# 2024 J2 League

The 2024 J2 League, also known as the 2024 Meiji Yasuda J2 League (Japanese: 2024 明治安田J2リーグ, Hepburn: 2024 Meiji Yasuda J2 Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the J2 League, the second-tier Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1999. It was the tenth season of the league since its rebrand from J.League Division 2.

## Overview

For the first time since 2011, the number of the clubs in the league decreased from 22 to 20.
This season, there were three automatic relegation spots to the J3 League (one more than the 2023 season) and two clubs gained automatic promotion to the J1 League. Like the previous season, the winner of the J2 promotion play-off were promoted to the top tier.

## Schedule

The league and match format was announced on 19 December 2023. The league began on 23 February and ended on 10 November in a round-robin format of 38 matches.
The J1 promotion play-off semi-finals took place on 1 December with the final taking place on 7 December.

## Changes from the previous season

Zweigen Kanazawa and Omiya Ardija were relegated to the 2024 J3 League, finishing the previous J2 League season as 21st and 22nd-placed teams, respectively.
Yokohama FC were the sole team to be relegated from the J1 League, after only one season in the top flight.
Both Machida Zelvia and Júbilo Iwata are promoted to the J1 League as champions and runners-up, respectively, of the previous J2 League season. Tokyo-based Machida will make their debut in the top flight of Japanese football, while Júbilo will make their immediate comeback to the J1. Joining the duo are Tokyo Verdy, who finished 3rd in 2023 and earned promotion after winning the promotion play-offs, thus making their first top flight appearance since 2008.
J3 winners Ehime FC and runners-up Kagoshima United were both promoted from the J3 League. Ehime are returning to the second-tier following two seasons in the J3 League and Kagoshima United will be playing only their second J2 season after five years absence.
From this season, Thespakusatsu Gunma changed their name to Thespa Gunma.

## Clubs

| Club name | Hometown | Stadium | Capacity | Previous season rank | License |
| Blaublitz Akita | Akita | Soyu Stadium | 18,560 | J2 (13th) | J1 |
| Ehime FC | All cities/towns in Ehime | Ningineer Stadium | 20,919 | J3 (1st) | J1 |
| Fagiano Okayama | All cities/towns in Okayama | City Light Stadium | 15,479 | J2 (10th) | J1 |
| Fujieda MYFC | Cities/towns in Shizuoka Prefecture | Fujieda Soccer Stadium | 10,057 | J2 (12th) | J1 |
| Iwaki FC | Iwaki and Futaba District, Fukushima | Hawaiians Stadium Iwaki | 5,066 | J2 (18th) | J1 |
| JEF United Chiba | Chiba & Ichihara, Chiba | Fukuda Denshi Arena | 19,470 | J2 (6th) | J1 |
| Kagoshima United | Kagoshima | Shiranami Stadium | 12,606 | J3 (2nd) | J1 |
| Mito HollyHock | All cities/towns in central and northern Ibaraki | K's denki Stadium Mito | 10,152 | J2 (17th) | J1 |
| Montedio Yamagata | All cities/towns in Yamagata | ND Soft Stadium | 20,638 | J2 (5th) | J1 |
| Oita Trinita | Ōita Prefecture | Showa Denko Dome Oita | 31,997 | J2 (9th) | J1 |
| Renofa Yamaguchi | All cities/towns in Yamaguchi | Ishin Me-Life Stadium | 15,115 | J2 (20th) | J1 |
| Roasso Kumamoto | Kumamoto, Kumamoto | Egao Kenko Stadium | 30,275 | J2 (14th) | J1 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Shizuoka | IAI Stadium Nihondaira | 19,594 | J2 (4th) | J1 |
| Thespa Gunma | All cities/towns in Gunma | Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma | 15,253 | J2 (11th) | J1 |
| Tochigi SC | Utsunomiya, Tochigi | Kanseki Stadium Tochigi | 25,244 | J2 (19th) | J1 |
| Tokushima Vortis | Tokushima Prefecture | Pocarisweat Stadium | 17,924 | J2 (15th) | J1 |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | All cities/towns in Nagasaki Prefecture | Nagasaki Athletic Stadium | 20,027 | J2 (7th) | J1 |
| Vegalta Sendai | Miyagi Prefecture | Yurtec Stadium Sendai | 19,526 | J2 (16th) | J1 |
| Ventforet Kofu | All cities/towns in Yamanashi Prefecture | JIT Recycle Ink Stadium | 15,853 | J2 (8th) | J1 |
| Yokohama FC | Kanagawa Prefecture | Mitsuzawa Stadium | 15,442 | J1 (18th) | J1 |
* ↑ centering on Matsuyama
* ↑ centering on Okayama, Kurashiki, Tsuyama
* ↑ Mito, Hitachi, Hitachinaka, Kasama, Naka, Omitama, Hitachiota, Kitaibaraki, Hitachiomiya, Takahagi, Ibaraki, Shirosato, Oarai, Daigo, Tokai
* ↑ centering on Yamagata, Tendo, Tsuruoka
* ↑ centering on Maebashi
* ↑ centering on Nagasaki and Isahaya
* ↑ centering on Kofu and Nirasaki

### Personnel and kits

| Club | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsor |
| Blaublitz Akita | Ken Yoshida | Hiroto Morooka | Athleta | TDK |
| Ehime FC | Kiyotaka Ishimaru | Kenta Tokushige | Jogarbola | Ningineer Network |
| Fagiano Okayama | Takashi Kiyama | Ryo Takeuchi | Penalty | GROP |
| Fujieda MYFC | Daisuke Sudo | Masahiko Sugita | Gol. | Seikan Kensa Center |
| Iwaki FC | Yuzo Tamura | Kengo Tanaka | Under Armour | BHC |
| JEF United Chiba | Yoshiyuki Kobayashi | Daisuke Suzuki | Hummel | Fuji Electric |
| Kagoshima United | Tetsuya Asano | Yuji Kimura | Angua | Satsuma Shimabijin |
| Mito HollyHock | Naoki Mori | Koichi Murata | soccer junky | K's Holdings |
| Montedio Yamagata | Susumu Watanabe | Shuto Minami | Penalty | ABeam |
| Oita Trinita | Tomohiro Katanosaka | Arata Watanabe | Puma | Daihatsu Kyushu |
| Renofa Yamaguchi | Ryo Shigaki | Kota Kawano | Finta | upr |
| Roasso Kumamoto | Takeshi Oki | Rei Hirakawa | Puma | Hirata |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Tadahiro Akiba | Yoshinori Suzuki | Puma | Suzuyo |
| Thespa Gunma | Akira Muto | Hajime Hosogai | Kelme | Cainz |
| Tochigi SC | Shinji Kobayashi | Sho Sato | Athleta | TKC |
| Tokushima Vortis | Kosaku Masuda | Yoichiro Kakitani | Mizuno | Otsuka Pharmaceutical (Pocari Sweat) |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | Takahiro Shimotaira | Hiroki Akino | Macron | Japanet |
| Vegalta Sendai | Yoshiro Moriyama | Yasushi Endo | Adidas | Iris Ohyama |
| Ventforet Kofu | Shinji Otsuka | Masahiro Sekiguchi | Mizuno | Hakubaku |
| Yokohama FC | Shuhei Yomoda | Gabriel | Puma | Onodera Group |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Tochigi SC | Yu Tokisaki | Resigned | 6 November 2023 | Pre-season | Makoto Tanaka | 5 December 2023 |
| Oita Trinita | Takahiro Shimotaira | Resigned | 10 November 2023 | Pre-season | Tomohiro Katanosaka | 30 November 2023 |
| Vegalta Sendai | Takafumi Hori | Resigned | 13 November 2023 | Pre-season | Yoshiro Moriyama | 27 November 2023 |
| Renofa Yamaguchi | Juan Esnáider | Resigned | 13 November 2023 | Pre-season | Ryo Shigaki | 5 December 2023 |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | Fábio Carille | Contract terminated | 15 February 2024 | Pre-season | Takahiro Shimotaira | 15 February 2024 |
| Tokushima Vortis | Tatsuma Yoshida | Sacked | 31 March 2024 | 20th | Kosaku Masuda | 7 May 2024 |
| Mito HollyHock | Yoshimi Hamasaki | Sacked | 4 May 2024 | 19th | Naoki Mori | 9 May 2024 |
| Thespa Gunma | Tsuyoshi Otsuki | Sacked | 6 May 2024 | 20th | Akira Muto | 8 May 2024 |
| Tochigi SC | Makoto Tanaka | Sacked | 14 May 2024 | 19th | Shinji Kobayashi | 15 May 2024 |
| Kagoshima United | Yasuaki Oshima | Sacked | 27 May 2024 | 18th | Tetsuya Asano | 29 May 2024 |
| Ventforet Kofu | Yoshiyuki Shinoda | Sacked | 2 July 2024 | 14th | Shinji Otsuka | 2 July 2024 |
* ↑ On 19 December 2023, Carille was named Santos manager. Hours after his presentation, V-Varen Nagasaki claimed that Carille had already renewed his contract for 2024. They filed a lawsuit with FIFA, but eventually Carille's contract with Nagasaki was terminated on 15 February.

## Foreign players

As of the 2023 season, there are no more restrictions on a number of signed foreign players, but clubs can only register up to five foreign players for a single match-day squad. Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Qatar) are exempt from these restrictions.
* Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the midseason transfer window.
* Player's name in italics indicates the player has Japanese nationality in addition to their FIFA nationality, or is exempt from being treated as a foreign player due to having been born in Japan and being enrolled in, or having graduated from school in the country.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 | Player 7 | Former players |
| Blaublitz Akita | | | | | | | | |
| Ehime FC | Ben Duncan | Bak Keon-woo | Kang Sung-chan | Yu Ye-chan | | | | |
| Fagiano Okayama | Gleyson | Lucão | Svend Brodersen | | | | | Gabriel Xavier |
| Fujieda MYFC | Anderson Chaves | Carlinhos | Wendel | | | | | |
| Iwaki FC | Hyun Woo-bin | Joo Hyun-jin | | | | | | Park Jun-yeong |
| JEF United Chiba | Dudu | Dudu Pacheco | Mendes | | | | | |
| Kagoshima United | Ono Cholhwan | | | | | | | |
| Mito HollyHock | | | | | | | | |
| Montedio Yamagata | | | | | | | | |
| Oita Trinita | Derlan | Matheus Pereira | Samuel | Kim Hyun-woo | Mun Kyung-gun | | | |
| Renofa Yamaguchi | Renan | Sílvio | Choi Hyung-chan | Kim Byeom-yong | | | | Sarach Yooyen |
| Roasso Kumamoto | Bae Jeong-min | | | | | | | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Carlinhos Júnior | Douglas Tanque | Lucas Braga | Abdul-Aziz Yakubu | Jelani Reshaun Sumiyoshi | | | |
| Thespa Gunma | | | | | | | | |
| Tochigi SC | Rafael Costa | Origbaajo Ismaila | Kim Min-jun | Park Yong-ji | | | | |
| Tokushima Vortis | Elsinho | Kaique | Thales | Tiago Alves | Wadi Ibrahim Suzuki | José Aurelio Suárez | | |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | Edigar Junio | Marcos Guilherme | Matheus Jesus | Valdo | Luka Radotić | Juanma | | |
| Vegalta Sendai | Eron | Matheus Moraes | | | | | | |
| Ventforet Kofu | Adaílton | Eduardo Mancha | Lucas Macula | Renato Augusto | Peter Utaka | Koh Bong-jo | Taiga Son | Fabián González |
| Yokohama FC | Caprini | Gabriel | João Paulo | Léo Bahia | Michel | Phelipe | Yuri Lara | Nguyễn Công Phượng |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Shimizu S-Pulse (C, P) | 38 | 26 | 4 | 8 | 68 | 38 | +30 | 82 | Promotion to the 2025 J1 League |
| 2 | Yokohama FC (P) | 38 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 60 | 27 | +33 | 76 | Promotion to the 2025 J1 League |
| 3 | V-Varen Nagasaki | 38 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 74 | 39 | +35 | 75 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Montedio Yamagata | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 55 | 36 | +19 | 66 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 5 | Fagiano Okayama (O, P) | 38 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 65 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 6 | Vegalta Sendai | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 64 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 7 | JEF United Chiba | 38 | 19 | 4 | 15 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 61 | |
| 8 | Tokushima Vortis | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 55 | |
| 9 | Iwaki FC | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 53 | 41 | +12 | 54 | |
| 10 | Blaublitz Akita | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 54 | |
| 11 | Renofa Yamaguchi | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 53 | |
| 12 | Roasso Kumamoto | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 53 | 62 | −9 | 46 | |
| 13 | Fujieda MYFC | 38 | 14 | 4 | 20 | 38 | 57 | −19 | 46 | |
| 14 | Ventforet Kofu | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 54 | 57 | −3 | 45 | |
| 15 | Mito HollyHock | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 44 | |
| 16 | Oita Trinita | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 33 | 47 | −14 | 43 | |
| 17 | Ehime FC | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 41 | 69 | −28 | 40 | |
| 18 | Tochigi SC (R) | 38 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 33 | 57 | −24 | 34 | Relegation to the 2025 J3 League |
| 19 | Kagoshima United (R) | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 35 | 59 | −24 | 30 | Relegation to the 2025 J3 League |
| 20 | Thespa Gunma (R) | 38 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 24 | 62 | −38 | 18 | Relegation to the 2025 J3 League |

## Play-offs

The usual format was applied in the 2024 season. Promotion play-offs, officially called the 2024 J.League Road To J1 Play-offs (Japanese: 2024 J1昇格プレーオフ), was held from the semi-finals, where the match-ups were previously semi-determined. Based on the J2 placements at the end of the regular season, the third-placed team played against the sixth-placed, while the fourth-placed team played against the fifth-placed. The winners of the semi-finals played the final, with the winners promoted to the J1.
If a match was tied in the play-offs, the team with the higher rank won. The rank order was: J2's third, fourth, fifth, and sixth-placed teams.
| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 3 | V-Varen Nagasaki | 1 | | | |
| 6 | Vegalta Sendai | 4 | | | |
| 6 | Vegalta Sendai | 4 | 5 | Fagiano Okayama | 2 |
| | | | 6 | Vegalta Sendai | 0 |
| 4 | Montedio Yamagata | 0 | 6 | Vegalta Sendai | 0 |
| 5 | Fagiano Okayama | 3 | | | |

### Final
## Season statistics
### Top scorers

    As of 10 November 2024
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Hiiro Komori | JEF United Chiba | 23 |
| 2 | Matheus Jesus | V-Varen Nagasaki | 18 |
| 2 | Kaina Tanimura | Iwaki FC | 18 |
| 4 | Ken Yamura | Fujieda MYFC | 16 |
| 5 | Edigar Junio | V-Varen Nagasaki | 15 |
| 6 | Adaílton | Ventforet Kofu | 14 |
| 7 | Hiroto Iwabuchi | Fagiano Okayama | 13 |
| 7 | Motohiko Nakajima | Vegalta Sendai | 13 |
| 9 | Marcos Guilherme | V-Varen Nagasaki | 12 |
| 9 | Koya Kitagawa | Shimizu S-Pulse | 12 |

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Manager of the Month | Manager of the Month | Monthly MVP | Monthly MVP | Goal of the Month | Goal of the Month | Young Player of the Month | Young Player of the Month | References |
| Month | Manager | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | References |
| February/March | Takashi Kiyama | Fagiano Okayama | Gleyson | Fagiano Okayama | Matheus Jesus | V-Varen Nagasaki | Hayato Tanaka | V-Varen Nagasaki | |
| April | Takahiro Shimotaira | V-Varen Nagasaki | Koya Kitagawa | Shimizu S-Pulse | Kento Hashimoto | Tokushima Vortis | Tsubasa Kasayanagi | V-Varen Nagasaki | |
| May | Yoshiro Moriyama | Vegalta Sendai | Motohiko Nakajima | Vegalta Sendai | Shinya Yajima | Shimizu S-Pulse | Harumi Minamino | Tochigi SC | |
| June | Shuhei Yomoda | Yokohama FC | Akito Fukumori | Yokohama FC | Taishi Taguchi | JEF United Chiba | Yusei Ozaki | Ehime FC | |
| July | Kosaku Masuda | Tokushima Vortis | Ryota Nagaki | Tokushima Vortis | Ken Yamura | Fujieda MYFC | Kota Kawano | Renofa Yamaguchi | |
| August | Shuhei Yomoda | Yokohama FC | Shoma Doi | Montedio Yamagata | Pereira | Oita Trinita | Kenshin Yasuda | Oita Trinita | |
| September | Susumu Watanabe | Montedio Yamagata | Hiiro Komori | JEF United Chiba | Daiki Watari | Tokushima Vortis | Taisei Abe | V-Varen Nagasaki | |
| October | Yoshiyuki Kobayashi | JEF United Chiba | Matheus Jesus | V-Varen Nagasaki | Ken Yamura | Fujieda MYFC | Toua Suenaga | Renofa Yamaguchi | |
| November/December | Tadahiro Akiba | Shimizu S-Pulse | Leo Takae | Montedio Yamagata | Daichi Ishikawa | Roasso Kumamoto | Yusei Yashiki | Oita Trinita | |