Japanese football: Journey of milestones, stellar players, historic triumphs

ABU DHABI, 17th May, 2023 (WAM) — Following a noticeable decline in amateur league participation during the 1980s, in 1992, the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to establish the country’s first professional league, the “J.League,” to raise the level of the local game and increase fan attendance.

Improving the performance of the Japanese national team and making it a continental champion was at the forefront of this initiative.

In a stroke of fortune, the country’s national team achieved its first continental triumph by winning the AFC Asian Cup, which Japan hosted in 1992.

This victory boosted the idea of creating a professional league, which officially kicked off in early 1993 with the participation of ten clubs.

Since then, Japanese football has left its mark on both the continental and international stages. The past three decades have witnessed numerous titles and achievements for Japanese clubs and teams, unprecedented in previous decades.

Japan’s league now attracts many fans due to its fierce competition and ability to attract international football stars, such as the renowned Spanish player and former Barcelona star, Andrés Iniesta, who plays for Vissel Kobe in the J.League.

The league has also witnessed the presence of other international football stars, such as Spain’s David Villa and Fernando Torres, Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci, Germany’s Lukas Podolski, England’s Gary Lineker, Brazil’s Zico, Bebeto and Carlos Dunga, and former Uruguayan international striker Diego Forlán.

Kashima Antlers top the list of most successful clubs in the J.League with eight titles, followed by Yokohama F. Marinos with five titles and Kawasaki Frontale with four.

The J.League, now one of the strongest domestic leagues in Asia, has produced several distinguished clubs that have fiercely competed on the continental stage and secured multiple titles in the AFC Champions League.

Out of the eight titles won by Japanese clubs in the AFC Champions League, six were achieved in the past three decades, with the most recent victory being by Urawa Red Diamonds in 2022.

Japanese clubs rank second in terms of the number of AFC Champions League titles, only trailing behind their South Korean rivals, who have won the title 12 times.

The focus on the J.League and adopting a professional system has helped raise the level of the Japanese national team, which has become one of the most successful teams in Asia and has made a positive impression on the global stage.

The Japanese national team holds the record for the most Asian Cup victories with four titles, compared to three titles for both Saudi Arabia and Iran. The team has reached the tournament’s final five times and suffered only a single defeat in the 2019 edition held in the UAE. It also won fourth place in the cup’s 2007 edition.

Since the 1998 World Cup in France, the Japanese national team has consistently qualified for the tournament, reaching the last 16 on four occasions in 2002, when Japan co-hosted the tournament with South Korea, as well as in 2010, 2018 and 2022.

The development of the professional league increased fan attendance, and hosting the 2002 World Cup contributed to a similar progression in the standard of sports facilities and stadiums in Japan. The country now boasts many stadiums capable of hosting continental and international tournaments.

Moreover, in recent decades, Japanese football has produced prominent stars who have made their mark in European professional football, including Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Ono and Junichi Inamoto.