1993
2023
Comparison of the number of players entered into official matches in the 1993 and 2023 seasons.
Players counted are those registered at the top of Class 1, including special license players.
The total number of official matches held from 1993 to 2023.
The total number of attendees for official matches from 1993 to 2023.
As key visuals for the 30th anniversary, graphic art pieces were produced using portraits of top players from all J1 clubs and legendary former players.
On J.LEAGUE Day in May, these were unveiled as extra-large advertisements in areas like the environs of Shibuya Station, a cultural hub in Tokyo, and covering the stairs of Japan’s sacred home of sport, the National Stadium.
The player portraits were captured by photographer Kazumi KURIGAMI, who also photographed player portraits at the league’s launch in 1993.
It has been 30 years since a professional football league started in Japan.
The members of Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), who bring matches to people across the country without missing a single season and communicate the diverse ways to enjoy J.LEAGUE, teamed up with J.LEAGUE personnel and broadcasted various special programmes in 2023 commemorating the league’s 30th anniversary since its inauguration.
We present a special roundtable discussion with NHK and J.LEAGUE members involved in the project, talking about the inside story of the undertaking.
Documenting the Intentions of Those Behind the 30th Anniversary Project
SPECIAL TALKCollaboration with the Broadcaster
2023.12.8
Involvement in the J.LEAGUE 30th Anniversary Project
As 2023 marked the milestone of the 30th season since J.LEAGUE’s launch, we undertook various new challenges together with members of NHK. Firstly, the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE 13th sec. contest between Kashima Antlers and Nagoya Grampus on May 14 was broadcast live in an expanded slot on NHK General TV as the “J.LEAGUE 30th Anniversary Special Match.” Additionally, the matches at a total of seven MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE and J3 LEAGUE venues, which kicked off at the same time, were broadcast simultaneously by connecting local NHK stations nationwide. NHK also aired numerous special programmes about J.LEAGUE. Among them, J.LEAGUE and Me—30 Years of Stories, a special documentary-style show that introduced various J.LEAGUE-related anecdotes solicited from viewers and supporters, received a tremendous response not just from fans and supporters but also wider audiences who don’t usually watch J.LEAGUE matches. For today’s special discussion, we are privileged to welcome two guests from NHK who were involved in broadcasting matches and producing the special programmes. We will hear from them, together with J.LEAGUE members, the inside scoop on these initiatives. We hope the discussion will provide some clues for J.LEAGUE’s future development.
Kiyohiko SAOTOME of NHK:I was in my fourth year at university when J.LEAGUE started, and I joined NHK the following year. I was immediately assigned to a programme called Sunday Sports and have been involved in sports broadcasting and programmes for a long time since. There was a reshuffle in May 2022, and I happened to be given the live broadcasts of matches commemorating the J.LEAGUE’s 30th anniversary. As I have covered football longer than anything else and am fond of it, I felt some pressure hearing about the assignment, but I also enjoyed it tremendously.
Eisuke SEKI of NHK Enterprises, Inc.:After joining NHK, I was involved in news and programming before moving to NHK Enterprises in 2022. About a year before that, I launched a programme called SupoJikara (Sports Power) to convey the courage and hope that sports bring to communities. Then, I had the opportunity to use the same concept for the J.LEAGUE’s 30th-anniversary project, turning various people’s stories into mini programmes, documentaries, and specials.
Yasuaki IWASADA of J.LEAGUE:私I belong to J.LEAGUE’s Multimedia Business Division, where I handle broadcast rights and video-related aspects. In working with NHK as a rights holder and on secondary video utilisation and promotional campaigns using video footage, I had the chance to request their support for the special matches and documentary programmes.
Akito MAEDA of J.LEAGUE:I work in promotions, focusing on maximising J.LEAGUE’s exposure on terrestrial channels. With the 30th anniversary approaching, I considered possible collaborations with NHK, leading to J.LEAGUE and Me.
Linking Seven Venues Nationwide in a Football Version of Yuku Toshi Kuru Toshi (New Year’s Eve Live from Famous Places in Japan)
Saotome:The centrepiece of this series of projects was the live broadcast on NHK General TV of the J.LEAGUE 30th Anniversary Special Match held on May 14, 2023. We started by reaching out internally to people working on various programmes, encouraging them to feature J.LEAGUE. Building up to May 3 broadcast of Special: J.LEAGUE and Me—30 Years of Stories as a peak, everything converged towards the J.LEAGUE 30th Anniversary Special Match live broadcast as the overall core attraction.
Iwasada:From J.LEAGUE’s perspective, as we approached the significant milestone of 30 years, it was about the challenge of building up a crescendo towards “J.LEAGUE Day” on May 15. With various adjustments, we ultimately settled on the idea that connecting broadcast stations across the country on Sunday, May 14, to air J.LEAGUE matches happening concurrently in different locations would be a fitting representation of the breadth of club reach built over 30 years. As Mr Saotome mentioned, things then came together towards May 14 with plans for various associated programmes.
We started working with NHK around Spring 2022 on concepts for related programmes. Frankly, my thinking was that montages revisiting memorable moments in J.LEAGUE’s history had been done thoroughly at previous anniversaries. Rather than repeating the same idea, I proposed changing the approach and asked if we could collaborate on something new. Concrete plans thus took shape with NHK Enterprises for J.LEAGUE and Me documentary concept conceived from that idea.
Seki:As I was involved in programming then, I’ll explain. There were various programming considerations, but Sundays offer greater flexibility and overwhelmingly longer slots. Also, there was an existing habit of weekend J.LEAGUE broadcasts, so I ultimately proposed a Sunday programming schedule as the best choice.
Iwasada:It was really great that they created an environment where turning on the TV allowed viewers to watch their hometown team’s match in the area where they live, while in regions without a home game, the 30th Anniversary Special Match between Kashima and Nagoya could be viewed. For the special match, Mr Maeda from promotions was involved in a commemorative anniversary ceremony with live performances by the artists RADWIMPS and ZORN. I’m also really grateful that they secured adequate broadcast time for the live performance of the J.LEAGUE 30th-anniversary anthem, “DAI-DAN-EN (Grand Finale) feat. ZORN,” produced by RADWIMPS.
Saotome:Besides the National Stadium, the broadcast relay connected seven venues simultaneously for matches held around the country on May 14. We needed an extra 30 minutes or so before and after to properly air live ceremony performances from the National Stadium and connect all seven stadiums via live broadcast. So, instead of the regular 2+ hour slot for J.LEAGUE, we expanded it to about three hours.
Iwasada:We also synchronised the kick-off times between 13:34 and 13:35 across all seven venues.
Image from NHK’s May 14 J.LEAGUE broadcast. Broadcast cards created by J.LEAGUE.
| Broadcast cards |
|---|
| 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE Albirex Niigata vs. Yokohama F･Marinos (NHK Niigata station) |
| 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE Kyoto Sanga F.C. vs. Cerezo Osaka (NHK Kyoto station・Kansai area) |
| 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE Avispa Fukuoka vs. Sagan Tosu (NHK Fukuoka station・NHK Saga station) |
| 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE IWAKI FC vs. Blaublitz Akita (NHK Fukushima station・NHK Akita station) |
| 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE Vanraure Hachinohe vs. Iwate Grulla Morioka (NHK Aomori station・NHK Morioka station) |
| 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE FC Imabari vs. Ehime FC (NHK Matsuyama station) |
| 2023 MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE Kagoshima United FC vs. FC RYUKYU (NHK Kagoshima station) |
Iwasada:Yes, it was. We had never done anything like this before, so while nervous about how it would turn out, I was also tremendously excited.
Saotome:Since this was the first time attempting concurrent relays encompassing all J1 to J3 league categories, the commentators and crews on-location at each venue seemed to be having so much fun, too. It really was football’s Yuku Toshi Kuru Toshi. When we briefed the local relay teams beforehand, likening it to the Yuku Toshi Kuru Toshi New Year’s Eve live from famous places in Japan television special, it clicked immediately what we were aiming for.
