2025 J2 League
The 2025 J2 League, also known as the '''2025 Meiji Yasuda Life for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th season of the J2 League, the second-tier Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1999. This was also the eleventh season of the league since its rebrand from J.League Division 2.
Overview
This was the last J.League season played in a whole calendar year from late winter to early winter, with the following season onwards played from summer to spring.Schedule
The league and match format were announced on 25 November 2024, with the season starts on 15 February 2025 and concluded on 29 November 2025.Promotion play-off was held from 7 to 13 December 2025.
Changes from the previous season
Tochigi SC, Kagoshima United and Thespa Gunma were relegated to the 2025 J3 League, finishing the previous season as 18th, 19th and 20th placed, respectively, ended seven, one and five years stays in the second-tier, respectively.Júbilo Iwata, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Sagan Tosu were relegated from the 2024 J1 League, after one, eight and thirteen season in the top flight, respectively.
Both Shimizu S-Pulse and Yokohama FC are promoted to the 2025 J1 League as champions and runners-up, respectively, of the previous J2 League season. Shizuoka-based Shimizu will return in the top flight of Japanese football after two years absence, while Yokohama FC will make their immediate comeback to the J1. Joining them are Fagiano Okayama, who finished 5th in 2024 and earned promotion after winning the promotion play-offs, thus making their first top flight appearance from next season.
2024 J3 League winners Omiya Ardija, runners-up FC Imabari, and promotion play-off winners Kataller Toyama were both promoted from the J3 League. Omiya are returning to the second-tier after one-year absence, Imabari makes their debut in the second-tier for this season and Kataller, who finished 3rd, earned promotion after winning the promotion play-offs, thus returning after 11 years absence.
From this season, Omiya Ardija changed their name to RB Omiya Ardija after they were acquired by Red Bull since 2025.
Clubs
Foreign players
As of the 2024 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 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 | Player 8 | Former players |
| Blaublitz Akita |  Play-offsThe usual format was applied in the 2025 season. Promotion play-offs, officially called the Meiji Yasuda Road To J1 Play-offs 2025, 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---- |