| Season | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1st J. League title 6th Japanese title |
| Relegated | Vissel Kobe Gamba Osaka Consadole Sapporo |
| Champions League | Sanfrecce Hiroshima Vegalta Sendai Urawa Red Diamonds Kashiwa Reysol |
| Matches played | 306 |
| Goals scored | 855 (2.79 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Hisato Satō (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Kashima Antlers 7–0 Consadole Sapporo |
| Biggest away win | Gamba Osaka 2–6 Kashiwa Reysol Shimizu S-Pulse 3–5 Kashiwa Reysol |
| Highest scoring | Gamba Osaka 7–2 Consadole Sapporo (9 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 51,879 Reds vs Grampus |
| Lowest attendance | 5,432 Sagan vs Albirex |
| Average attendance | 17,566 |
← 2011 2013 → | |
The 2012 J.League Division 1 season was the 47th season of Japanese top-flight football and 20th since the establishment of the J.League. The season started on March 10 and finished on December 1.[1]
Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the 2012 J.League Division 1 championship on 24 November and advanced to the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup as the host team, entering the qualifying play-off round.[2][3] This was their first title in the J.League era and first league title since 1970, marking their sixth title overall.[4] Additionally, this was the first time since 1966 that clubs from the traditional regions of Kantō, Tōkai or Kansai – the corridor from Tokyo to Osaka – did not make the top two, and this time it was a team from Tōhoku, Vegalta Sendai, who finished in second place despite leading the table most of the season.[5]