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.
In 1992, professional J.League was established. All teams elected to it stripped themselves of corporate identities and adopted their own names. From 1993 to 2005 (except for the 1996 season), and in 2015 and 2016, the league was contested in an Apertura and Clausura manner, thus the "runners-up" for these seasons are actually the winners of one of these tournaments which lost to the winners of the playoff. The "third places" are the highest-scoring teams in the aggregate table which were not involved in the playoff. If there was no playoff due to the champions winning both stages, the third place is the second-best points earning team who are not the champions.
Japanese football champions in the Greater Tokyo Area
Fourteen clubs have been champions, though only eleven have won the title since the establishment of J.League. Of these eleven, Kashima Antlers, Gamba Osaka, Nagoya Grampus, Kawasaki Frontale and Vissel Kobe have never been Japan Soccer League champions; Kobe never competed in the old JSL Division 1.
All Japanese champion clubs still exist and are competing in the J.League; however, some may have moved from their Japan Soccer League locations they won the title at, or may have cut off ties with their original parent company.
Years in italic indicate Japan Soccer League seasons. Clubs in bold compete in J1 as of the 2024 season; clubs in italic no longer exist.
This is a breakdown by Japanese region, as clubs have moved cities before and even during the J.League period. Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Júbilo Iwata, Yokohama F.Marinos, Cerezo Osaka, Nagoya Grampus and Kawasaki Frontale are the only champion clubs who have always been based in their respective cities.
Note that JFA divides Japan into nine regions rather than the more traditional eight, splitting Chūbu into Hokushin'etsu and Tōkai. See Japanese Regional Leagues for further detail.
The 2000 season was Shimizu S-Pulse's ninth season in existence and their eighth season in the J1 League. The club also competed in the Emperor's Cup and the J.League Cup. The team finished the season eighth in the league.
2000 Júbilo Iwata season
2000 Nagoya Grampus Eight season
2000 Gamba Osaka season
2000 Cerezo Osaka season
2000 Vissel Kobe season
The 82nd Emperor's Cup Statistics of Emperor's Cup in the 2002 season.
The 83rd Emperor's Cup Statistics of Emperor's Cup in the 2003 season.
Statistics of J. League Cup, officially the 2000 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, in the 2000 season.
Statistics of J. League Cup, officially the 2001 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, in the 2001 season.
The 2014 J.League Division 1 season was the 49th season of top-flight football in Japan, and the 22nd since the establishment of the J.League in 1992. The season began on 1 March and ended on 8 December. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were the defending champions.
The 96th Emperor's Cup (第96回天皇杯全日本サッカー選手権大会) was the 2016 edition of the annual Japanese national cup tournament, which was held from 27 August 2016 to its final on 1 January 2017.
The 97th Emperor's Cup (第97回天皇杯全日本サッカー選手権大会) was the 2017 edition of the annual Japanese national cup tournament, which began on 22 April 2017 and ended with the finals on 1 January 2018.
The 2018 Kawasaki Frontale season is their 14th consecutive season in J1 League, they are defending champions after finishing top of the 2017 J1 League. They will also compete in the J.League Cup, Emperor's Cup, and AFC Champions League.
The 2020 Gamba Osaka season was Gamba Osaka's 27th season in the J1 League and 33rd overall in the Japanese top flight. It will see them compete in the 18 team J1 League as well as the J.League Cup and Emperor's Cup competitions.
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