Livida Sport: A Global Guide to Football Transfers - Second Edition - Manual / Resource - Page 69
Japan
J1 League
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The J1 League is Japan's top professional football division, established in 1992 and
rapidly becoming one of Asia's premier leagues. Known for its tactical discipline and
youth development, it contributes to Japan being the highest-ranked Asian country in
FIFA rankings.
The league features many technically skilled players, attracting European scouts due to
their affordable price relative to skill level, as seen in transfers like Kaoru Mitoma to
Brighton for £2.6m and Kyogo Furuhashi to Celtic for £4.5m. It is certainly a market that
the English Premier League clubs are keen to exploit now that the post-Brexit rules make
it easier for clubs to acquire talent from the Far Eastern leagues.
What are the foreign player rules?
A J-League club can include up to five overseas players in their match day squad and
must have at least one player from an Asian Football Confederation member nation.
However, players from the J-League's partner nations, including Saudi Arabia, Australia,
Morocco, Argentina, Brazil, and Qatar, are exempt from this restriction, allowing a team
to consist entirely of non-Japanese players. Additionally, each starting 11 must have at
least one player under 21.
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