# 2020 J3 League

The 2020 J3 League, referred to as the 2020 Meiji Yasuda J3 League (Japanese: 2020 明治安田生命J3リーグ, Hepburn: 2020 Meiji Yasuda Seimei J3 Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons, was the 7th season of J3 League under its current name.
Blaublitz Akita won the J3 title for the second time in their history. They were promoted to the 2021 J2 League alongside SC Sagamihara. Both teams won promotion for the J2 League for the first time.

## Overview

On 19 March, the J.League announced no relegation would take place for the 2020 season, with the J1 League expanding to 20 clubs for the 2021 season.
This is last season to with three U-23 teams from J1 in 2020 season. J3 League has been scheduled for a reduction to 15 clubs before the 2021 season.

## Postponement of the beginning of the season

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related concerns, the Japan Football Association (JFA) opted to postpone the beginning of the season, firstly established for 7 March.
On 25 February, all J.League matches until 15 March were postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After that, it was announced that it would be postponed until 29 March. On March 19, the J.League announced no relegation would take place for the 2020 season, with the J1 League expanding to 20 clubs for the 2021 season. On 25 March, the league announced that the season would be suspended between 3 April and 6 May.
On 3 April, it was decided to start over with the official game schedule, which aimed to gradually resume J3 from 25 April, J2 from 2 May, and J1 from 9 May. Note that, considering a new schedule in the future, the schedule would have called for the season's resumption at least one month later and later in the month.
On 29 May, J.League announced its decision to resume on 27 June. On 9 June, the schedules of the 2020 season were published. On 15 June, new dates were also published. The first 2 matches in each league (J3 1st-2nd section) were held without spectators. After 10 July, as a general rule, the maximum number of people were 5,000 (stadiums with lower capacity are those with less than 50% of the capacity of people watching; no away supporters allowed). After August, the maximum stadium capacity was 50%, and there would be "high alert spectator matches".
After that, at the 11th J.League extraordinary executive committee meeting on 20 July, it was announced that the "super strict alert audience game" was extended to 10 August in view of the spread of coronavirus infection.

## Changes from the previous season

| Promoted from 2019 JFL | Promoted to 2020 J2 League | Withdrawn / Disbanded |
| FC Imabari | Giravanz Kitakyushu Thespakusatsu Gunma | None |
2019 season saw two teams promoted to J2 League: Giravanz Kitakyushu won the championship after being for three seasons in the third tier, while Thespakusatsu Gunma won promotion just in the last game of the season. From second division, there was a double automatic relegation for the second time: FC Gifu played their first season in J3 after being in the second division for the last 12 years, when J3 League wasn't even on the cards. Alongside them, an incredible final day of the 2019 season pushed Kagoshima United FC immediately back to J3, just one year after sealing their first-ever participation to the second tier. This is the last J3 League season that featured the U-23 teams from J1 League. On 5 June, FC Tokyo U-23 withdrew from the league.
Also, Japan Football League saw the promotion of another club: after two fifth-placed performances, FC Imabari came third in 2019 and booked their first professional season in their history.

## Participating clubs

* Cerezo Osaka U-23
* Gamba Osaka U-23
| Club Name | Home Town | Stadium | Capacity | Last season | Licence |
| Azul Claro Numazu | Numazu | Ashitaka Stadium | 10,000 | J3（12th） | J3 |
| Blaublitz Akita | Akita | Soyu Stadium | 20,125 | J3（8th） | J2 |
| FC Gifu | All cities/towns in Gifu | Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium | 26,109 | Relegated from J2 (22nd) | J1 |
| FC Imabari | Imabari | Arigato Service Dream Stadium | 5,000 | Promoted from JFL（3rd） | J2 |
| Fukushima United FC | Fukushima | Toho Stadium | 21,000 | J3（11th） | J3 |
| Gainare Tottori | All cities/towns in Tottori | Axis Bird Stadium | 16,033 | J3（7th） | J2 |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | All cities/towns in Iwate | Iwagin Stadium | 4,946 | J3（18th） | J3 |
| Kamatamare Sanuki | All cities/towns in Kagawa | Pikara Stadium | 30,099 | J3（14th） | J2 |
| Kagoshima United | Kagoshima | Shiranami Stadium | 19,934 | Relegated from J2 (21st) | J1 |
| Kataller Toyama | All cities/towns in Toyama | Toyama Athletic Stadium | 25,251 | J3（4th） | J1 |
| Fujieda MYFC | Cities/towns in Shizuoka Prefecture | Fujieda Soccer Field | 13,000 | J3（3rd） | J3 |
| Nagano Parceiro | Nagano | Nagano U Stadium | 15,491 | J3（9th） | J2 |
| Roasso Kumamoto | Kumamoto, Kumamoto | Egao Kenko Stadium | 32,000 | J3（5th） | J1 |
| SC Sagamihara | Sagamihara | Gion Stadium | 15,300 | J3（15th） | J2 |
| Vanraure Hachinohe | Eastern cities/towns in Aomori | Prifoods Stadium | 5,200 | J3（10th） | J3 |
| YSCC Yokohama | Yokohama | Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium | 15,454 | J3（13th） | J3 |
| Cerezo Osaka U-23 | Osaka & Sakai, Osaka | Kincho Stadium | 19,904 | J3（6th） | - |
| Gamba Osaka U-23 | North cities in Osaka | Panasonic Stadium Suita Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium | 39,694 21,000 | J3（17th） | - |
* ↑ centering on Gifu
* ↑ centering on Tottori, Yonago, Kurayoshi, Sakaiminato
* ↑ centering on Takamatsu, Marugame
* ↑ centering on Toyama
* ↑ Fujieda, Shimada, Yaizu, Makinohara, Yoshida, Kawanehonmachi
* ↑ 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 | Masataka Imai | Masayuki Tokutake | Puma |
| Blaublitz Akita | Ken Yoshida | Naoyuki Yamada | ATHLETA |
| FC Gifu | Zdravko Zemunović | Tadashi Takeda | New Balance |
| FC Imabari | Lluís Planagumà | Keishi Kusumi | Adidas |
| Fukushima United | Takeo Matsuda | Ryosuke Tamura | hummel |
| Gainare Tottori | Riki Takagi | Masataka Kani | Puma |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | Yutaka Akita | Shun Morishita | Under Armour |
| Kagoshima United FC | Kim Jong-song | Noriyuki Sakemoto | Puma |
| Kamatamare Sanuki | Kazuhito Mochizuki | Akira Takeuchi | ATHLETA |
| Kataller Toyama | Ryo Adachi | Junya Imase | GOLDWin |
| Fujieda MYFC | Nobuhiro Ishizaki | Takuya Sugimoto | gol. |
| Nagano Parceiro | Yuji Yokoyama | Nobuyuki Abe | Penalty |
| Roasso Kumamoto | Takeshi Oki | Tomotaka Okamoto | Puma |
| SC Sagamihara | Fumitake Miura | Seitaro Tomisawa | gol. |
| Vanraure Hachinohe | Masafumi Nakaguchi | Teppei Chikaishi | ATHLETA |
| YSCC Yokohama | / Yuki Stalph | Koichi Miyao | younger |
| Cerezo Osaka U-23 | Kazuhiro Murata | none | Puma |
| Gamba Osaka U-23 | Hitoshi Morishita | none | Umbro |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Cerezo Osaka U-23 | Kazuhiro Murata | Appointed Academy Deputy Director and U-18 Head Coach | 28 July 2020 | Yoshiaki Maruyama | 28 July 2020 |
| FC Gifu | Zdravko Zemunović | Change of director | 25 September 2020 | Kenji Nakada | 25 September 2020 |

## League table

It was decided on 19 March to change the format regarding the rules for promotion/relegation for the end of the season for the J1, J2 and J3 leagues, such that there would be no relegation this season, that two clubs from the J2 League would be promoted to the 2021 J1 League, and that two clubs from the J3 League would be promoted to the 2021 J2 League (subject to licensing regulations).
FC Tokyo U-23's withdrawal was approved at a board meeting held on 5 June, leaving the J3 League with 18 teams.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Blaublitz Akita (C, P) | 34 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 55 | 18 | +37 | 73 | Promotion to 2021 J2 League 2020 Emperor's Cup quarter-finals |
| 2 | SC Sagamihara (P) | 34 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 43 | 35 | +8 | 61 | Promotion to 2021 J2 League |
| 3 | Nagano Parceiro | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 26 | +19 | 59 | |
| 4 | Kagoshima United | 34 | 18 | 4 | 12 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 58 | |
| 5 | Gainare Tottori | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 57 | |
| 6 | FC Gifu | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 50 | 39 | +11 | 56 | |
| 7 | FC Imabari | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 39 | 27 | +12 | 55 | |
| 8 | Roasso Kumamoto | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 56 | 47 | +9 | 54 | |
| 9 | Kataller Toyama | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 52 | 43 | +9 | 50 | |
| 10 | Fujieda MYFC | 34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 49 | |
| 11 | Iwate Grulla Morioka | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 42 | |
| 12 | Azul Claro Numazu | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 41 | |
| 13 | Fukushima United | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 46 | 55 | −9 | 39 | |
| 14 | Gamba Osaka U-23 | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 43 | 55 | −12 | 35 | Folded |
| 15 | Vanraure Hachinohe | 34 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 56 | −14 | 33 | |
| 16 | Kamatamare Sanuki | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 33 | 52 | −19 | 31 | |
| 17 | YSCC Yokohama | 34 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 37 | 66 | −29 | 27 | |
| 18 | Cerezo Osaka U-23 | 34 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 28 | 61 | −33 | 25 | Folded |
| 19 | FC Tokyo U-23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan |
* ↑ Only teams that hold a J2 licence are eligible for promotion.

## Top scorers

After matches played on 20 December 2020.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Kaito Taniguchi | Roasso Kumamoto | 18 |
| 2 | Tsugutoshi Oishi | Fujieda MYFC | 14 |
| 2 | Takuya Miyamoto | YSCC Yokohama | 14 |
| 4 | Ismaila | Fukushima United FC | 13 |
| 4 | Rômulo | SC Sagamihara | 13 |
| 6 | Tsubasa Yoshihira | Fujieda MYFC | 11 |
| 6 | Hayato Asakawa | Roasso Kumamoto | 11 |
| 8 | Ryota Nakamura | Blaublitz Akita | 10 |
| 8 | Shoji Toyama | Gamba Osaka U-23 | 10 |
| 8 | Hayate Take | Kataller Toyama | 10 |
| 8 | Shota Kawanishi | FC Gifu | 10 |
| 8 | Naoki Sanda | Nagano Parceiro | 10 |
| 8 | Yosuke Kamigata | Vanraure Hachinohe | 10 |

## Attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | FC Gifu | 44,942 | 5,222 | 0 | 2,644 | −60.2%$^†$ |
| 2 | Nagano Parceiro | 41,629 | 6,297 | 0 | 2,449 | −18.4%$^†$ |
| 3 | Kagoshima United FC | 37,635 | 3,990 | 0 | 2,214 | −61.7%$^†$ |
| 4 | Roasso Kumamoto | 29,111 | 3,435 | 0 | 1,712 | −69.1%$^†$ |
| 7 | Kataller Toyama | 20,681 | 2,592 | 0 | 1,217 | −55.5%$^†$ |
| 5 | FC Imabari | 23,042 | 2,139 | 0 | 1,355 | −56.3%$^‡$ |
| 6 | Blaublitz Akita | 20,761 | 2,226 | 0 | 1,221 | −22.5%$^†$ |
| 10 | Kamatamare Sanuki | 14,767 | 1,506 | 0 | 869 | −58.9%$^†$ |
| 11 | Gainare Tottori | 13,731 | 1,451 | 0 | 808 | −63.8%$^†$ |
| 13 | Vanraure Hachinohe | 11,316 | 1,066 | 0 | 666 | −62.2%$^†$ |
| 8 | Azul Claro Numazu | 15,720 | 1,890 | 0 | 925 | −62.6%$^†$ |
| 12 | Fujieda MYFC | 11,617 | 1,271 | 0 | 683 | −60.7%$^†$ |
| 9 | SC Sagamihara | 15,609 | 2,664 | 0 | 918 | −68.1%$^†$ |
| 14 | YSCC Yokohama | 10,597 | 1,109 | 0 | 623 | −43.1%$^†$ |
| 16 | Fukushima United | 9,902 | 1,369 | 0 | 582 | −53.1%$^†$ |
| 15 | Gamba Osaka U-23 | 10,120 | 2,526 | 0 | 595 | −52.9%$^†$ |
| 17 | Cerezo Osaka U-23 | 9,511 | 1,672 | 0 | 559 | −53.3%$^†$ |
| 18 | Iwate Grulla Morioka | 8,184 | 1,024 | 0 | 481 | −64.8%$^†$ |
| | League total | 348,875 | 6,297 | 0 | 1,140 | −52.4%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 20 December 2020 Source: J. League Data Notes: $^†$ Last year in J2 League $^‡$ Last year in Japan Football League.