2019 J3 League

6th season of the Japanese J3 League

Football league season

Meiji Yasuda J3 League
Season	2019
Dates	9 March – 8 December 2019
Champions	Giravanz Kitakyushu
Promoted	Giravanz Kitakyushu Thespakusatsu Gunma
Matches played	306
Goals scored	813 (2.66 per match)
Highest attendance	16,027 Roasso Kumamoto - Gamba Osaka U-23 (7 September)
Lowest attendance	267 FC Tokyo U-23 - SC Sagamihara (20 October)
Average attendance	2,396
← 2018 2020 →

The 2019 J3 League, referred to as the 2019 Meiji Yasuda J3 League (Japanese: 2019 明治安田生命J3リーグ, Hepburn: 2019 Meiji Yasuda Seimei J3 Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons, is the 6th season of J3 League under its current name.

Clubs

Cerezo Osaka U-23
Gamba Osaka U-23

Kumamoto

Gunma

FC Tokyo U-23

SC Sagamihara

YSCC Yokohama

Azul Claro Numazu

Giravanz Kitakyushu

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the 2019 J3 League teams

2018 season saw two teams promoted to J2 League: FC Ryukyu won the championship by nine points over second-placed Kagoshima United FC, which confirmed their promotion to the 2019 J2 League season with still one game to play. From second division, there was a double automatic relegation for the first time: Kamatamare Sanuki are back to third tier after five seasons, but they were promoted in 2013 from Japan Football League, when J3 League was planned.^[1] The same goes for Roasso Kumamoto, who are back in the third level of Japanese football after more than a decade.

Also, Japan Football League saw the promotion of Vanraure Hachinohe, who came third in JFL and they booked their first professional season in their history.

Club	Location	Venue	Capacity	Last season
Azul Claro Numazu	Numazu	Ashitaka Stadium	10,000	J3（4th）
Blaublitz Akita	Akita	Soyu Stadium	20,125	J3（8th）
Fukushima United FC	Fukushima	Toho Stadium	21,000	J3（12th）
Gainare Tottori	Tottori	Torigin Bird Stadium	16,033	J3（3rd）
Giravanz Kitakyushu	Kitakyushu	Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu	15,066	J3（17th）
Iwate Grulla Morioka	Morioka	Iwagin Stadium	4,946	J3（13th）
Kamatamare Sanuki	Takamatsu, Kagawa	Pikara Stadium	30,099	Relegated from J2 J2（22nd）
Kataller Toyama	Toyama	Toyama Athletic Stadium	25,251	J3（11th）
Fujieda MYFC	Fujieda	Fujieda Soccer Field	13,000	J3（16th）
Nagano Parceiro	Nagano	Nagano U Stadium	15,491	J3（10th）
Roasso Kumamoto	Kumamoto, Kumamoto	Egao Kenko Stadium	32,000	Relegated from J2 J2（21st）
SC Sagamihara	Sagamihara	Gion Stadium	15,300	J3（9th）
Thespakusatsu Gunma	All cities/towns in Gunma	Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma	15,253	J3（5th）
FC Tokyo U-23	Tokyo	Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka	7,137	J3（14th）
Vanraure Hachinohe	Eastern cities/towns in Aomori^[a]	Daihatsu Stadium	5,200	Promoted from JFL JFL（3rd）
YSCC Yokohama	Yokohama	Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium	15,454	J3（15th）
Cerezo Osaka U-23	Osaka & Sakai, Osaka	Kincho Stadium	19,904	J3（7th）
Gamba Osaka U-23	North cities in Osaka	Panasonic Stadium Suita Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium	39,694 21,000	J3（6th）

^ Hachinohe, Towada, Gonohe, Sannohe, Takko, Hashikami, Nanbu, Shingo, Oirase, Misawa, Shichinohe, Rokunohe, Tohoku, Noheji, Yokohama, Rokkasho

Personnel and kits

Club	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer
Azul Claro Numazu	Ken Yoshida	Takuya Sugai	Puma
Blaublitz Akita	Shuichi Mase	Hiroki Kotani	ATHLETA
Cerezo Osaka U-23	Yuji Okuma	none	Puma
Fukushima United	Takeo Matsuda	Akihiro Sakata	hummel
Gainare Tottori	Riki Takagi	Fernandinho	Puma
Gamba Osaka U-23	Hitoshi Morishita	none	Umbro
Giravanz Kitakyushu	Shinji Kobayashi	Yohei Naito	bonera
Grulla Morioka	Toshimi Kikuchi	TBD	Under Armour
Kamatamare Sanuki	Kenichi Uemura	Akira Takeuchi	ATHLETA
Kataller Toyama	Ryo Adachi	Junya Imase	Goldwin
Fujieda MYFC	Nobuhiro Ishizaki	Takuya Sugimoto	gol.
Nagano Parceiro	Yuji Yokoyama	Takahiro Oshima	Penalty
Roasso Kumamoto	Hiroki Shibuya	Shoto Suzuki	Puma
SC Sagamihara	Fumitake Miura	Seitaro Tomisawa	gol.
Thespakusatsu Gunma	Keiichiro Nuno	Tetsuya Funatsu	Finta
FC Tokyo U-23	Tetsu Nagasawa	none	Umbro
Vanraure Hachinohe	Atsuto Oishi	Takafumi Sudo	ATHLETA
YSCC Yokohama	Yuki Stalph	Koichi Miyao	YOUNGER

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion
1	Giravanz Kitakyushu (C, P)	34	19	9	6	51	27	+24	66	Promotion to 2020 J2 League^[a]
2	Thespakusatsu Gunma (P)	34	18	9	7	59	34	+25	63	Promotion to 2020 J2 League^[a]
3	Fujieda MYFC	34	18	9	7	42	31	+11	63	Ineligible for promotion
4	Kataller Toyama	34	16	10	8	54	31	+23	58
5	Roasso Kumamoto	34	16	9	9	45	39	+6	57
6	Cerezo Osaka U-23	34	16	4	14	49	56	−7	52	Ineligible for promotion
7	Gainare Tottori	34	14	8	12	49	59	−10	50
8	Blaublitz Akita	34	13	10	11	45	35	+10	49
9	Nagano Parceiro	34	13	10	11	35	34	+1	49
10	Vanraure Hachinohe	34	14	6	14	49	42	+7	48
11	Fukushima United	34	13	4	17	45	53	−8	43	Ineligible for promotion
12	Azul Claro Numazu	34	11	6	17	35	43	−8	39
13	YSCC Yokohama	34	12	3	19	53	65	−12	39
14	Kamatamare Sanuki	34	10	9	15	33	49	−16	39
15	SC Sagamihara	34	10	8	16	36	45	−9	38	Ineligible for promotion
16	FC Tokyo U-23	34	9	9	16	43	52	−9	36
17	Gamba Osaka U-23	34	9	8	17	54	55	−1	35
18	Iwate Grulla Morioka	34	7	5	22	36	63	−27	26

Source: 2019 MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE League table
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4th) head-to-head results; 5th) disciplinary points; 6th) draw
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:

^ Only teams that hold a J2 license are eligible for promotion.

Positions by round

Source: [1]

Top scorers

As of matches played December 1st, 2019.^[2]

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Taichi Hara	FC Tokyo U-23	19
2	Yuya Takazawa	Thespakusatsu Gunma	17
3	Yasuhito Morishima	Fujieda MYFC	16
4	Hayate Take	Fukushima United FC	15
4	Kohei Shin	YSCC Yokohama	15
6	Hayato Asakawa	YSCC Yokohama	13
7	Akito Takagi	Gamba Osaka U-23	11
	Mizuki Ando	Cerezo Osaka U-23
	Tsugutoshi Oishi	SC Sagamihara
	Tomoya Kitamura	Roasso Kumamoto
	Yosuke Kamigata	Vanraure Hachinohe
	Ryota Nakamura	Blaublitz Akita
	Masamichi Hayashi	Gainare Tottori

Attendances

Pos	Team	Total	High	Low	Average	Change
1	Giravanz Kitakyushu	102,831	12,270	3,744	6,049	+34.4%^†
2	Roasso Kumamoto	94,065	16,027	3,085	5,533	+5.0%^†
3	Thespakusatsu Gunma	61,098	5,881	1,875	3,594	+7.4%^†
4	Nagano Parceiro	51,006	4,247	1,434	3,000	−15.6%^†
5	SC Sagamihara	48,940	5,504	1,609	2,879	−16.7%^†
6	Kataller Toyama	46,535	5,254	1,774	2,737	+2.5%^†
7	Azul Claro Numazu	41,992	5,315	932	2,470	−13.5%^†
8	Gainare Tottori	37,889	4,011	946	2,229	−16.1%^†
9	Kamatamare Sanuki	35,906	3,339	1,120	2,112	−31.3%^†
10	Vanraure Hachinohe	29,919	2,797	907	1,760	−20.3%^‡
11	Fujieda MYFC	29,581	3,973	748	1,740	+39.6%^†
12	Blaublitz Akita	26,793	3,858	736	1,576	−44.5%^†
13	Iwate Grulla Morioka	23,249	3,212	516	1,368	+12.5%^†
14	FC Tokyo U-23	21,684	2,072	267	1,276	−25.9%^†
15	Gamba Osaka U-23	21,472	2,662	700	1,263	−8.6%^†
16	Fukushima United	21,115	3,406	436	1,242	−21.2%^†
17	Cerezo Osaka U-23	20,340	4,755	647	1,196	+7.6%^†
18	YSCC Yokohama	18,617	1,610	337	1,095	+9.0%^†
	League total	733,032	16,027	267	2,396	−3.8%^†

Updated to games played on 8 December 2019
Source: J. League Data
Notes:
^† Relegated from J2。^‡Promoted from JFL.

References

^ "カマタマーレ讃岐、最下位でJ3降格最後にチームが崩壊". Soccer-time.net. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
^ "STATS : J.LEAGUE.JP". Jleague.jp. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.

2019 in Japanese football

« 2018

2020 »

League competitions

Men	J1 League J2 League J3 League Japan Football League Regional Leagues
Women	Nadeshiko League

Cup competitions

Men	Emperor's Cup (Final) J.League Cup (Final) Super Cup
Women	Empress's Cup (Final) Nadeshiko League Cup (Final)

AFC competitions

Men	AFC Champions League J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship

Related to national teams

Men	Summary
Women	Summary

Club seasons
J1 League	Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Vegalta Sendai Kashima Antlers Urawa Red Diamonds FC Tokyo Kawasaki Frontale Yokohama F. Marinos Shonan Bellmare Matsumoto Yamaga FC Shimizu S-Pulse Júbilo Iwata Nagoya Grampus Gamba Osaka Cerezo Osaka Vissel Kobe Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sagan Tosu Oita Trinita
J2 League	Montedio Yamagata Mito HollyHock Tochigi SC Omiya Ardija JEF United Chiba Kashiwa Reysol Tokyo Verdy FC Machida Zelvia Yokohama FC Ventforet Kofu Albirex Niigata Zweigen Kanazawa FC Gifu Kyoto Sanga FC Fagiano Okayama Renofa Yamaguchi FC Tokushima Vortis Ehime FC Avispa Fukuoka V-Varen Nagasaki Kagoshima United FC FC Ryukyu
J3 League	Vanraure Hachinohe Iwate Grulla Morioka Blaublitz Akita Fukushima United FC Thespakusatsu Gunma YSCC Yokohama SC Sagamihara AC Nagano Parceiro Kataller Toyama Fujieda MYFC Azul Claro Numazu Gainare Tottori Kamatamare Sanuki Giravanz Kitakyushu Roasso Kumamoto FC Tokyo U-23 Gamba Osaka U-23 Cerezo Osaka U-23

Winter transfers
Summer transfers

Japanese club football

First-tier club football seasons, 1965–present
Japan Soccer League 1965–1992 Japan Soccer League Division 1 since 1972	1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92
J.League 1993–present J.League Division 1/J1 League since 1999	1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of champions J.League Championship Promotion / Relegation series Super Cup

Second-tier club football seasons, 1972–present
Japan Soccer League Division 2 1972–1992	1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92
(former) Japan Football League 1992–1998 (former) Japan Football League Division 1 1992–1993	1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
J2 League 1999–present	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of champions Promotion / Relegation series

Third-tier club football seasons, 1992–93, 1999–present
(former) Japan Football League Division 2 1992–93	1992 1993
No national third tier, 1994–1998
Japan Football League 1999–2013	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
J3 League 2014–present	2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of champions

Fourth-tier club football seasons, 2014–present
Japan Football League 2014–present	2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Regional level club football seasons, 1966–present
Japanese Regional Leagues 1966–present	1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Regional Champions League Shakaijin Cup

Emperor's Cup seasons, 1921–present

Emperor's Cup
1921–present

Super Cup

League Cup seasons, 1976–present
JSL Cup 1976–1991	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
J.League Cup 1992–present	1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Suruga Bank Championship

Football clubs in Japan, 2024
J1 League	Albirex Niigata Avispa Fukuoka Cerezo Osaka Gamba Osaka Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Júbilo Iwata Kashima Antlers Kashiwa Reysol Kawasaki Frontale Kyoto Sanga FC FC Machida Zelvia Nagoya Grampus Sagan Tosu Sanfrecce Hiroshima Shonan Bellmare FC Tokyo Tokyo Verdy Urawa Red Diamonds Vissel Kobe Yokohama F. Marinos
J2 League	Blaublitz Akita Ehime FC Fagiano Okayama Fujieda MYFC Iwaki FC JEF United Chiba Kagoshima United FC Mito HollyHock Montedio Yamagata Oita Trinita Renofa Yamaguchi FC Roasso Kumamoto Shimizu S-Pulse Thespakusatsu Gunma Tochigi SC Tokushima Vortis V-Varen Nagasaki Vegalta Sendai Ventforet Kofu Yokohama FC
J3 League	AC Nagano Parceiro Azul Claro Numazu FC Gifu FC Imabari Fukushima United FC Gainare Tottori Giravanz Kitakyushu Iwate Grulla Morioka Kamatamare Sanuki Kataller Toyama Matsumoto Yamaga FC Nara Club Omiya Ardija FC Osaka FC Ryukyu SC Sagamihara Tegevajaro Miyazaki Vanraure Hachinohe YSCC Yokohama Zweigen Kanazawa
100 Year Plan clubs	Criacao Shinjuku Nankatsu SC Reilac Shiga Tokyo 23 Vonds Ichihara
Japan Football League	Briobecca Urayasu Criacao Shinjuku Honda FC Kochi United Maruyasu Okazaki Minebea Mitsumi Okinawa SV Reilac Shiga ReinMeer Aomori Sony Sendai FC Tiamo Hirakata Tochigi City Tokyo Musashino United Suzuka Point Getters Veertien Mie Verspah Oita
Defunct clubs (clubs belonging to nationwide leagues only)	Fukushima FC Arte Takasaki JEF Reserves Sagawa Express Tokyo NKK SC Yokohama Flügels ALO's Hokuriku Jatco SC Hagoromo Club Toyota Higashi-Fuji Seino Transportation Cosmo Oil Yokkaichi Sagawa Shiga NTT Kinki/Kansai SP Kyoto Tanabe Pharmaceutical Dainichi Cable Industries Sagawa Express Osaka Eidai SC Teijin SC Nippon Steel Yawata Tosu Futures Profesor Miyazaki J.League U-22 Selection FC Tokyo U-23 Cerezo Osaka U-23 Gamba Osaka U-23 Kagura Shimane