Japan - List of Champions


The first ever official football match in Japan was an Interport Match between the Kobe Regatta and Athletic Club (KR&AC) and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club (YC&AC) on 18 Feb 1888, won by Kobe.

list of final tables


since introduction of league championship
1965    Toyo Kogyo (Hiroshima)  
1966    Toyo Kogyo (Hiroshima)
1967    Toyo Kogyo (Hiroshima)
1968    Toyo Kogyo (Hiroshima)
1969    Mitsubishi Motors (Urawa)       
1970    Toyo Kogyo (Hiroshima)
1971    Yanmar Diesel (Osaka)
1972    Hitachi (Tokyo)         
1973    Mitsubishi Motors (Urawa)
1974    Yanmar Diesel (Osaka)
1975    Yanmar Diesel (Osaka)
1976    East Furukawa (Yokohama)       
1977    Fujita (Tokyo)      
1978    Mitsubishi Motors (Urawa)
1979    Fujita (Tokyo)
1980    Yanmar Diesel (Osaka)
1981    Fujita (Tokyo)
1982    Mitsubishi Motors (Urawa)
1983    Yomiuri (Kawasaki)   
1984    Yomiuri (Kawasaki)
1985/86 East Furukawa (Yokohama)
1986/87 Yomiuri (Kawasaki)
1987/88 Yamaha Motors (Iwata)   
1988/89 Nissan (Yokohama)              
1989/90 Nissan (Yokohama)
1990/91 Yomiuri (Kawasaki)
1991/92 Yomiuri (Kawasaki)

In 1993 the professional J-League was introduced; following name changes
took place:

East Furukawa (Yokohama)  became  JEF United Ichihara
Fujita (Tokyo)            became  Bellmare Hiratsuka
Hitachi (Tokyo)           became  Kashiwa Reysol
Mitsubishi Motors (Urawa) became  Urawa Red Diamonds
Nissan (Yokohama)         became  Yokohama Marinos
Sumitomo (Kashima)        became  Kashima Antlers
Toyo Kogyo (Hiroshima)    became  Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Toyota FC (Nagoya)        became  Nagoya Grampus Eight
Yamaha Motors (Iwata)     became  Jubilo Iwata
Yomiuri (Kawasaki)        became  Verdy Kawasaki

In 1997:
Fujitsu (Kawasaki)        became  Kawasaki Frontale

1993    Verdy Kawasaki
1994    Verdy Kawasaki
1995    Yokohama Marinos
1996    Kashima Antlers
1997    Jubilo Iwata
1998    Kashima Antlers
1999    Jubilo Iwata
2000    Kashima Antlers
2001    Kashima Antlers
2002    Jubilo Iwata    
2003    Yokohama F. Marinos
2004    Yokohama F. Marinos
2005    Gamba Osaka
2006    Urawa Red Diamonds
2007    Kashima Antlers  
2008    Kashima Antlers  
2009    Kashima Antlers  
2010    Nagoya Grampus Eight
2011    Kashiwa Reysol
2012    Sanfrecce Hiroshima
2013    Sanfrecce Hiroshima
2014    Gamba Osaka
2015    Sanfrecce Hiroshima
2016    Kashima Antlers  
2017    Kawasaki Frontale
2018    Kawasaki Frontale
2019    Yokohama F. Marinos
2020    Kawasaki Frontale
2021    Kawasaki Frontale
2022    Yokohama F. Marinos 
2023    Vissel Kobe
2024 

Number of Titles (58; J-League titles (31) between square brackets)

 8 [ 8] Kashima Antlers [formerly Sumitomo]
 8 [ 3] Sanfrecce Hiroshima [includes 5 as Toyo Kogyo]

 7 [ 2] Verdy Kawasaki [includes 5 as Yomiuri]
 7 [ 5] Yokohama F. Marinos [includes 1 as Yokohama Marinos, 2 as Nissan]

 5 [ 1] Urawa Red Diamonds [includes 4 as Mitsubishi Motors]

 4      Cerezo Osaka [all 4 as Yanmar Diesel]
 4 [ 3] Jubilo Iwata [includes 1 as Yamaha Motors]
 4 [ 4] Kawasaki Frontale [formerly Fujitsu]

 3      Bellmare Hiratsuka [all 3 as Fujita]

 2 [ 2] Gamba Osaka [formerly Matsushita]
 2      JEF United Ichihara [both as East Furukawa]
 2 [ 1] Kashiwa Reysol [includes 1 as Hitachi]

 1 [ 1] Nagoya Grampus Eight [formerly Toyota]
 1 [ 1] Vissel Kobe


About this document

Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Hans Schöggl
Last updated: 21 Feb 2024

(C) Copyright Hans Schöggl and RSSSF 1998/2024
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