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 Founded 1965 Number of teams 20 (2024) Current champions Kashima Antlers (2025) Most successful club Kashima Antlers (9 titles) 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.
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) SeasonChampions(number of titles)Runners-upThird placeLeading 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. SeasonChampions(number of titles)Runners-upThird placeLeading goalscorer Goals Hitachi SC Yanmar Diesel Toyo Industries Akira Matsunaga (Hitachi) 12 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (2) Hitachi SC Yanmar Diesel Akira Matsunaga (Hitachi) 11 Yanmar Diesel (2) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hitachi SC Kunishige Kamamoto (Yanmar Diesel) 21 Yanmar Diesel (3) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hitachi SC Kunishige Kamamoto (Yanmar Diesel) 17 Furukawa Electric Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Fujita Industries Kunishige Kamamoto (Yanmar Diesel) 15 Fujita Industries Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hitachi SC Carvalho (Fujita Industries) 23 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (3)† Yanmar Diesel Fujita Industries Kunishige Kamamoto (Yanmar Diesel) Carvalho (Fujita Industries) 15 Fujita Industries (2) Yomiuri SC Hitachi SC Ruy Ramos (Yomiuri) 14 Yanmar Diesel (4) Fujita Industries Furukawa Electric Hiroyuki Usui (Hitachi) 14 Fujita Industries (3) Yomiuri SC Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hiroshi Yoshida (Furukawa Electric) 14 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (4) Yanmar Diesel Furukawa Electric Hiroyuki Usui (Hitachi) 13 Yomiuri SC Nissan Motors Fujita Industries Ruy Ramos (Yomiuri) 10 Yomiuri SC (2) Nissan Motors Yamaha Motors Tetsuya Totsuka (Yomiuri) 14 Furukawa Electric (2) NKK SC Honda Motors Hiroshi Yoshida (Furukawa Electric) 16 Yomiuri SC (3) NKK SC Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Toshio Matsuura (NKK) 17 Yamaha Motors NKK SC Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Toshio Matsuura (NKK) 11 Nissan Motors† ANA SC Yamaha Motors Adílson (Yamaha Motors) 11 Nissan Motors (2)† Yomiuri SC ANA SC Renato (Nissan Motors) 17 Yomiuri SC (4) Nissan Motors Honda Motors Tetsuya Totsuka (Yomiuri) Tsuyoshi Kitazawa (Honda Motors) Renato (Nissan Motors) 10 Yomiuri SC (5) Nissan Motors Yamaha Motors Toninho (Yomiuri) 18 † Treble with the JSL Cup
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) SeasonChampions(number of titles)Runners-upThird placeLeading goalscorer Goals 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. SeasonChampions(number of titles)Runners-upThird placeLeading goalscorer Goals Júbilo Iwata (3) Shimizu S-Pulse Kashiwa Reysol Hwang Sun-hong (Cerezo Osaka) 24 Kashima Antlers (3)† Yokohama F. Marinos Kashiwa Reysol Masashi Nakayama (Júbilo Iwata) 20 Kashima Antlers (4) Júbilo Iwata JEF United Ichihara Will (Consadole Sapporo) 20 Júbilo Iwata (4) Yokohama F. Marinos Gamba Osaka Naohiro Takahara (Júbilo Iwata) 26 Yokohama F. Marinos (4) Júbilo Iwata JEF United Chiba Ueslei (Nagoya Grampus Eight) 22 Yokohama F. Marinos (5) Urawa Red Diamonds Gamba Osaka Emerson (Urawa Red Diamonds) 27 Gamba Osaka Urawa Red Diamonds Kashima Antlers Araújo (Gamba Osaka) 33 Urawa Red Diamonds (5) Kawasaki Frontale Gamba Osaka Washington (Urawa Red Diamonds) Magno Alves (Gamba Osaka) 26 Kashima Antlers (5) Urawa Red Diamonds Gamba Osaka Juninho (Kawasaki Frontale) 22 Kashima Antlers (6) Kawasaki Frontale Nagoya Grampus Marquinhos (Kashima Antlers) 21 Kashima Antlers (7) Kawasaki Frontale Gamba Osaka Ryoichi Maeda (Júbilo Iwata) 20 Nagoya Grampus Gamba Osaka Cerezo Osaka Joshua Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus) Ryoichi Maeda (Júbilo Iwata) 17 Kashiwa Reysol (2) Nagoya Grampus Gamba Osaka Joshua Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus) 19 Sanfrecce Hiroshima (6) Vegalta Sendai Urawa Red Diamonds Hisato Satō (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) 22 Sanfrecce Hiroshima (7) Yokohama F. Marinos Kawasaki Frontale Yoshito Ōkubo (Kawasaki Frontale) 26 Gamba Osaka (2)† Urawa Red Diamonds Kashima Antlers Yoshito Ōkubo (Kawasaki Frontale) 18 † Treble with the J.League Cup
J1 League (2015–present) In 2015, the J.League Division 1 was renamed the J1 League. SeasonChampions(number of titles)Runners-upThird placeLeading goalscorer Goals Sanfrecce Hiroshima (8) Gamba Osaka Urawa Red Diamonds Yoshito Ōkubo (Kawasaki Frontale) 23 Kashima Antlers (8) Urawa Red Diamonds Kawasaki Frontale Leandro (Vissel Kobe) Peter Utaka (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) 19 Kawasaki Frontale Kashima Antlers Cerezo Osaka Yū Kobayashi (Kawasaki Frontale) 23 Kawasaki Frontale (2) Sanfrecce Hiroshima Kashima Antlers Jô (Nagoya Grampus) 24 Yokohama F. Marinos (6) FC Tokyo Kashima Antlers Teruhito Nakagawa (Yokohama F. Marinos) Marcos Júnior (Yokohama F. Marinos) 15 Kawasaki Frontale (3) Gamba Osaka Nagoya Grampus Michael Olunga (Kashiwa Reysol) 28 Kawasaki Frontale (4) Yokohama F. Marinos Vissel Kobe Leandro Damião (Kawasaki Frontale) Daizen Maeda (Yokohama F. Marinos)23 Yokohama F. Marinos (7) Kawasaki Frontale Sanfrecce Hiroshima Thiago Santana (Shimizu S-Pulse) 14 Vissel Kobe Yokohama F. Marinos Sanfrecce Hiroshima Anderson Lopes (Yokohama F. Marinos) Yuya Osako (Vissel Kobe)22 Vissel Kobe (2) Sanfrecce Hiroshima Machida Zelvia Anderson Lopes (Yokohama F. Marinos) 24 Kashima Antlers (9) Kashiwa Reysol Kyoto Sanga Léo Ceará (Kashima Antlers) 21
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 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2025 1993, 1997, 2017 Yokohama F. Marinos 1995, 2003, 2004, 2019, 2022 2000, 2002, 2013, 2021, 2023 Kawasaki Frontale 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 2006, 2008, 2009, 2022 Júbilo Iwata 1997, 1999, 2002 1998, 2001, 2003 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2012, 2013, 2015 1994, 2018, 2024 Gamba Osaka 2005, 2014 2010, 2015, 2020 Tokyo Verdy 1993, 1994 1995 Vissel Kobe 2023, 2024, 2026 Urawa Red Diamonds 2006 2004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2016 Nagoya Grampus 2010 1996, 2011 Kashiwa Reysol 2011 2025 Shimizu S-Pulse 1999 Vegalta Sendai 2012 FC Tokyo 2019
All-time (1965–present) Club Champions Runners-up Winning seasons Runners-up seasons Kashima Antlers 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2025 1993, 1997, 2017 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 2012, 2013, 2015 1969, 1994, 2018, 2024 Yokohama F. Marinos 1988–89, 1989–90, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2019, 2022 1983, 1984, 1990–91, 1991–92, 2000, 2002, 2013, 2021, 2023 Tokyo Verdy 1983, 1984, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993, 1994 1979, 1981, 1989–90, 1995 Urawa Red Diamonds 1969, 1973, 1978, 1982, 2006 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2016 Cerezo Osaka 1971, 1974, 1975, 1980 1968, 1972, 1978, 1982 Kawasaki Frontale 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 2006, 2008, 2009, 2022 Júbilo Iwata 1987–88, 1997, 1999, 2002 1998, 2001, 2003 Shonan Bellmare 1977, 1979, 1981 1980 Gamba Osaka 2005, 2014 2010, 2015, 2020 Kashiwa Reysol 1972, 2011 1973, 2025 JEF United Chiba 1976, 1985–86 1967 Vissel Kobe 2023, 2024, 2026 Nagoya Grampus 2010 1996, 2011 NKK SC 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88 Nippon Steel Yawata 1965, 1966 Yokohama Flügels 1988–89 Shimizu S-Pulse 1999 Vegalta Sendai 2012 FC Tokyo 2019
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 Kashima Antlers (9) Kanagawa Yokohama F. Marinos (5), Kawasaki Frontale (4) Shizuoka Júbilo Iwata (3) Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima (3) Osaka Gamba Osaka (2) Tokyo Tokyo Verdy (2) Hyōgo Vissel Kobe (3) Saitama Urawa Red Diamonds (1) Aichi Nagoya Grampus (1) Chiba Kashiwa Reysol (1)
All-time (1965–present)