History of J.League Division Two (J2)

In 1998, the Japan Football Association decided that it was necessary to reorganise and restructure the professional league in Japan, in order to ensure its continued stability and also to promote the sport more widely at the grass-roots level. The number of teams in the top division had been increased too rapidly, and several were now in financial trouble. Yet there were also many clubs in the JFL clamouring for a chance at promotion. The league decided that the best solution to address both problems at once was to form a second division. below the existing J.League yet above the semi-amateur JFL.

At the end of the 1998 season, it was decided that two teams would be demoted from the then-existing J.League, bringing the total number to 16 teams. This first division league was renamed "J1". A second division was formed, and made up of the two demoted teams plus all JFL teams that could meet certain financial and technical criteria. This second division would be known as the "J2".

In the end, only one team (Consadole Sapporo) was actually relegated to J2 in 1998, because the Yokohama Flugels were disbanded, thus making it unnecessary to demote a second team. Consadole were joined by nine teams from the former JFL. The rest of the teams remained in the JFL, some by choice (such as Honda FC, which has repeatedly passed up the opportunity to transform itself into a professional club), and others because they could not meet the necessary criteria for J2 entry.

There has always been a theoretical promotion/relegation relationship between the J2 and JFL, though it is based as much on financial and organisational strength as on the team's performance on the football pitch. Between 1998 and 2004, only two teams (FC Yokohama and Mito Hollyhock) earned promotion. However, as part of the J.League's "hundred year plan", aimed at developing the sport of football throught the country, a more active system of promotion was introduced in 2004. Teams that finish in the top two spots of the JFL can be promoted to the J2 if they are also able to meet the financial and technical criteria. The league hopes to expand the J2 to eventually include 16-18 teams, at which point a formal promotion/ relegation system will be introduced between the J2 and JFL. A promotion/relegation system between J1 and J2 is already in place. The top two teams in the J2 are promoted to J1 each year, while the bottom two J1 teams are relegated to J2.

For a detailed, year-by-year history of the events in the J2, along with league statistics and final standings, please follow the links below, clicking on the icons for each separate year.