the J.League or the Meiji Yasuda J1 League (Japanese: 明治安田J1リーグ, Hepburn: Meiji Yasuda Jē-wan Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons,[2] is the top level of the Japan Professional Football League (日本プロサッカーリーグ, Nihon Puro Sakkā Rīgu) system.

[11][12] Despite being well-attended during the boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s (when Japan's national team won the bronze Olympic medal at the 1968 games in Mexico), the JSL went into decline in the 1980s, in general line with the deteriorating situation worldwide.

Fans were few, the grounds were not of the highest quality, and the Japanese national team was not on a par with the Asian powerhouses.

To raise the level of play domestically, to attempt to garner more fans, and to strengthen the national team, the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to form a professional league.

Although the J.League did not officially launch until 1993, the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup competition was held between the ten clubs in 1992 to prepare for the inaugural season.

Firsty, they announced the J.League Hundred Year Vision, in which they aimed to create or endorse 100 professional association football clubs throughout Japan by 2092, which would mark the hundredth season since the establishment of the J1 League.

The league also encouraged the clubs to promote football or non-football related sports and health activities, to acquire local sponsorships, and to build good relationships with their hometowns at the grassroots level.

The league administration believed that this would allow the clubs to bond with their respective cities and towns, and obtain support from local government, companies, and citizens.

Júbilo Iwata in 2002, and Yokohama F. Marinos in 2003, won both "halves" of the respective seasons, thus eliminating the need for the playoff series.

[13] However, in recent years, with the inclusion of the A-League in Eastern Asia, introduction to the Club World Cup, and increased marketability in the Asian continent, both the league and the clubs paid more attention to Asian competition.

For example, Kawasaki Frontale built up a notable fan base in Hong Kong, owing to their participation in the Asian Champions League during the 2007 season.

[14] Continuous effort led to the success of Urawa Red Diamonds in 2007 and Gamba Osaka in 2008.

The league took this as an opportunity to sell TV broadcasting rights to foreign countries, especially in Asia.

In order to fix this one-year lag issue, the 2007 Emperor's Cup winner, Kashima Antlers' turn was waived.

These teams then took part in a championship playoff stage to decide the winner of the league trophy.

In November 2017, Urawa Red Diamonds played the AFC Champions League final against Al Hilal.

The regular season will begin in August and pause for a winter break between December and February, with the final matches played in May.

[17] Twenty clubs play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 38 games each.

Among those, only two clubs – Kashima Antlers and Yokohama F. Marinos – have participated in every league season since its establishment in 1993.

[21] * Bold designates relegated clubs;† Won the Pro/rele Series or entry playoff;‡ Lost the Pro/rele Series or entry playoff and relegated DAZN brought exclusive digital broadcasting rights for the entire J.League matches (including J1 League itself) until 2033.

Selected matches are livestreamed globally (excluding the following regions) via J.League International YouTube channel.