| Japanese League (1st tier) |
|---|
| Japan Soccer League (1965–1971) Japan Soccer League Division 1 (1972–1992) J.League (1993–1998) J.League Division 1 (1999–2014) J1 League (2015–present) |
| Country |
 Japan
|
| Founded |
| 1965 |
| Number of teams |
| 20 (2024) |
| Current champions |
| Vissel Kobe (2023) |
| Most successful club |
| Kashima Antlers Sanfrecce Hiroshima (8 titles each) |
The Japanese football champions are the winners of the top league in Japan, the Japan Soccer League from 1965 to 1992 and the J.League since then.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy are the only teams that have won the title four times in a row (in 1965–1968 as Toyo Industries and in 1991–1994 as Yomiuri S.C./Verdy Kawasaki, respectively). Notice that from 1985 to 1992 Japanese football adjusted to the "fall-spring" season schedule (common in most of Europe) but after establishment of J.League switched back to "spring-fall" scheme (common in North America, East Asia, and Nordic European latitudes).