First Division

Yomiuri, the football club became one of big names of earlier years of 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...

 as Verdy Kawasaki, and currently known as Tokyo Verdy, won its first of seven League championships, fully riding in the wave of its parent company's funds and prestige.

Mazda, five-time First Division champions in the 1960s, was relegated for the first time. Hitachi saved itself by defeating Sumitomo in the playout.

14

11

3

5

1

Pos	Club	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Notes
1	Yomiuri Tokyo Verdy 1969 , is a Japanese professional football club, based in Tokyo, Japan, that plays in J. League Division 2.Founded as Yomiuri F.C. in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the most decorated teams in the J. League, with honours including 7 league titles , 5 Emperor's Cups, 6 JSL Cup / J...	27	12	3	3	27	13
Champions
2	Nissan 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...	25	11	3	4	28	17
3	Fujita Engineering 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"...	21	7	7	4	18	15
4	Yamaha Motors 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...	19	7	5	6	25	20
5	Yanmar Diesel Cerezo Osaka is a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....	19	6	7	5	19	21
6	Mitsubishi Motors 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...	16	6	4	8	17	16
7	Furukawa Electric 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-...	15	6	3	9	13	15
8	Honda Honda F.C. are a Japanese football club based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. They play in the Japan Football League.-History:The club was founded as in 1971. They were promoted to the Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1975 and to the JSL Division 1 in 1981; the closest they came to the title was in...	14	4	6	8	17	23
9	Hitachi Kashiwa Reysol is a J. League Division 1 team. Its home town is Kashiwa, Chiba, about an hour northeast of Tokyo.-History:Founded in 1940 as Hitachi, Ltd. Soccer Club in Koganei, Tokyo, the team was a founding member of the Japan Soccer League...	12	3	6	9	14	22
To Promotion/Relegation Series
10	Mazda 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'...	12	5	2	11	15	31
Relegated to Second Division

Promotion/Relegation Series

JSL Division 1	1st leg	2nd leg	JSL Division 2
Hitachi Kashiwa Reysol is a J. League Division 1 team. Its home town is Kashiwa, Chiba, about an hour northeast of Tokyo.-History:Founded in 1940 as Hitachi, Ltd. Soccer Club in Koganei, Tokyo, the team was a founding member of the Japan Soccer League...	3-2	1-0	Sumitomo 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"....

Second Division

NKK returned to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Saitama Teachers went back to the Kanto regional league, and Toho Titanium followed when they lost the playout to Matsushita, a rising club at the time based in Nara

Nara Prefecture

is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....

 which would eventually become 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...

.

27

6

15

8

Pos	Club	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Nippon Kokan NKK F.C. Nippon Kokan Soccer Club, or NKK Soccer Club was a Japanese football club which operated from 1912 to 1994. It played in the old Japan Soccer League since 1967 until its closing...	30	13	4	1	39	12
Promoted to First Division
2	Sumitomo 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"....	24	8	8	2	33	27
To Promotion/Relegation Series with First Division
3	Toshiba Consadole Sapporo is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaidō....	20	8	4	6	38	23
4	Nippon Steel	19	7	5	6	29	21
5	Toyota Motors 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...	19	7	5	6	23	30
6	Tanabe Pharmaceuticals	18	7	4	7	29	29	0
7	Fujitsu Kawasaki Frontale is a J. League Division 1 association football club. The team is located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. Their home stadium is Todoroki Athletics Stadium, in Nakahara Ward, in the central area of Kawasaki.-History:...	15	6	4	8	26	26	0
8	Kofu Club Ventforet Kofu are a Japanese football club from Kofu. They compete in the J. League Division 1, and their home ground is the Kose Sports Stadium.The word "Ventforet" is coined combining two French words Vent and Forêt...	14	4	6	8	29	40
9	Toho Titanium	12	5	2	11	21	42
To Promotion/Relegation Series with Regional Series
10	Saitama Teachers	9	4	1	13	14	28
Relegated to Regional Leagues

Promotion/Relegation Series

JSL	1st leg	2nd leg	Regional Series
Toho Titanium	1-2	0-0	Matsushita Electric 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... (runner-up)