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Record sale to Spurs this summer
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While teams in Europe's top leagues are busy preparing for the new season, the J League is already entering the decisive phase of the season on match-day 24 of 38. However, this is the last year that the schedule in Japan's top flight will not run parallel to those of the major European leagues. Instead, Kashiwa Reysol, Vissel Kobe, Gamba Osaka & Co. will no longer play their matches between February and December from 2026 onwards, with the fixtures being adjusted to the period between August and May.
This is just one of many measures designed to ensure that the J1 League is no longer affected by the international break. Yusuke Akiyama, who was recently appointed to the newly created position of European Chairman of the J League, talked to Transfermarkt recently about what exactly is behind this and what the J League's plans are for the future in terms of transfer policy. Tottenham Hotspur paid €5.8 million to Kawasaki Frontale this summer for Japanese defender Kota Takai. The 20-year-old became the most expensive Japanese export thanks to the transfer fee paid by the London club. Together with Kyogo Furuhashi, who moved from Vissel Kobe to Celtic for €5.4 million in the 2021/22 season, Takai is one of only three J League players to have generated a transfer fee in excess of €5m.
However, the sums paid for Japanese exports could be higher, according to widespread opinion among many football fans and business protagonists in Japan in recent years. Quite a few players, such as Takumi Minamino and Shinji Kagawa have moved to Europe for relatively small sums in the past. This is likely another reason why those responsible for the J League have decided to take various measures to promote the sustainable internationalisation of the brand and strengthen the league's presence in Europe in particular. One of the decision-makers who has brought this idea to life is league Chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura, a former professional player. In the spring, the league opened offices in London and Europe, from where Akiyama will lead the organisation in a ambassadorial role.
The aim is to generate more activity in both directions on the international transfer market, not only in Europe, but also in Africa and other continents. In the future, the club not only wants to sell players, but also "bring more players from abroad to Japan," said the official, who is not necessarily thinking of big names as in the past, but rather of players whose careers have stagnated in European leagues in their mid-20s. Most foreign players in the J League currently come from Brazil (52), followed by South Korea (15) and Australia (3), with Germany and Denmark (2 each) as the leading European nations.
In the early 1990s in particular, several stars were drawn to Japan to finish their careers, and in 2017 Lukas Podolski also followed suit. Other top international stars such as Spanish World Cup winner Andres Iniesta played sporadically in Japan for extended periods. This summer, many sporting directors from the J League will be making their way to Austria, where numerous top European clubs traditionally hold their pre-season training camps. The main focus of these visits will be on establishing contacts and exploring possible partnerships. Next year, more Japanese clubs will also move their summer training to Europe, says Akiyama. In addition to player exchanges, these visits could also provide opportunities to recruit skilled personnel such as coaches and managers. Examples such as Ange Postecoglou and Arsène Wenger have shown in the past that successful coaching careers can certainly also develop in Japan.
The league remains open to foreign investors and multi-club ownership, as in the case of Omiya Ardija, near the megacity of Tokyo, which Red Bull joined in 2024 to expand its "football portfolio in a strategically important region." Akiyama has been jointly responsible for all these measures since spring. The work of the former agent, who himself completed several high-profile transfers to Europe such as those of Minamino - has one goal: to reinforce the status of the J1 League in Asia and establish a competitive brand in other parts of the world, especially in Europe, both in sporting and economic terms.
