A national third tier of Japanese league football was first established in 1992, as the second division of former Japan Football League, though it only lasted for two seasons. In 1999, following the establishment of J.League Division 2, a new Japan Football League was created, fulfilling the third tier until a fully professional J3 League was launched in 2014.
(former) Japan Football League Division 2 (1992–1993) The old Japan Football League was established simultaneously with creation of J.League and was initially a two-level tournament but that lasted only for two inaugural seasons.
SeasonChampionsRunners-up 1992 Chuo Bohan Kyoto Shiko 1993 Honda Motors PJM Futures
Japan Football League (JFL) (1999–2013) With the establishment of J.League Division 2, the new Japan Football League was automatically moved a tier down the pyramid comparing to its discontinued namesake.
SeasonChampions Runners-up (Also) promoted 1999 Yokohama FC† Honda Motors† Mito HollyHock (3rd) 2000 Yokohama FC (2) Honda Motors† 2001 Honda Motors (2)† Otsuka Pharmaceutical† 2002 Honda Motors (3)† Sagawa Express Tokyo† 2003 Otsuka Pharmaceutical† Honda FC† 2004 Otsuka Pharmaceutical (2) Honda FC† Thespa Kusatsu (3rd) 2005 Ehime FC YKK AP† 2006 Honda FC (4)† Sagawa Express Tokyo† 2007 Sagawa Express† Rosso Kumamoto FC Gifu (3rd) 2008 Honda FC (5)† Tochigi SC Kataller Toyama (3rd)Fagiano Okayama (4th) 2009 Sagawa Shiga (2)† Yokogawa Musashino† New Wave Kitakyushu (4th) 2010 Gainare Tottori Sagawa Shiga† 2011 Sagawa Shiga (3)† Nagano Parceiro† Machida Zelvia (3rd)Matsumoto Yamaga (4th) 2012 V-Varen Nagasaki Nagano Parceiro† 2013 Nagano Parceiro† Kamatamare Sanuki †Not promoted to J2For additional promoted teams, the number in parentheses indicates their position after the end of the season.
J3 League (2014–present) In 2014, J. League launched a fully professional third division.
SeasonChampions Runners-up Playoff Winners 2014 Zweigen Kanazawa Nagano Parceiro‡ 2015 Renofa Yamaguchi Machida Zelvia 2016 Oita Trinita Tochigi SC‡ 2017 Blaublitz Akita† Tochigi SC 2018 FC Ryukyu Kagoshima United 2019 Giravanz Kitakyushu Thespakusatsu Gunma 2020 Blaublitz Akita (2) SC Sagamihara 2021 Roasso Kumamoto Iwate Grulla Morioka 2022 Iwaki FC Fujieda MYFC 2023 Ehime FC (2) Kagoshima United 2024 RB Omiya Ardija FC Imabari Kataller Toyama (3rd) 2025 Tochigi City Vanraure Hachinohe Tegevajaro Miyazaki (4th) † Not promoted to J2.
‡ Not promoted to J2 due to a loss in the Promotion/Relegation series.
For play-off winners, the number in parentheses indicates their position after the end of the season.
Total wins Clubs in bold compete in J3 as of 2025 season. Clubs in italic no longer exist.Years in italic indicate seasons of amateur football (former and new Japan Football League). Club Winners Runners-up Winning seasons Runners-up seasons Honda FC 5 4 1993, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004 Sagawa Shiga 3 1 2007, 2009, 2011 2010 Tokushima Vortis 2 1 2003, 2004 2001 Yokohama FC 2 0 1999, 2000 — Ehime FC 2 0 2005, 2023 — Blaublitz Akita 2 0 2017, 2020 — Nagano Parceiro 1 3 2013 2011, 2012, 2014 Roasso Kumamoto 1 1 2021 2007 Avispa Fukuoka 1 0 1992 — Gainare Tottori 1 0 2010 — V-Varen Nagasaki 1 0 2012 — Zweigen Kanazawa 1 0 2014 —Renofa Yamaguchi 1 0 2015 —Oita Trinita 1 0 2016 —FC Ryukyu 1 0 2018 —Giravanz Kitakyushu 1 0 2019 —Iwaki FC 1 0 2022 — Omiya Ardija 1 0 2024 — Tochigi City FC 1 0 2025 — Tochigi SC 0 3 — 2008, 2016, 2017 Sagawa Express Tokyo 0 2 — 2002, 2006 Kagoshima United 0 2 — 2018, 2023 Kyoto Sanga 0 1 — 1992 Tosu Futures 0 1 — 1993 YKK AP 0 1 — 2005 Yokogawa Musashino 0 1 — 2009 Kamatamare Sanuki 0 1 — 2013 Machida Zelvia 0 1 — 2015 Thespa Gunma 0 1 — 2019 SC Sagamihara 0 1 — 2020 Iwate Grulla Morioka 0 1 — 2021 Fujieda MyFC 0 1 — 2022 FC Imabari 0 1 — 2024 Vanraure Hachinohe 0 1 — 2025
See also Japan Football League (1992–98) Japan Football League J3 League List of Japanese football champions List of winners of J2 League and predecessors
Sources Contents of Domestic Competition of Football in Japan