The league began on 23 February and ended on 10 November in a round-robin format of 38 matches.
Yokohama FC were the sole team to be relegated from the J1 League, after only one season in the top flight.
J3 winners Ehime FC and runners-up Kagoshima United were both promoted from the J3 League.
[32] Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Qatar) are exempt from these restrictions.
If a match was tied in the play-offs, the team with the higher rank won.