List of winners of J2 League and predecessors

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 J2 League).

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
20 (2024)
Current champions
Shimizu S-Pulse (2024)
Most successful club
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (6 titles)

Japan Soccer League Second Division (1972–1992)

Numbers in parentheses indicate number of wins at the date.

Season	Champions	Runners-up
1972	Toyota Motors	Tanabe Pharmaceuticals
1973	Eidai Industries	Kofu SC†
1974	Yomiuri SC†	Fujitsu†
1975	Tanabe Pharmaceuticals†	Yomiuri SC†
1976	Fujitsu	Yomiuri SC†
1977	Yomiuri SC (2)	Nissan Motors†
1978	Honda Motors†	Nissan Motors
1979	Toshiba Horikawacho†	Yamaha Motors
1980	Honda Motors (2)	Fujitsu†
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
1989–90	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Toyota Motors
1990–91	Hitachi	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	Champions	Runners-up
1992	Yamaha Motors† (2)	Hitachi†
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	Champions	Runners-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	Champions	Runners-up	Third place	Playoff winners
1999	Kawasaki Frontale (2)	FC 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	FC 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	Avispa Fukuoka (3rd)
2016	Consadole Sapporo (6)	Shimizu S-Pulse	Matsumoto Yamaga†	Cerezo Osaka (4th)
2017	Shonan Bellmare (4)	V-Varen Nagasaki	Nagoya Grampus	Nagoya Grampus (3rd)
2018	Matsumoto Yamaga	Oita Trinita	Yokohama FC†
2019	Kashiwa Reysol (3)	Yokohama FC	Omiya Ardija†
2020	Tokushima Vortis	Avispa Fukuoka	V-Varen Nagasaki†
2021	Júbilo Iwata (3)	Kyoto Sanga	Ventforet Kofu†
2022	Albirex Niigata (2)	Yokohama FC	Fagiano Okayama†
2023	Machida Zelvia	Júbilo Iwata	Tokyo Verdy	Tokyo Verdy (3rd)
2024	Shimizu S-Pulse	Yokohama FC	V-Varen Nagasaki†	Fagiano Okayama (5th)

^† 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 2025 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	6	1	1979, 1988–89, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2016	1982
Shonan Bellmare	4	1	1991–92, 1993, 2014, 2017	2012
Kashiwa Reysol	3	4	1990–91, 2010, 2019	1988–89, 1992, 1994, 2006
Júbilo Iwata	3	4	1982, 1992, 2021	1979, 1993, 2015, 2023
Kawasaki Frontale	3	3	1976, 1999, 2004	1974, 1980, 1998
Honda FC	3	0	1978, 1980, 1996
Tokyo Verdy	2	3	1974, 1977	1975, 1976, 2007
Kashima Antlers	2	2	1984, 1986–87	1983, 1991–92
FC Tokyo	2	2	1998, 2011	1997, 1999
Kyoto Sanga	2	2	2001, 2005	1995, 2021
Gamba Osaka	2	1	1985, 2013	1987–88
NKK SC	2	0	1981, 1983
Albirex Niigata	2	0	2003, 2022
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	1	3	2008	1985, 1990–91, 2003
Yokohama FC	1	3	2006	2019, 2022, 2024
Nagoya Grampus	1	2	1972	1986–87, 1989–90
Cerezo Osaka	1	2	1994	2002, 2009
Ventforet Kofu	1	2	2012	1973, 2010
Avispa Fukuoka	1	2	1995	2005, 2020
Tanabe Pharmaceuticals	1	1	1975	1972
Yokohama Flügels	1	1	1987–88	1984
Urawa Red Diamonds	1	1	1989–90	2000
Vegalta Sendai	1	1	2009	2001
Omiya Ardija	1	1	2015	2004
Oita Trinita	1	1	2002	2018
Matsumoto Yamaga	1	1	2018	2014
Shimizu S-Pulse	1	1	2024	2016
Eidai Industries	1	0	1973
Tokushima Vortis	1	0	2020
Machida Zelvia	1	0	2023
Yokohama F. Marinos	0	3		1977, 1978, 1981
Vissel Kobe	0	2		1996, 2013
Montedio Yamagata	0	1		2008
Sagan Tosu	0	1		2011
V-Varen Nagasaki	0	1		2017

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