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J.League has established the "J.League Football Guidelines," outlining the league's vision for football and the direction it aims to take.
As part of its vision of becoming "a J.League that wins in Asia and competes on the world stage," the league has introduced a range of initiatives in recent years. These include changes to the number of clubs in each division of the MEIJI YASUDA J.League and the promotion and relegation structure, reforms to the J.League Yamazaki Biscuits Levain Cup format, the transition to an autumn–spring season, the launch of the U-21 J.League, initiatives to improve refereeing standards, and a review of coaching licence requirements for J3 clubs. Since the 2025 season, the league has also implemented a range of measures to increase Actual Playing Time (APT) and has worked on establishing the Match Quality Assessor (MQA) system as part of its efforts to promote a more attractive style of football.
While the Laws of the Game, established by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), provide the universal rules of football, J.League had not previously established its own guidelines setting out the style of football it aims to promote or the principles behind it. The Premier League in England, meanwhile, has developed football guidelines jointly with its clubs, players and referees, with all stakeholders sharing responsibility for upholding those principles. Drawing on that approach, J.League has developed the "J.League Football Guidelines" following extensive discussions among the league, clubs, players and referees on the style of football it aims to promote both on and around the pitch.
This is the first edition of the guidelines and is intended to evolve over time. The guidelines will be updated annually and further refined through feedback from everyone involved in J.League, including the media, fans and supporters. J.League hopes the guidelines will be shared by everyone involved in the league and serve as a guiding framework for achieving the football it aspires to, while working together to further enhance the value of J.League.
■Title: J.League Football Guidelines
■Publication Date: 28 July 2026
■URL：https://jlib.j-league.or.jp/#/content/97
■Table of Contents
・Overview
・The Football J.League Aims to Promote and the Policies to Achieve It
・Key Points of the Laws of the Game
