Japanese association football league system
The Japanese association football league system 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; however, there are stringent criteria for promotion from the JFL to J2, which demands a club being backed by the town itself including the local government, a community of fans, corporate sponsors rather than a parent company or a corporation.
Overview
The top two levels of the Japanese football league system are operated by J. League, which consists of J. League Division 1 (J1) and J. League Division 2. All of the clubs in J. League are fully professional.
The third level, Japan Football League (JFL) is a semi-professional league consisting of amateur, professional, and company clubs from all over Japan.
At the fourth and fifth levels, nine parallel regional leagues are operated by nine different regional football associations. Some have multiple divisions. The regional associations are divided by political or geographical boundaries.
At the sixth level and below, parallel prefectural leagues are hosted by each of the 46 different prefectural football associations, again divided by political or geographical boundaries. Some have multiple divisions.
| Level |
Leagues/Divisions |
| I |
J. League Division 1 (J1)
18 clubs |
| II |
J. League Division 2 (J2)
22 clubs |
| III |
Japan Football League
18 clubs |
| IV/V |
9 Regional Leagues
129 clubs (2012 season)
Hokkaido (8 clubs)
Tohoku 1st (8 clubs) | Tohoku 2nd north (8 clubs) | Tohoku 2nd south (8 clubs)
Kanto 1st (10 clubs) | Kanto 2nd (10 clubs)
Tokai 1st (8 clubs) | Tokai 2nd (9 clubs)
Hokushin'etsu 1st (8 clubs) | Hokushin'etsu 2nd (8 clubs)
Kansai 1st (8 clubs) | Kansai 2nd (8 clubs)
Chugoku (10 clubs)
Shikoku (8 clubs)
Kyushu (10 clubs)
|
| V+/VI+ |
46 Prefectural Leagues & 4 Block Leagues of Hokkaido
many clubs
Dōhoku block (north) | Dōtō block (east) | Dōō block (central) | Dōnan block (south)
Aomori | Iwate | Miyagi | Akita | Yamagata | Fukushima
Ibaraki | Tochigi | Gunma | Saitama | Chiba | Tokyo | Kanagawa
Gifu | Shizuoka | Aichi | Mie
Niigata | Toyama | Ishikawa | Fukui | Yamanashi | Nagano
Shiga | Kyoto | Osaka | Hyogo | Nara | Wakayama
Tottori | Shimane | Okayama | Hiroshima | Yamaguchi
Tokushima | Kagawa | Ehime | Kochi
Fukuoka | Saga | Nagasaki | Kumamoto | Ōita | Miyazaki | Kagoshima | Okinawa
|
Structure
Level I & II: J. League
J. League governs the top two level of Japanese football pyramid and it consists of a total of 38 football clubs. All 38 clubs in J. League are fully professional and are divided into two divisions, J. League Division 1 (J1) and J. League Division 2 (J2). Eighteen (18) clubs make up the top flight and have access to the Asian premier football competition, AFC Champions League. Division 2 has 20 clubs; however, this number is expected to increase to 22 in the near future.
J. League Division 1 (18 Clubs)
- Asian Qualification
- Currently through the league games, the J. League champions, runner-ups, and third-places are allowed to qualify to the AFC Champions League. The other means of qualification is the Emperor's Cup; however this also gives clubs below level I the possibility of qualification. 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)
- Currently, bottom three clubs (16th, 17th and 18th places) are automatically relegated to J.League Division 2.
J. League Division 2 (22 Clubs)
- Promotion (to J1)
- Three clubs have access to promotion. The champions and runners-up receive automated promotion, and the clubs finished 3rd to 6th participate in playoffs for the remaining promotion spot. To be promoted, a club is obliged to meet all the Division 1 criteria (In the past, no club have been denied promotion due to this).
- Relegation (to JFL)
- It is planned that up to two top JFL clubs may be promoted if they fulfill the J. League criteria. Subsequently, up to two bottom J2 clubs might be relegated to JFL.[1]
The Japan Football League (JFL) is the third level in the Japanese football pyramid, and is known as the highest level for amateur club football. Prior to 2010 JFL was governed by Japan Football Association (JFA); since 2010, the JFL became independent from the Japan FA with its own status and governing body. It consists mainly of amateur football clubs and company teams, though some fully professional clubs (J. League associate members) do exist as well. Due to presence of these professional clubs, the league has de-facto semi-professional status.
- Promotion (to J2)
- Clubs in JFL must meet following criteria to receive promotion to the professional league.
-
- Have J. League Associate Membership
- Finish in the top two in JFL
- Have an average attendance of more than 3,000
- Pass the final inspection by the J. League professional committee
- Relegation (to Regional Leagues)
- The number varies from 0 to 3 depending on number of clubs promoted to the J. League Division 2 and/or number of club disbanded. Depending on the number, the teams ranked 17th and 18th at the end of the season are automatically relegated to Regional Leagues. The team ranked 16th may have to face promotion/relegation series to survive the relegation. Clubs will be relegated to their designated Regional League (i.e. a club from Tokyo will relegate to Kanto League, even if the promoted club is not from Kanto League).
Level IV/V: 9 Japanese Regional Leagues
In modern Japan, the country is divided into 9 different regions. From North to South they are Hokkaido, Touhoku, Kantou, Tokai, Hokushin-etsu (Hokuriku+Shin-etsu), Kansai, Shikoku, Chugoku, and Kyushu. Each region has its own football league, and they make up 9 parallel football leagues governed by designated regional FAs. 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 difference in the structures, each region has its own promotion and relegation regulation between the divisions.
- Promotion (to JFL)
- At the end of the year, champions and some runners-up from the 9 Regional Leagues qualify to the All Japan Regional Football Promotion League Series. The winners of the tournament and runners-up receive promotion to JFL. The 3rd-placed club receives promotion/relegation series match against JFL club ranked 16th or direct promotion depending on number of clubs promoted to J2 and clubs disbanded.
- Relegation (to Prefectural Leagues)
- Different regulations for each Regional Leagues
Level V+/VI+: 46 Prefectural Leagues & Hokkaido Blocks
Under the 9 regions, there are 47 prefectures. Hokkaido is by itself is a prefecture, thus the leagues in Hokkaido does not have a prefectural league and rather divided into 4 blocks (North, Central, East, and South); however, all other 46 prefectures has Prefectural leagues. Most if not all, of these leagues have multi-divisions.
- Promotion (to Regional League)
- Different regulations for each Regional Leagues.
- Relegation (to Municipal Leagues)
- Different regulations for each Regional Leagues.
References
- ^ "Ｊ２ドキドキ？ＪＦＬと入れ替え制を導入" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 2011-12-10. http://www.nikkansports.com/soccer/news/p-sc-tp0-20111210-874879.html. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
External links