This is a list of the schools in Japan that have varsity football teams and are overseen by the Japan American Football Association. [1]
There are a total of eight leagues divided between East Japan (東日本) and West Japan (西日本). Each league has at least two tiers of program. The top or first tier is the only one that sends teams to the post season tournament. The remaining teams are in lower tiers that can not compete in the post season, but may play their way into the top tier via promotion and relegation.
The leagues comprising the East are:
The leagues comprising the West are:
The J1 League, a.k.a the J.League or the Meiji Yasuda J1 League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Japan Professional Football League system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian professional club football history. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J2 League. It was known as the J.League from 1993 to 1998 before becoming a two-division league, and as J.League Division 1 from 1999 to 2014.
The Emperor's Cup JFA All-Japan Football Championship Tournament, commonly known as The Emperor's Cup or Japan FA Cup, and rebranded as The JFA Emperor's Cup from 2024 onwards, 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, current JFL and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League.
The Japan Football Association 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.
The Japan Professional Football League, a.k.a “J.League”, and officially a.k.a “Meiji Yasuda J.League” for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, including the J1, J2 and J3 leagues. Established in 1993 as Asia's first professional football league, it has been one of the most successful leagues in Asia followed by the Saudi's Pro League. In 1999, the J2 League was established, followed by the J3 League in 2013.
The Koshien Bowl (甲子園ボウル) is the annual Japanese American college football national championship game, usually played in December at Koshien Stadium.
Iwate Grulla Morioka is a Japanese association football club based in Morioka, capital of Iwate Prefecture. They currently play in J3 League, the Japanese third tier of professional football.
Beijing Institute of Technology Football Club, or simply BIT, is a Chinese professional football club based in Beijing, that competes in China League Two, the third tier of Chinese football. BIT plays its home matches inside the main Beijing Institute of Technology campus, at the BIT Eastern Athletic Field, located within Haidian District. Their current majority shareholders are Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and Joan Oliver, who acquired a 29% stake on 5 December 2016.
The Ivy Bowl was an international college football game played between an American, 43-man all-star team versus a team of college all-stars from Japan. The first Epson Ivy Bowl occurred on January 8, 1989, and the final game occurred at the conclusion of the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The United States won every match-up. The wins, because they were not between two NCAA-affiliated schools and some of the years were mixed school (all-star) teams do not count toward official win–loss records.
J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of Japan Professional Football League. It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan under the organization of J.League. The league is known as the Meiji Yasuda J3 League for their title sponsor.
The Hokkaido American Football Association (北海道アメリカンフットボール協会) or HAFA is an American college football league made up of colleges and universities on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.
The Pine Bowl (パインボウル) is an annual college football bowl game played in Japan. The game features the champions of the Hokkaido American Football Association and the Tohoku Collegiate American Football Association. The winner claims the title of North Japan champions and goes on to play the Kanto League champion in the East Japan Championship.
American football was introduced to Japan in the 1930s and has grown into one of the most popular sports in the country. Each team is only allowed to have three Americans per team.
The Chushikoku Collegiate American Football Association (中四国学生アメリカンフットボール連盟) is an American college football league made up of colleges and universities primarily on the island of Shikoku; two schools are located in the Chūgoku region of Honshū.
Toshiki Abe is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Chunichi Dragons
Tokiwagi Gakuen High School LSC (常盤木学園高等学校サッカー部) is a Japanese women's football team that plays in the regional fourth-division Tōhoku Women's Football League. It notably competed as a high school club of youth players in semi-professional senior Japan women's football leagues from 2010 to 2019, most recently in the third-tier Nadeshiko League Division 2, and won the third-tier Challenge League in 2015. In high-school competition, the club has also won five national All Japan High School Women's Soccer Tournament championships, most recently in 2012.
The 2020 J3 League, referred to as the 2020 Meiji Yasuda J3 League for sponsorship reasons, was the 7th season of J3 League under its current name.
The 2021 J3 League, referred to as the 2021 Meiji Yasuda J3 League for sponsorship reasons, was the 8th season of J3 League under its current name.
The 2021 Emperor's Cup was the 101st annual Japanese national football cup tournament, which began on 22 May 2021 and ended with the final on 19 December that year.
The 2023 Emperor's Cup was the 103rd edition of the annually contested cup, starting on 20 May. The format for 2023 did not present any changes from the previous edition. It featured 88 teams representing the prefectural football associations, J1 League, J2 League and Japan Football League. JFL's Honda FC was once again chosen to be the annually specially-designated amateur club.
College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Korea, Canada, South Africa, and the Philippines. The United Kingdom also has a university league. The institutions typically hire full-time professional coaches and staff, although the student athletes are mostly amateur and are not paid. College soccer in the United States is sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the sports regulatory body for major universities, and by the governing bodies for smaller universities and colleges.