawata Steel | Furukawa Electric |  Mutsuhiko Nomura (Hitachi) | 15 | |
| Toyo Industries (2) | Yawata Steel | Furukawa Electric | Aritatsu Ogi (Toyo Industries) | 14 | |
| Toyo Industries (3) | Furukawa Electric | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Takeo Kimura (Furukawa Electric) | 15 | |
| Toyo Industries (4) | Yanmar Diesel | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Kunishige Kamamoto (Yanmar Diesel) | 14 | |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Toyo Industries | Yawata Steel | Hiroshi Ochiai (Mitsubishi Motors) | 12 | |
| Toyo Industries (5) | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Hitachi SC | Kunishige Kamamoto (Yanmar Diesel) | 16 | |
| Yanmar Diesel | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Nippon Steel | Kunishige Kamamoto (Yanmar Diesel) | 11 |
Japan Soccer League Division 1 (1972–1992)
In 1972, the Japan Soccer League expanded to two divisions with the introduction of a Second Division, and the top flight became known as the Japan Soccer League Division 1.
Professional era (1993–present)
In 1992, the J.League was established as Japan's first professional football league. All clubs selected to participate in the new league relinquished their corporate identities and adopted independent club names.
From 1993 to 2005 (except in 1996), and again in 2015 and 2016, the league was contested under an Apertura and Clausura format. Consequently, the runners-up for those seasons are the winners of one stage who lost to the winners of the championship playoff. The third-placed club are the highest-ranked team in the aggregate table that did not participate in the playoff. If no playoff was held because the same club won both stages, the third-placed club is the team with the second-highest points total in the aggregate table.
J.League (1993–1998)
| Season | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Leading goalscorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transition period; top flight clubs only play the J.League Cup, but Japan Football League plays inaugural season | |||||
| Verdy Kawasaki (6) | Kashima Antlers | Shimizu S-Pulse |  Ramón Díaz (Yokohama Marinos) | 28 | |
| Verdy Kawasaki (7) | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Kashima Antlers |  Frank Ordenewitz (JEF United Ichihara) | 30 | |
| Yokohama Marinos (3) | Verdy Kawasaki | Nagoya Grampus Eight | Masahiro Fukuda (Urawa Red Diamonds) | 32 | |
| Kashima Antlers | Nagoya Grampus Eight | Yokohama Flügels | Kazuyoshi Miura (Verdy Kawasaki) | 23 | |
| Júbilo Iwata (2) | Kashima Antlers | Yokohama Marinos |  Patrick M'Boma (Gamba Osaka) | 25 | |
| Kashima Antlers (2) | Júbilo Iwata | Shimizu S-Pulse | Masashi Nakayama (Júbilo Iwata) | 36 | |
J.League Division 1 (1999–2014)
In 1999, the J.League expanded to two divisions with the introduction of a Second Division, and the top flight became known as the J.League Division 1.
† Treble with the J.League Cup
J1 League (2015–present)
In 2015, the J.League Division 1 was renamed the J1 League.
Total titles won
Fourteen clubs have won the Japanese top flight title, although only eleven have been champions since the establishment of the J.League. Of those eleven clubs, Kashima Antlers, Gamba Osaka, Nagoya Grampus, Kawasaki Frontale, and Vissel Kobe have never won the Japan Soccer League title. Of these, Vissel Kobe never competed in the former Japan Soccer League Division 1.
All Japanese champion clubs still exist and currently compete in the J.League. However, some have relocated from the cities in which they won their Japan Soccer League titles, while others have severed ties with their original parent companies.
Clubs in bold compete in the J1 League as of the 2025 season. Italics indicates defunct clubs.
Professional J.League era (1993–present)
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kashima Antlers | 9 |
3 |
1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2025 | 1993, 1997, 2017 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 5 |
5 |
1995, 2003, 2004, 2019, 2022 | 2000, 2002, 2013, 2021, 2023 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 4 |
4 |
2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 | 2006, 2008, 2009, 2022 |
| Júbilo Iwata | 3 |
3 |
1997, 1999, 2002 | 1998, 2001, 2003 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3 |
3 |
2012, 2013, 2015 | 1994, 2018, 2024 |
| Gamba Osaka | 2 |
3 |
2005, 2014 | 2010, 2015, 2020 |
| Tokyo Verdy | 2 |
1 |
1993, 1994 | 1995 |
| Vissel Kobe | 2 |
0 |
2023, 2024 | |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 1 |
5 |
2006 | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2016 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 1 |
2 |
2010 | 1996, 2011 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 1 |
1 |
2011 | 2025 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 0 |
1 |
1999 | |
| Vegalta Sendai | 0 |
1 |
2012 | |
| FC Tokyo | 0 |
1 |
2019 |
All-time (1965–present)
Total titles won by prefecture
This is a breakdown of titles won by prefecture. As some clubs have relocated between cities both before and during the J.League era, titles are attributed to the prefectures in which the clubs are currently based. Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Júbilo Iwata, Yokohama F. Marinos, Cerezo Osaka, Nagoya Grampus, and Kawasaki Frontale are the only champion clubs that have remained based in their respective cities throughout their histories.
Professional J.League era (1993–present)
| Prefecture | Number of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
 Ibaraki |
9 |
Kashima Antlers (9) |
 Kanagawa |
9 |
Yokohama F. Marinos (5), Kawasaki Frontale (4) |
 Shizuoka |
3 |
Júbilo Iwata (3) |
 Hiroshima |
3 |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (3) |
 Osaka |
2 |
Gamba Osaka (2) |
 Tokyo |
2 |
Tokyo Verdy (2) |
 Hyōgo |
2 |
Vissel Kobe (2) |
 Saitama |
1 |
Urawa Red Diamonds (1) |
 Aichi |
1 |
Nagoya Grampus (1) |
 Chiba |
1 |
Kashiwa Reysol (1) |
All-time (1965–present)
| Prefecture | Number of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Kanagawa |
14 |
Yokohama F. Marinos (7), Kawasaki Frontale (4), Shonan Bellmare (3) |
| Ibaraki |
9 |
Kashima Antlers (9) |
| Hiroshima |
8 |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (8) |
| Tokyo |
7 |
Tokyo Verdy (7) |
| Osaka |
6 |
Cerezo Osaka (4), Gamba Osaka (2) |
| Saitama |
5 |
Urawa Red Diamonds (5) |
| Shizuoka |
4 |
Júbilo Iwata (4) |
| Chiba |
4 |
Kashiwa Reysol (2), JEF United Chiba (2) |
| Hyōgo |
2 |
Vissel Kobe (2) |
| Aichi |
1 |
Nagoya Grampus (1) |
Total titles won by region
This is a breakdown of titles won by region. Note that the Japan Football Association (JFA) divides Japan into nine football regions rather than the traditional eight geographical regions, with Chūbu split into Hokushin'etsu (combining Hokuriku and Shin'etsu) and Tōkai. See the Japanese Regional Leagues for further details.
Professional J.League era (1993–present)
| Region | Number of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Kantō | 22 |
Kashima Antlers (9), Yokohama F. Marinos (5), Kawasaki Frontale (4), Tokyo Verdy (2), Urawa Red Diamonds (1), Kashiwa Reysol (1) |
| Tōkai | 4 |
Júbilo Iwata (3), Nagoya Grampus (1) |
| Kansai | 4 |
Gamba Osaka (2), Vissel Kobe (2) |
| Chūgoku | 3 |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (3) |
All-time (1965–present)
| Region | Number of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Kantō | 39 |
Kashima Antlers (9), Tokyo Verdy (7), Yokohama F. Marinos (7), Urawa Red Diamonds (5), Kawasaki Frontale (4), Shonan Bellmare (3), JEF United Chiba (2), Kashiwa Reysol (2) |
| Chūgoku | 8 |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (8) |
| Kansai | 8 |
Cerezo Osaka (4), Gamba Osaka (2), Vissel Kobe (2) |
| Tōkai | 5 |
Júbilo Iwata (4), Nagoya Grampus (1) |