The J. League 1994 season is the second season of the J. League Division 1. The league fixture began on March 12, 1994 and ended on November 19, 1994. The Suntory Championship '94 took place on November 26 and December 2, 1994.

Honours

Competition	Champion	Runner-Up	3rd Place
League Competition
J. League J. League The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...  Suntory Series	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Shimizu S-Pulse	Kashima Antlers
J. League J. League The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...  NICOS Series	Verdy Kawasaki	Bellmare Hiratsuka	Yokohama Marinos
Suntory Championship	Verdy Kawasaki	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	n/a
Cup Tournaments
Emperor's Cup Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...	tba	tba	tba tba
Nabisco Cup	Verdy Kawasaki	Júblio Iwata	Gamba Osaka Yokohama Marinos
XEROX Super Cup	Verdy Kawasaki	Yokohama Flügels	n/a

1994 J. League clubs

The following 12 clubs participated in J. League during 1994 season. Of these clubs, Bellmare Hiratsuka, and Júblio Iwata were newly promoted from Japan Football League (former)

Japan Football League (former)

The former was an association football league that existed from 1992 to 1998. Also known as the JFL, it was the 2nd tier of the Japanese football hierarchy following J...

.

• Kashima Antlers
  Kashima Antlers
  are a Japanese professional association football club playing in the J. League Division 1. Antlers is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island"....
  
  
• Urawa Red Diamonds
  Urawa Red Diamonds
  are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
  
  
• JEF United Ichihara
  JEF United Ichihara Chiba
  is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...
  
  
• Verdy Kawasaki
• Yokohama Marinos
  Yokohama F. Marinos
  is a Japanese association football team that participates in the fully professional J. League Division 1; the top Japanese professional football league. Having won the J-League title three times and finished second twice, they are one of the most successful J-League clubs. The team are based in...
  
  
• Yokohama Flügels
  Yokohama Flügels
  was a Japanese football club that played in the J. League between 1993 and 1998. In 1999 the club was officially merged with local rivals Yokohama Marinos and the two teams became known together as Yokohama F. Marinos.- History :...
  
  
• Ballmare Hiratsuka
  Shonan Bellmare
  are a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture; their home stadium is Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium in Hiratsuka. The name Bellmare is derived from the Latin "bellum" for "war" and "mare"...
  
  
• Shimizu S-Pulse
  Shimizu S-Pulse
  is a professional Japanese association football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J. League Division 1 . Formed as recently as 1991, S-Pulse are one of the youngest professional teams in Japan, but are among only five to have competed in...
  
  
• Júblio Iwata
  Júbilo Iwata
  is a professional Japanese association football team currently playing in the J. League Division 1 . The team name Júbilo means 'joy' in Portuguese and Spanish. The team's home town is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium...
  
  
• Nagoya Grampus Eight
  Nagoya Grampus
  are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...
  
  
• Gamba Osaka
  Gamba Osaka
  is a Japanese professional association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team's name comes from the Italian word "gamba" meaning "leg" and the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm". Located in Suita, Osaka, the team's home stadium is Osaka Expo '70...
  
  
• Sanfrecce Hiroshima
  Sanfrecce Hiroshima
  is a Japanese association football club in the J. League Division 1.-Club name:The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or 'arrows'...
  
  

1994 J. League format

In the 1994 season, the league followed split-season format, and each halves (or stages) were known as Suntory Series and NICOS Series for sponsorship purposes. In each series, twelve clubs played in double round-robin format, a total of 22 games per club (per series). The games went to golden-goal extra time and penalties if needed after regulation. The clubs were ranked by number of wins, and tie breakers are, in the following order:

• Goal differential
• Goals scored
• Head-to-head results
• Extra match or a coin toss

The club that finished at the top of the table is declared stage champion and qualifies for the Suntory Championship. The first stage winner, hosts the first leg in the championship series. If the same club win both stages, the runners-up of each stages plays against each other and the winners challenges the stage winner at the championship game.

Changes in Competition Format

• Number of competing clubs increased from 10 to 12
• Number of games per club in a series increased from 18 to 22 games and from 36 to 44 games per season.

Suntory Series (1st Stage) standings

Pos	Club Name	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Note
1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	22	17	5	44	26	18	1994 Suntory Series Champions Qualified to Suntory Championship '94
2	Shimizu S-Pulse	22	16	6	41	25	16
3	Kashima Antlers	22	16	6	45	32	13
4	Verdy Kawasaki	22	14	8	43	21	22
5	Yokohama Flügle	22	13	9	36	27	9
6	JEF United Ichihara	22	10	12	34	43
7	Júblio Iwata	22	9	13	27	32
8	Nagoya Grampus Eight	22	9	13	23	28
9	Yokohama Marinos	22	8	14	29	35
10	Gamba Osaka	22	7	15	37	46
11	Bellmare Hiratsuka	22	7	15	27	54
12	Urawa Red Diamonds	22	6	16	26	43

NICOS Series (2nd Stage) standings

Pos	Club Name	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Note
1	Verdy Kawasaki	22	17	5	48	26	22	1994 NICOS Series Champions Qualifies to Suntory Championship '94
2	Bellmare Hiratsuka	22	16	6	48	26	22
3	Yokohama Marinos	22	14	8	44	26	18
4	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	22	12	10	27	31
5	Kashima Antlers	22	11	11	44	36	8
6	Shimizu S-Pulse	22	11	11	28	31
7	Júblio Iwata	22	11	11	29	37
8	Yokohama Flügels	22	9	13	31	33
9	JEF United Ichihara	22	9	13	35	42
10	Gamba Osaka	22	8	14	29	36
11	Urawa Red Diamonds	22	8	14	33	51
12	Nagoya Grampus Eight	22	6	16	33	54

Suntory Championship '94

----
VERDY KAWASAKI won the series on 2-0 aggregate.

Overall standings

Pos	Club Name	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Note
1	Verdy Kawasaki	44	31	13	91	47	44	1994 J. League Champions Qualifies to 1995/96 ACC Asian Club Championship 1995-96 The Asian Club Championship 1995-96 was the 15th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the AFC region . It determined that year's club champion of association football in Asia.... , 1995 Super Cup Japanese Super Cup The Japanese Super Cup or is an annual one-match football competition in Japan organised by J. League and the Japan Football Association . This competition serves as the season opener and is played between the J. League Champions and the Emperor's Cup Winners of the previous season... , and 1995 Sanwa Bank Cup Sanwa Bank Cup The Sanwa Bank Cup was a one-match friendly competition officially organised by J. League and sponsored by Sanwa Bank . The competition was held between 1994 and 1997 and played two weeks before the opening of J. League . The teams invited were the J...
2	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	44	29	15	71	57	14
3	Kashima Antlers	44	27	17	89	68	21
4	Shimizu S-Pulse	44	27	17	69	56	13
5	Bellmare Hiratsuka	44	23	21	75	80
6	Yokohama Marinos	44	22	22	73	61	12
7	Yokohama Flügles	44	22	22	67	60	7
8	Jübilo Iwata	44	20	24	56	69
9	JEF United Ichihara	44	19	25	69	85
10	Gamba Osaka	44	15	29	66	82
11	Nagoya Grampus Eight	44	15	29	56	82
12	Urawa Red Diamonds	44	14	30	59	94

Golden Boots ranking

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals
1	Frank Ordenewitz Frank Ordenewitz Frank Ordenewitz is a retired German football player. He was capped 2 times for the West German national team. In a German League match against FC Cologne on 7 May 1988 the Werder Bremen player admitted handball in the penalty area to the referee. Cologne went on to win the match 2–0...	JEF United Ichihara JEF United Ichihara Chiba is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...	30
2	Alcindo Sartori Alcindo Sartori Alcindo Sartori is a retired Brazilian football player.He gained experience playing for Flamengo's reserves and made his first team debut in 1986...	Kashima Antlers Kashima Antlers are a Japanese professional association football club playing in the J. League Division 1. Antlers is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island"....	28
3	Betinho	Bellmare Hiratsuka Shonan Bellmare are a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture; their home stadium is Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium in Hiratsuka. The name Bellmare is derived from the Latin "bellum" for "war" and "mare"...	24
4	Nobuhiro Takeda Nobuhiro Takeda is a former Japanese football player. He was a forward and known as a superb opportunistic goal-scorer, making most of his quick thinking and canny positioning. He currently works at Nippon Television and belongs to an entertainment agency Horipro as a sportscaster -Club:He was educated at and...	Verdy Kawasaki	23
	Ramon Diaz Ramón Díaz Ramón Ángel Díaz , is a former Argentine football player. For most of his career, he played for, and later coached, Club Atlético River Plate. He is also known by the nickname of El Pelado ....	Yokohama Marinos Yokohama F. Marinos is a Japanese association football team that participates in the fully professional J. League Division 1; the top Japanese professional football league. Having won the J-League title three times and finished second twice, they are one of the most successful J-League clubs. The team are based in...	23
6	Toninho Antônio Benedito da Silva Antônio Benedito da Silva, nicknamed Toninho is a former Brazilian football player who played for Portuguesa , Guarani , Yomiuri , Shimizu S-Pulse , Urawa Red Diamonds and Vasco da Gama...	Shimizu S-Pulse Shimizu S-Pulse is a professional Japanese association football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J. League Division 1 . Formed as recently as 1991, S-Pulse are one of the youngest professional teams in Japan, but are among only five to have competed in...	22
7	Yoshiyuki Hasegawa	Kashima Antlers Kashima Antlers are a Japanese professional association football club playing in the J. League Division 1. Antlers is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island"....	21
8	Koji Noguchi	Bellmare Hiratsuka Shonan Bellmare are a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture; their home stadium is Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium in Hiratsuka. The name Bellmare is derived from the Latin "bellum" for "war" and "mare"...	19
	Ivan Hasek Ivan Hašek Ivan Hašek is a retired Czech footballer who played as a central midfielder.He spent 11 years of his career with Sparta Prague, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club, and later acting as its manager....	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima is a Japanese association football club in the J. League Division 1.-Club name:The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or 'arrows'...	19
10	Kazuyoshi Miura Kazuyoshi Miura ----Kazuyoshi Miura , often known simply as Kazu, is a Japanese football striker. He has played for the Japanese national team and was the first Japanese recipient of the Asian Player of the Year award in 1993, an award presented annually by the Asian Football Confederation. He is currently with...	Verdy Kawasaki	16
	Toshihiro Yamaguchi	Gamba Osaka Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team's name comes from the Italian word "gamba" meaning "leg" and the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm". Located in Suita, Osaka, the team's home stadium is Osaka Expo '70...	16
12	Pavel Černý	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima is a Japanese association football club in the J. League Division 1.-Club name:The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or 'arrows'...	15
	Ramón Medina Bello	Yokohama Marinos Yokohama F. Marinos is a Japanese association football team that participates in the fully professional J. League Division 1; the top Japanese professional football league. Having won the J-League title three times and finished second twice, they are one of the most successful J-League clubs. The team are based in...	15
14	Takuya Takagi Takuya Takagi is a former Japanese football player and a current football coach. He is currently the manager at Roasso Kumamoto. He was a physical forward and the Japanese media and fans dubbed him as the Cannon of Asia.-Club:...	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima is a Japanese association football club in the J. League Division 1.-Club name:The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or 'arrows'...	14
	Bismarck Bismarck Barreto Faria Bismarck Barreto Faria, best known as Bismarck is a former Brazilian football player.-Career:...	Verdy Kawasaki	14

Individual Awards

Award	Recipient	Club	Notes
Most Valuable Player J. League Most Valuable Player The J-League Player of the Year is awarded by the J.League.-Wins By Club:...	Luiz Carlos Pereira	Verdy Kawasaki
Rookie of the Year J. League Rookie of the Year The J. League Rookie of the Year is awarded by the J. League to the most outstanding rookie of the season. To be considered a rookie, a player must be in his first professional year of football ....	Kazuaki Tasaka Kazuaki Tasaka is a retired Japanese international football player. He was a defensive midfielder. He is currently an assistant coach at Shimizu S-Pulse.-Career:He was capped 7 times for the Japanese national team between 1995 and 1999...	Bellmare Hiratsuka Shonan Bellmare are a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture; their home stadium is Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium in Hiratsuka. The name Bellmare is derived from the Latin "bellum" for "war" and "mare"...
Manager of the Year J. League Manager of the Year J. League Manager of the Year is an annual award given to one manager by the J. League based on their performance during the season. The award does not necessarily go to the manager of the champions, although for the last seven years that has been the case....	Yasutaro Matsuki	Verdy Kawasaki
Top Scorer J. League Top Scorer The J. League Top Scorer is awarded by the J.League to the top scoring player of the season.-Wins By Club:-See also:*Japanese football champions, for Japan Soccer League predecessors....	Frank Ordenewitz Frank Ordenewitz Frank Ordenewitz is a retired German football player. He was capped 2 times for the West German national team. In a German League match against FC Cologne on 7 May 1988 the Werder Bremen player admitted handball in the penalty area to the referee. Cologne went on to win the match 2–0...	JEF United Chiba JEF United Ichihara Chiba is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...	|30 goals.

Best Eleven

Position	Footballer	Club	Nationality
GK	Shinkichi Kikuchi Shinkichi Kikuchi Shinkichi Kikuchi is a former Japanese football player.Kikuchi finished his playing career with Tokyo Verdy....	Verdy Kawasaki
DF	Pereira	Verdy Kawasaki
DF	Masami Ihara	Yokohama Marinos
DF	Yoshihiro Natsuka	Bellmare Hiratsuka
MF	Tetsuji Hashiratani Tetsuji Hashiratani is a retired Japanese football player. He was a defender and a defensive midfielder.-Playing career:He was educated at and played for Kyoto Commercial High School and Kokushikan University. He joined Japan Soccer League side Nissan Motor in 1987. He moved to Verdy Kawasaki in 1992 when professional...	Verdy Kawasaki
MF	Tsuyoshi Kitazawa Tsuyoshi Kitazawa is a retired Japanese football player. He was a midfielder known for his tireless work load and was capped 58 times for Japan. He is currently working on television as a football commentator.-Club:...	Verdy Kawasaki
MF	Ruy Ramos Ruy Ramos , formerly Ruy Gonçalves Ramos Sobrinho , is a Brazilian-born football player, who became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 1989. He was one of the first foreign players in Japanese professional soccer, joining Yomiuri in 1977 at the age of 20...	Verdy Kawasaki
MF	Bismarck Bismarck Barreto Faria Bismarck Barreto Faria, best known as Bismarck is a former Brazilian football player.-Career:...	Verdy Kawasaki
MF	Betinho	Bellmare Hiratsuka
FW	Nobuhiro Takeda Nobuhiro Takeda is a former Japanese football player. He was a forward and known as a superb opportunistic goal-scorer, making most of his quick thinking and canny positioning. He currently works at Nippon Television and belongs to an entertainment agency Horipro as a sportscaster -Club:He was educated at and...	Verdy Kawasaki
FW	Takuya Takagi Takuya Takagi is a former Japanese football player and a current football coach. He is currently the manager at Roasso Kumamoto. He was a physical forward and the Japanese media and fans dubbed him as the Cannon of Asia.-Club:...	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima is a Japanese association football club in the J. League Division 1.-Club name:The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or 'arrows'...