# 2016 J1 League

The 2016 Meiji Yasuda J1 League (2016 明治安田生命J1リーグ) season was the 51st season of top-flight football in Japan and the 24th since the establishment of the J.League in 1992. This was second season of J1 League as renamed from J. League Division 1.
This season was the second since J.League changed its competition format to a newly conceived multistage system, with the year split into two halves and a third and final championship stage. The winners of the first and second stages and the highest ranking club of the aggregate table (other than the first or second stage winners) qualified for the Championship Stage. Kashima Antlers, the winner of the championship stage, advanced to the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup as the host nation's entrant.

## Clubs

* FC Tokyo
* Kashiwa Reysol
* Kawasaki Frontale
* Omiya Ardija
* Shonan Bellmare
* Urawa Red Diamonds
* Yokohama F. Marinos
* Gamba Osaka
* Vissel Kobe
| Club name | Home town(s) | Stadium | Capacity | Note(s) |
| Albirex Niigata | Niigata City & Seirō, Niigata | Denka Big Swan Stadium | 42,300 | 15th in 2015 |
| Avispa Fukuoka | Fukuoka City, Fukuoka | Level-5 Stadium | 22,563 | Promoted from J2 League in 2015 (through a play-off system) |
| FC Tokyo | Tokyo | Ajinomoto Stadium | 49,970 | 2016 AFC Champions League participant (as 2015 J1 League fourth-placed team) |
| Gamba Osaka | Northern Osaka Prefecture | Suita City Football Stadium | 40,000 | 2016 AFC Champions League participant (as 2015 J1 League third-placed team and Emperor's Cup winners) |
| Júbilo Iwata | Iwata, Shizuoka | Yamaha Stadium | 15,165 | Promoted from J2 League in 2015 |
| Kashima Antlers | Southeast Ibaraki Prefecture | Kashima Soccer Stadium | 40,728 | 5th in 2015 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Kashiwa, Chiba | Kashiwa Soccer Stadium | 15,900 | 10th in 2015 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | Todoroki Athletics Stadium | 26,232 | 6th in 2015 |
| Nagoya Grampus | All Aichi Prefecture | Paloma Mizuho Stadium | 27,000 | 9th in 2015 |
| Omiya Ardija | Saitama City, Saitama | NACK5 Stadium | 15,500 | Promoted from J2 League in 2015 |
| Sagan Tosu | Tosu, Saga | Tosu Stadium | 24,490 | 11th in 2015 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Hiroshima City, Hiroshima | Hiroshima Big Arch | 50,000 | 2016 AFC Champions League participant (as 2015 J1 League winners) |
| Shonan Bellmare | Shōnan part of Kanagawa | Shonan Stadium Hiratsuka | 18,500 | 8th in 2015 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Saitama City, Saitama | Saitama Stadium | 63,700 | 2016 AFC Champions League participant (as 2015 J1 League runners-up) |
| Vegalta Sendai | Sendai, Miyagi | Yurtec Stadium | 19,694 | 14th in 2015 |
| Ventforet Kofu | All Yamanashi Prefecture | Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium | 17,000 | 13th in 2015 |
| Vissel Kobe | Kobe, Hyōgo | Misaki Park Stadium | 30,132 | 12th in 2015 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Yokohama & Yokosuka, Kanagawa | Nissan Stadium | 72,327 | 7th in 2015 |
* ↑ Suita, Ibaraki, Takatsuki, Toyonaka, Ikeda, Settsu, Minoh
* ↑ Kashima, Kamisu, Itako, Hokota, Namegata
* ↑ centering on Nagoya, Toyota, Miyoshi
* ↑ Hiratsuka, Atsugi, Isehara, Odawara, Chigasaki, Hadano, Fujisawa, Ōiso, Samukawa, Ninomiya
* ↑ centering on Kōfu and Nirasaki

### Personnel and kits

| Club name | Head coach | Kit manufacturer | Front shirt sponsor |
| Albirex Niigata | Tatsuma Yoshida | Adidas | HAPPY Turn's |
| Avispa Fukuoka | Masami Ihara | Athleta | Fukuoka Jisho |
| FC Tokyo | Yoshiyuki Shinoda | Umbro | Lifeval |
| Gamba Osaka | Kenta Hasegawa | Umbro | Panasonic |
| Júbilo Iwata | Hiroshi Nanami | Puma | Yamaha |
| Kashima Antlers | Masatada Ishii | Nike | Lixil |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Takahiro Shimotaira | Yonex | Hitachi |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Yahiro Kazama | Puma | Fujitsu (home) Arrows (away) |
| Nagoya Grampus | Boško Gjurovski | Le Coq Sportif | Toyota |
| Omiya Ardija | Hiroki Shibuya | Under Armour | Docomo Hikari |
| Sagan Tosu | Massimo Ficcadenti | New Balance | DHC |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Hajime Moriyasu | Nike | EDION |
| Shonan Bellmare | Cho Kwi-jae | Penalty | Sanei Architecture Planning |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Mihailo Petrović | Nike | Polus |
| Vegalta Sendai | Susumu Watanabe | Adidas | Iris Ohyama |
| Ventforet Kofu | Satoru Sakuma | Mizuno | Hakubaku |
| Vissel Kobe | Nelsinho Baptista | Asics | Rakuten |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Erick Mombaerts | Adidas | Nissan |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of separation | Manner of departure | Incoming manager | Date of announcement |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Tatsuma Yoshida | End of 2015 season | Mutual consent | Milton Mendes | 30 October 2015 |
| Nagoya Grampus | Akira Nishino | End of 2015 season | Mutual consent | Takafumi Ogura | 24 November 2015 |
| Albirex Niigata | Masaaki Yanagishita | End of 2015 season | Mutual consent | Tatsuma Yoshida | 12 December 2015 |
| FC Tokyo | Massimo Ficcadenti | 27 November 2015 | Signed by Sagan Tosu | Hiroshi Jofuku | 28 December 2015 |
| Sagan Tosu | Hitoshi Morishita | 7 January 2016 | Contract terminated | Massimo Ficcadenti | 7 January 2016 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Milton Mendes | 12 March 2016 | Resigned | Takahiro Shimotaira | 12 March 2016 |
| FC Tokyo | Hiroshi Jofuku | 24 July 2016 | Sacked | Yoshiyuki Shinoda | 26 July 2016 |
| Nagoya Grampus | Takafumi Ogura | 23 August 2016 | Sacked | Boško Gjurovski | 23 August 2016 |

### Foreign players

Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | AFC player | Non-visa foreign | Type-C contract | Former players |
| Albirex Niigata | Bruno Cortez | Léo Silva | Rafael Silva | | | Leonardo Kalil | Lim You-hwan |
| Avispa Fukuoka | Wellington | Danilson Córdoba | Kim Hyun-hun | Lee Bum-young | | | |
| FC Tokyo | Nathan Burns | Muriqui | | Yu In-soo | | | Ha Dae-sung Francisco Sandaza |
| Gamba Osaka | Ademilson | Patric | | Oh Jae-suk | Kim Jung-ya | | |
| Júbilo Iwata | Adaílton | Jay Bothroyd | Krzysztof Kamiński | Avraam Papadopoulos | | | |
| Kashima Antlers | Fabrício | | | Hwang Seok-ho | Bueno | | Caio Dinei |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Cristiano | Diego Oliveira | | | | Dudu | Éderson Juliano Mineiro Patrick |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Eduardo | Eduardo Neto | Elsinho | Jung Sung-ryong | | | |
| Nagoya Grampus | Ha Dae-sung | Ludvig Öhman | Robin Simović | Lee Seung-hee | | Gustavo | |
| Omiya Ardija | Mateus | Dragan Mrđa | Nejc Pecnik | | | | |
| Sagan Tosu | Aymen Tahar | Moestafa El Kabir | Kim Min-hyeok | Kim Min-woo | | | Baek Sung-dong Choi Sung-keun |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Anderson Lopes | Mihael Mikić | Peter Utaka | | | | Kim Byeom-yong |
| Shonan Bellmare | André Bahia | Dinei | Weslley | Tando Velaphi | | Park Tae-hwan | Paulinho Thiago Quirino |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Branko Ilić | Zlatan Ljubijankić | | | | | |
| Vegalta Sendai | Pablo Diogo | Ramon Lopes | Wilson | Kim Min-tae | Ryang Yong-gi | | |
| Ventforet Kofu | Davi | Dudu | Marquinhos Paraná | Billy Celeski | | | Cristiano Gilton Nilson |
| Vissel Kobe | Leandro | Nílton | Pedro Júnior | Kim Seung-gyu | | | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Fábio | Kayke | Quenten Martinus | Park Jeong-su | | | |
* ^1 Avraam Papadopoulos owns Australian citizenship and was counted as an Asian player.

## Format

Teams play a single round-robin in the first stage and a single round-robin in the second stage. After that an overall table is calculated and a championship stage is played. The winners of the first and second stages and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall rankings advance to the championship stage. The team that finishes atop the overall table automatically qualifies for the final, while the remaining teams play-off for the other spot in the final.

## League table
### First stage

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Kashima Antlers (Q) | 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 10 | +19 | 39 | Champions League group stage and J.League Championship 1st Round |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 38 | |
| 3 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 17 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 16 | +10 | 33 | |
| 4 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 18 | +14 | 29 | |
| 5 | Omiya Ardija | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 26 | |
| 6 | Gamba Osaka | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 24 | |
| 7 | Kashiwa Reysol | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 21 | −1 | 24 | |
| 8 | Júbilo Iwata | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 23 | |
| 9 | FC Tokyo | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 23 | |
| 10 | Vegalta Sendai | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 25 | −5 | 23 | |
| 11 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 22 | |
| 12 | Vissel Kobe | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 25 | −2 | 20 | |
| 13 | Albirex Niigata | 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 25 | −6 | 18 | |
| 14 | Nagoya Grampus | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 17 | |
| 15 | Sagan Tosu | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 17 | |
| 16 | Shonan Bellmare | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 27 | −9 | 16 | |
| 17 | Ventforet Kofu | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 31 | −13 | 15 | |
| 18 | Avispa Fukuoka | 17 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 25 | −14 | 11 | |

### Second stage

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds (Q) | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 12 | +23 | 41 | Champions League group stage and J.League Championship Final |
| 2 | Vissel Kobe | 17 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 33 | 18 | +15 | 35 | |
| 3 | Kawasaki Frontale | 17 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 35 | 24 | +11 | 34 | |
| 4 | Gamba Osaka | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 34 | |
| 5 | Kashiwa Reysol | 17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 32 | 23 | +9 | 30 | |
| 6 | Omiya Ardija | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 30 | |
| 7 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 17 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 29 | |
| 8 | Sagan Tosu | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 29 | |
| 9 | FC Tokyo | 17 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 29 | |
| 10 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 26 | |
| 11 | Kashima Antlers | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 20 | |
| 12 | Vegalta Sendai | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 23 | −4 | 20 | |
| 13 | Ventforet Kofu | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 27 | −13 | 16 | |
| 14 | Júbilo Iwata | 17 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 27 | −11 | 13 | |
| 15 | Nagoya Grampus | 17 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 29 | −15 | 13 | |
| 16 | Albirex Niigata | 17 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 12 | |
| 17 | Shonan Bellmare | 17 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 29 | −17 | 11 | |
| 18 | Avispa Fukuoka | 17 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 41 | −26 | 8 | |

### Overall table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 34 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 61 | 28 | +33 | 74 | Champions League group stage and J. League Championship Final |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale | 34 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 68 | 39 | +29 | 72 | Champions League group stage and J. League Championship 1st Round |
| 3 | Kashima Antlers (C) | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 53 | 34 | +19 | 59 | Club World Cup, Champions League group stage and J. League Championship 1st Round |
| 4 | Gamba Osaka | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 53 | 42 | +11 | 58 | Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Omiya Ardija | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 56 | |
| 6 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 58 | 40 | +18 | 55 | |
| 7 | Vissel Kobe | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 55 | |
| 8 | Kashiwa Reysol | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 54 | |
| 9 | FC Tokyo | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 52 | |
| 10 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 53 | 38 | +15 | 51 | |
| 11 | Sagan Tosu | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 36 | 37 | −1 | 46 | |
| 12 | Vegalta Sendai | 34 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 43 | |
| 13 | Júbilo Iwata | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 37 | 50 | −13 | 36 | |
| 14 | Ventforet Kofu | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 32 | 58 | −26 | 31 | |
| 15 | Albirex Niigata | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 33 | 49 | −16 | 30 | |
| 16 | Nagoya Grampus (R) | 34 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 38 | 58 | −20 | 30 | Relegation to 2017 J2 League |
| 17 | Shonan Bellmare (R) | 34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 30 | 56 | −26 | 27 | Relegation to 2017 J2 League |
| 18 | Avispa Fukuoka (R) | 34 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 26 | 66 | −40 | 19 | Relegation to 2017 J2 League |
* ↑ The winner of the 2016 Emperor's Cup qualified for the group stage of the 2017 AFC Champions League. Since the Emperor's Cup winner Kashima Antlers had already qualified for the AFC Champions League, the play-off round spot was awarded to the fourth-placed team.

## Positions by round
### First stage

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Kashima Antlers | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 13 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Omiya Ardija | 5 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Gamba Osaka | 13 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 10 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Júbilo Iwata | 13 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 8 |
| FC Tokyo | 13 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 5 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 13 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Vissel Kobe | 18 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 |
| Albirex Niigata | 2 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Sagan Tosu | 2 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 15 |
| Shonan Bellmare | 10 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| Ventforet Kofu | 1 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 17 |
| Avispa Fukuoka | 10 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
* Leader and qualification to 2016 J.League Championship
* Two games for Matchday 7 (Avispa Fukuoka vs. Nagoya Grampus and Sagan Tosu vs. Vissel Kobe), scheduled on 16 April 2016, were affected by the series of earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture, and thus postponed and rescheduled on 2 June 2016. Results of these matches were included in Matchday 15 ranking.
* Matchday 10 results for 2016 AFC Champions League Participants (FC Tokyo vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima; Gamba Osaka vs. Urawa Red Diamonds), held on 15 June 2016, were included in Matchday 16 ranking.
* Matchday 13 results for 2016 AFC Champions League Knockout Stage Participants (Urawa Red Diamonds vs. FC Tokyo), held on 22 June 2016, were included in Matchday 17 ranking.

### Second stage

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Vissel Kobe | 1 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Gamba Osaka | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Omiya Ardija | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Sagan Tosu | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| FC Tokyo | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Kashima Antlers | 14 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 15 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Ventforet Kofu | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Júbilo Iwata | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 12 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
| Albirex Niigata | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| Shonan Bellmare | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
| Avispa Fukuoka | 11 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
* Leader and qualification to 2016 J.League Championship

### Overall

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Kashima Antlers | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Gamba Osaka | 13 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Omiya Ardija | 5 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 10 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 13 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Vissel Kobe | 18 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 13 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| FC Tokyo | 13 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Sagan Tosu | 2 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 5 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
| Júbilo Iwata | 13 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Ventforet Kofu | 1 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Albirex Niigata | 2 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Shonan Bellmare | 10 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Avispa Fukuoka | 10 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
* Leader, qualification to 2016 J.League Championship Final and 2017 AFC Champions League group stage
* Qualification to 2016 J.League Championship 1st Round and 2017 AFC Champions League group stage
* Qualification to 2017 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off
* Relegation to 2017 J2 League
* Two games for Matchday 7 (Avispa Fukuoka vs. Nagoya Grampus and Sagan Tosu vs. Vissel Kobe), scheduled on 16 April 2016, were affected by the series of earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture, and thus postponed and rescheduled on 2 June 2016. Results of these matches were included in Matchday 15 ranking.
* Matchday 10 results for 2016 AFC Champions League Participants (FC Tokyo vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima; Gamba Osaka vs. Urawa Red Diamonds), held on 15 June 2016, were included in Matchday 16 ranking.
* Matchday 13 results for 2016 AFC Champions League Knockout Stage Participants (Urawa Red Diamonds vs. FC Tokyo), held on 22 June 2016, were included in Matchday 17 ranking.

## Championship stage

Meiji Yasuda 2016 J.League Championship (明治安田生命 2016 Jリーグチャンピオンシップ) The Championship stage consisted of a knockout tournament involving the champions of the First and Second stages, and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall table. The team with the best aggregate record earned a bye to the final. The remaining teams playoff for the other spot in the final.
| Semifinal | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| | | | 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale | 0 | 3 | Kashima Antlers | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Kashima Antlers | 1 | | | | | |

## Results
### First stage

| Home \ Away | ALB | ANT | ARD | AVI | BEL | FMA | FRO | GAM | GRA | JÚB | RED | REY | SAG | SFR | TOK | VEG | VEN | VIS |
| Albirex Niigata | | | 1–0 | | | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 1–2 | | 2–2 | 1–0 | | | | 2–2 | |
| Kashima Antlers | 2–1 | | | 2–0 | | 1–0 | | | | | | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | | 4–0 | |
| Omiya Ardija | | 0–0 | | | | 1–1 | | | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | | 1–5 | | | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Avispa Fukuoka | 0–1 | | 1–2 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | | | | | 0–4 | | | | |
| Shonan Bellmare | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | | | | | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | | | | 0–1 | 0–1 | | 1–2 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | | | | | 0–1 | | 0–2 | | | | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | |
| Kawasaki Frontale | | 1–1 | 2–0 | | 4–4 | | | | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | | | 1–1 | | 3–1 |
| Gamba Osaka | | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | | 3–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | | | | | |
| Nagoya Grampus | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | | | 3–1 | | | | | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | | 0–1 |
| Júbilo Iwata | | 1–1 | | 2–2 | | 1–5 | | | 0–1 | | | | | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 0–0 | 0–2 | | 2–0 | | | | | 4–1 | 1–2 | | | | | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | | | | 3–2 | 1–1 | | 1–3 | | | 2–2 | 1–2 | | | | 1–0 | 0–2 | | 2–0 |
| Sagan Tosu | | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | | | 2–1 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | | | | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1–0 | | | | 2–2 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | | | 4–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | | | 3–0 | | |
| FC Tokyo | 1–1 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | | | 2–4 | 1–0 | 3–2 | | | | 0–0 | 1–1 | | | | 1–0 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 4–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | | | | 1–3 | | | | | 0–2 | | 1–2 | | 2–1 | |
| Ventforet Kofu | | | | 1–0 | 3–1 | | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–2 | | | 0–2 | | 0–3 | 1–1 | | | |
| Vissel Kobe | 6–3 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | | 0–1 | | 2–1 | | 4–1 | | | | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 0–2 | |

### Second stage

| Home \ Away | ALB | ANT | ARD | AVI | BEL | FMA | FRO | GAM | GRA | JÚB | RED | REY | SAG | SFR | TOK | VEG | VEN | VIS |
| Albirex Niigata | | 0–2 | | 3–0 | 0–1 | | | | 0–1 | | 1–2 | | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | | 1–0 |
| Kashima Antlers | | | 1–3 | | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | | | | | 0–1 | | 0–1 |
| Omiya Ardija | 1–2 | | | 1–0 | 3–2 | | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | | | 1–1 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | | |
| Avispa Fukuoka | | 1–2 | | | | | | | | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 2–3 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–4 |
| Shonan Bellmare | | | | 0–2 | | 0–3 | 2–3 | 1–2 | | | | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | | | 1–0 | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | | | | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | | | | | | | 3–2 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 3–2 | | | 3–1 | | 3–2 | | 2–3 | | | | 2–5 | | 2–0 | 1–0 | | 4–0 | |
| Gamba Osaka | 3–1 | | | 0–0 | | | | | | | | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Nagoya Grampus | | | | 5–0 | 1–3 | | 0–3 | 1–3 | | 1–1 | 0–2 | | | | 1–1 | | 1–3 | |
| Júbilo Iwata | 1–2 | | 1–1 | | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 0–2 | | | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | | | | | 3–4 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | | | 2–2 | | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | | | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | | | | |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | | | 1–2 | | 3–2 | 3–1 | | | | 2–3 | 3–3 | | | 1–0 | |
| Sagan Tosu | 1–0 | 1–0 | | | | 2–2 | 1–0 | | 0–0 | | | | | 2–3 | 3–2 | 2–3 | | |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | | 2–4 | 0–1 | 4–1 | | 2–2 | | | 2–0 | 3–0 | | | | | 0–1 | | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| FC Tokyo | | 2–1 | | | 3–0 | 1–0 | | | | 3–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | | | | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| Vegalta Sendai | | | | | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 | | 0–2 | | | | 3–0 |
| Ventforet Kofu | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2–2 | | | 0–4 | | | | 0–0 | 0–2 | | 0–1 | | | 1–1 | | 0–3 |
| Vissel Kobe | | | 1–0 | | 2–0 | | 3–0 | | 3–0 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | | 4–1 | | | |

## Top scorers

| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Leandro | Vissel Kobe | 19 |
| 1 | Peter Utaka | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 19 |
| 3 | Cristiano | Ventforet Kofu / Kashiwa Reysol | 16 |
| 4 | Yoshito Ōkubo | Kawasaki Frontale | 15 |
| 4 | Yu Kobayashi | Kawasaki Frontale | 15 |
| 6 | Jay Bothroyd | Júbilo Iwata | 14 |
| 6 | Shinzo Koroki | Urawa Red Diamonds | 14 |
| 8 | Yohei Toyoda | Sagan Tosu | 13 |
| 9 | Diego Oliveira | Kashiwa Reysol | 12 |
| 9 | Kazuma Watanabe | Vissel Kobe | 12 |
| 9 | Yuki Muto | Urawa Red Diamonds | 12 |
Updated to games played on 3 November 2016
Source: J. League data site

## Awards
### Individual

| Award | Recipient | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Kengo Nakamura | Kawasaki Frontale |
| Rookie of the Year | Yosuke Ideguchi | Gamba Osaka |
| Top Scorer | Leandro Peter Utaka | Vissel Kobe Sanfrecce Hiroshima |

### Best Eleven

| Position | Footballer | Club | Nationality |
| GK | Shusaku Nishikawa | Urawa Red Diamonds | Japan |
| DF | Gen Shoji | Kashima Antlers | Japan |
| DF | Masato Morishige | FC Tokyo | Japan |
| DF | Tomoaki Makino | Urawa Red Diamonds | Japan |
| DF | Tsukasa Shiotani | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Japan |
| MF | Kengo Nakamura | Kawasaki Frontale | Japan |
| MF | Manabu Saitō | Yokohama F. Marinos | Japan |
| MF | Yōsuke Kashiwagi | Urawa Red Diamonds | Japan |
| MF | Yuki Abe | Urawa Red Diamonds | Japan |
| FW | Leandro | Vissel Kobe | Brazil |
| FW | Yu Kobayashi | Kawasaki Frontale | Japan |
Source:

## Attendances

These are the attendance records of each of the teams at the end of the home and away season. The table does not include the Championship stages attendances.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 627,898 | 56,841 | 22,766 | 36,935 | +4.0%$^†$ |
| 2 | Gamba Osaka | 430,806 | 34,231 | 13,731 | 25,342 | +58.4%$^†$ |
| 3 | FC Tokyo | 408,623 | 37,805 | 11,488 | 24,037 | −16.5%$^†$ |
| 4 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 408,072 | 46,413 | 7,033 | 24,004 | −0.9%$^†$ |
| 5 | Kawasaki Frontale | 376,305 | 26,612 | 14,432 | 22,136 | +5.4%$^†$ |
| 6 | Albirex Niigata | 327,923 | 29,692 | 14,627 | 21,181 | −9.7%$^†$ |
| 7 | Kashima Antlers | 360,076 | 31,636 | 6,696 | 19,103 | +16.3%$^†$ |
| 8 | Nagoya Grampus | 301,396 | 30,282 | 7,980 | 17,729 | +9.2%$^†$ |
| 9 | Vissel Kobe | 289,310 | 25,722 | 11,212 | 17,018 | +4.6%$^†$ |
| 10 | Vegalta Sendai | 262,937 | 19,315 | 12,504 | 15,467 | +12.2%$^†$ |
| 11 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 262,888 | 25,845 | 8,602 | 15,464 | −5.6%$^†$ |
| 12 | Júbilo Iwata | 248,381 | 24,896 | 10,416 | 14,611 | +45.5%$^†$ |
| 13 | Avispa Fukuoka | 218,576 | 19,370 | 5,870 | 12,857 | +47.2%$^†$ |
| 14 | Sagan Tosu | 214,814 | 20,219 | 6,499 | 12,636 | −6.1%$^†$ |
| 15 | Omiya Ardija | 200,834 | 13,880 | 9,480 | 11,814 | +24.5%$^†$ |
| 16 | Shonan Bellmare | 196,012 | 14,419 | 8,052 | 11,530 | −5.6%$^†$ |
| 17 | Ventforet Kofu | 184,161 | 15,508 | 7,011 | 10,833 | −4.1%$^†$ |
| 18 | Kashiwa Reysol | 182,374 | 13,977 | 7,090 | 10,728 | −1.7%$^†$ |
| | League total | 5,498,222 | 56,841 | 5,870 | 17,968 | +1.0%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 3 November 2016 Source: J. League Data Notes: $^†$ Team played previous season in J2.