List of winners of J2 League and predecessors

Japanese League (2nd tier)
Japan Soccer League Second Division (1972–1992) (former) Japan Football League Division 1 (1992–1993) (former) Japan Football League (1994–1998) J. League Division 2 (1999–2014) J2 League (2015–present)
Country
Japan
Founded
1972
Number of Teams
22 (2016 season)
Current Champions
Omiya Ardija (2015)
Most successful club
Consadole Sapporo (5 championships)

A national second tier of Japanese league football was first established in 1972, as the Japan Soccer League Second Division. In 1992, with the breakup of the JSL and restructuring of the top flight into the J. League, the (former) Japan Football League became the second tier. In 1999 the J. League has established a second division (officially known as J. League Division 2).

Japan Soccer League Second Division (1972–1992)

Numbers in parentheses indicate number of wins at the date.

Season	Winner	Runner-up
1972	Toyota Motors	Tanabe Pharmaceuticals
1973	Eidai Industries	Kofu SC^†
1974	Yomiuri SC^†	Fujitsu SC^†
1975	Tanabe Pharmaceuticals^†	Yomiuri SC^†
1976	Fujitsu SC	Yomiuri SC^†
1977	Yomiuri SC (2)	Nissan Motors^†
1978	Honda Motors^†	Nissan Motors
1979	Toshiba Horikawacho^†	Yamaha Motors
1980	Honda Motors (2)	Fujitsu SC^†
1981	Nippon Kokan	Nissan Motors
1982	Yamaha Motors	Toshiba SC^†
1983	Nippon Kokan (2)	Sumitomo Metal Industries^†
1984	Sumitomo Metal Industries	ANA Yokohama
1985	Matsushita Electric	Mazda SC
1986–87	Sumitomo Metal Industries (2)	Toyota Motors
1987–88	ANA Yokohama	Matsushita Electric
1988–89	Toshiba SC (2)	Hitachi SC
1989–90	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Toyota Motors
1990–91	Hitachi SC	Mazda SC
1991–92	Fujita SC^‡	Sumitomo Metal Industries

^† Not promoted to Division 1 due to losing promotion/relegation series
^‡ Not promoted to the newly formed J. League

(former) Japan Football League Division 1 (1992–1993)

An extra season of Japanese football was done by the Japan Football League in late 1992, as the top flight clubs were still re-organizing and adopting new identities before the J. League kicked off in 1993.

Season	Winner	Runner-up
1992	Yamaha Motors^† (2)	Hitachi SC^†
1993	Shonan Bellmare (2)	Júbilo Iwata

^† Not promoted to J. League

(former) Japan Football League (1994–1998)

In 1994, the Japan Football League Division 2 was abolished.

Season	Winner	Runner-up
1994	Cerezo Osaka	Kashiwa Reysol
1995	Fukuoka Blux	Kyoto Purple Sanga
1996	Honda Motors^† (3)	Vissel Kobe
1997	Consadole Sapporo (3)	Tokyo Gas^†
1998	Tokyo Gas^†	Kawasaki Frontale^†

^† Not promoted to J. League (J1 after 1998)

J2 League (1999–present)

From 1999 to 2014 the league was known as J. League Division 2.

Season	Winner	Runner-up	Third place	Playoff winner
1999	Kawasaki Frontale (2)	F.C. Tokyo	Oita Trinita^†
2000	Consadole Sapporo (4)	Urawa Red Diamonds	Oita Trinita^†
2001	Kyoto Purple Sanga	Vegalta Sendai	Montedio Yamagata^†
2002	Oita Trinita	Cerezo Osaka	Albirex Niigata^†
2003	Albirex Niigata	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Kawasaki Frontale^†
2004	Kawasaki Frontale (3)	Omiya Ardija	Avispa Fukuoka^‡
2005	Kyoto Purple Sanga (2)	Avispa Fukuoka	Ventforet Kofu
2006	Yokohama FC	Kashiwa Reysol	Vissel Kobe
2007	Consadole Sapporo (5)	Tokyo Verdy 1969	Kyoto Sanga
2008	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Montedio Yamagata	Vegalta Sendai^‡
2009	Vegalta Sendai	Cerezo Osaka	Shonan Bellmare
2010	Kashiwa Reysol (2)	Ventforet Kofu	Avispa Fukuoka
2011	F.C. Tokyo (2)	Sagan Tosu	Consadole Sapporo
2012	Ventforet Kofu	Shonan Bellmare	Kyoto Sanga^†	Oita Trinita (6th)
2013	Gamba Osaka (2)	Vissel Kobe	Kyoto Sanga^†	Tokushima Vortis (4th)
2014	Shonan Bellmare (3)	Matsumoto Yamaga	JEF United Chiba^†	Montedio Yamagata (6th)
2015	Omiya Ardija	Júbilo Iwata	Avispa Fukuoka	TBD

^† Not promoted to J1
^‡ Not promoted to J1 due to losing promotion/relegation series
For play-off winners, the number in parentheses indicates their position after the end of the season.

Total wins

Clubs in bold compete in J2 as of 2016 season. Clubs in italic no longer exist.
Years in italic indicate seasons of amateur football (Japan Soccer League D2 and former Japan Football League).

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning seasons	Runners-up seasons
Consadole Sapporo	5	1	1979, 1988–89, 1997, 2000, 2007	1982
Kawasaki Frontale	3	3	1976, 1999, 2004	1974, 1980, 1998
Shonan Bellmare	3	1	1991–92, 1993, 2014	2012
Honda FC	3	0	1978, 1980, 1996
Kashiwa Reysol	2	4	1990–91, 2010	1988–89, 1992, 1994, 2006
Tokyo Verdy	2	3	1974, 1977	1975, 1976, 2007
Júbilo Iwata	2	3	1982, 1992	1979, 1993, 2015
Kashima Antlers	2	2	1984, 1986–87	1983, 1991–92
F.C. Tokyo	2	2	1998, 2011	1997, 1999
Kyoto Sanga	2	1	2001, 2005	1995
Gamba Osaka	2	1	1985, 2013	1987–88
NKK SC	2	0	1981, 1983
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	1	3	2008	1985, 1990–91, 2003
Nagoya Grampus	1	2	1972	1986–87, 1989–90
Cerezo Osaka	1	2	1994	2002, 2009
Ventforet Kofu	1	2	2012	1973, 2010
Tanabe Pharmaceuticals	1	1	1975	1972
Yokohama Flügels	1	1	1987–88	1984
Urawa Red Diamonds	1	1	1989–90	2000
Avispa Fukuoka	1	1	1995	2005
Vegalta Sendai	1	1	2009	2001
Omiya Ardija	1	1	2015	2004
Eidai Industries	1	0	1973
Oita Trinita	1	0	2002
Albirex Niigata	1	0	2003
Yokohama FC	1	0	2006
Yokohama F. Marinos	0	3		1977, 1978, 1981
Vissel Kobe	0	2		1996, 2013
Montedio Yamagata	0	1		2008
Sagan Tosu	0	1		2011
Matsumoto Yamaga	0	1		2014

See also

• Japan Soccer League
• Japan Football League (1992–1998)
• J2 League
• List of Japanese football champions
• List of winners of J3 League and predecessors

Sources

• Contents of Domestic Competition of Football in Japan