― Your first season as J.LEAGUE Football Director has concluded. You’ve been mainly focused on football quality. How do you view this season’s J.LEAGUE?

Adachi:I believe the intensity of play has increased across J1, J2, and J3. While clubs were already exploring modern trends up to last season, this season, we’ve shifted further towards high-intensity football, entering a phase where Japan can compete with the world’s best. However, I feel next season we need to focus on raising quality as well.

― So not just intensity, but quality, too.

Adachi:Of course, high intensity is a prerequisite for quality. When I was involved in top team management at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Manager Petrovic and Manager Hajime MORIYASU aimed for possession football. However, you can’t improve quality just by talking about it; you need to raise the intensity of daily training. One characteristic of current Japan national team players is their ability to maintain high quality within high-intensity play. So, now that we’ve achieved higher intensity this season, we need to focus more on quality. The quality in the attacking third is paramount. For example, this season, Vissel Kobe had three finishers (Yoshinori MUTO, Yuya OSAKO, and Taisei MIYASHIRO) who all scored over 10 goals each within that intensity—that’s why they won the title. Conversely, second-placed Hiroshima and third-placed FC Machida Zelvia lacked in this area. While they had the quality to reach the attacking third, how to achieve quality in front of the goal is crucial. This is a point we must address in youth development as well. While some teams rely on foreign players up front, Kobe had three Japanese players scoring over 10 goals each, so clubs need to figure out how to create such an environment. Including these points, high intensity plus quality is one team model J.LEAGUE clubs should aim for from next season.

― Club attitudes towards using young players seem to have shifted significantly.

Adachi:Every club is now strongly committed to developing young players now. While they’re exploring different approaches—whether to use loan deals, develop players internally from the bottom up, or invest more in their academies—there’s heightened awareness everywhere about developing the next generation.

― There are plans to create a U-21 league. What initiatives is J.LEAGUE considering?

Adachi:The U-21 league concept has two main objectives. The first is strengthening post-youth development. Players who didn’t get opportunities in the J.LEAGUE after high school and couldn’t fulfil their potential might become 20-year veterans if given match opportunities. The second objective is creating an environment for exceptional 16- or 17-year-olds to play full 90-minute competitive matches.

― European U-21 leagues feature many accelerated players and seem to function well alongside first team and U-19 participation.

Adachi:Adachi: Take Yotaro NAKAJIMA at Hiroshima, for example. At 18 and still in his final year of high school, he’s playing first team matches but also appears in the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST for his age group. In the same generation, Aren INOUE played in the J Youth Cup semi-finals, then travelled with the first team for an away match against the Urawa Reds the next day, went on a Japan U-19 tour to Mexico, returned for an AFC Champions League (ACL) 2 trip to the Philippines, then played in the Premier League WEST again. Thus, he’s gaining various match experiences on a daily basis. However, when they turn 19 and can no longer play youth matches, they’re limited to J.LEAGUE games. Even the top players of their age, like Nakashima, only get around 30 minutes of J.LEAGUE playing time at most. Is 30 minutes per week enough for a top 19-year-old player? With a U-21 league, we could guarantee 90 minutes of playing time there, creating the potential for 120 total minutes per week. Other exceptional 16 and 17-year-olds would also get opportunities in a more challenging environment than U-18. Until now, post-youth development has relied on universities, and many players progress because they get chances to play matches there, but four years is too long for some players. There are various pathways—some players might suit the U-21 league, others might enter professional football after university, some might benefit from loans to different categories after turning professional out of high school, and others might be better off going straight overseas. While the U-21 league isn’t the only answer, we’re discussing it to create a space between youth and professional football.

― What aspects are you prioritizing in discussions about creating the U-21 league?

Adachi:The key is that it must be genuinely competitive. It needs to be a competition where spectators watch, where one pass can lead to a goal, where one mistake can lead to loss of points and defeat —players need to experience both harsh criticism and applause. How to create this environment is crucial. Looking at various countries, everyone struggles with transitioning between youth and senior football. However, countries that have addressed this issue have reached higher levels. Even if we can’t launch the U-21 league, we definitely need to implement measures to motivate players between the youth and professional levels.

― Through these initiatives, how do you envision the J.LEAGUE’s future?

Adachi:Our primary focus is how to create the product of J.LEAGUE—this is fundamental. Beyond that, we face the challenge of “how to compete with the top five leagues.” To address this, we must create an environment that stimulates young players and integrates them with current players. Having worked with foreign managers like Michael Skibbe at Hiroshima, their opinion is unanimous: “J.LEAGUE is just below the top five leagues,” and “J.LEAGUE should be more confident.” So, while maintaining that confidence, we need to keep raising the league’s quality. Kobe’s case is particularly striking: players who’ve been to the top five leagues are returning to excel in the J.LEAGUE and significantly raising standards. However, we might see this cycle accelerate in the future, with players going overseas in their late teens and returning in their mid-twenties. Another trend is that we have overseas-based players in Japan National Teams for different age categories. They understand they can’t easily enter the top five leagues, and some are interested in playing in the J.LEAGUE. For instance, we might see cases where players develop in youth systems overseas, start their professional careers in J1, and then aim for the top five leagues. I think the key is how the J.LEAGUE fits into the cycle of the top five leagues. The J.LEAGUE has become a league with that potential, and Japan national team players from the J.LEAGUE are performing excellently, with our FIFA ranking rising. Japan undoubtedly has golden eggs, and we’re a league with the potential to nurture them. So, we need to focus on how to maximize this.

― The revision of the professional ABC contract system from 2026 seems like a major reform in J.LEAGUE history. What led to this review?

Adachi:When the professional ABC contract system was established 25 years ago, it was necessary to stabilise club management, and there were concerns about high salaries for players with limited playing time. The system was introduced with both salary standards and squad size limits. However, after 25 years, with changes in the global competitive environment, there’s been a movement to address the issue of relatively low player compensation to compete globally. During discussions, we also noted that with basketball and volleyball turning professional during these 25 years, we needed to make J.LEAGUE more competitive compared to other sports.

― Along with improving player compensation, relaxing professional player squad limits is also a crucial issue.

Adachi:We’ll continue to discuss squad limits, but players have become more discerning, looking for clubs where they can get matches, so I think we’ve reached a phase where some changes can be made. While the reform of the professional ABC contract system reform alone won’t win the competition with overseas leagues, we’re considering complete abolition of squad limits within two to three years as part of ongoing discussions.

― What changes do you expect from abolishing the professional ABC contract system?

Adachi:First, I look forward to seeing how clubs express their identity once regulations are relaxed. While we’re also discussing foreign player quotas and aren’t solely focused on player development, we could see teams like Spain’s Athletic Club Bilbao, which is committed to creating a club being rooted in their local community. Conversely, we might see clubs gathering many players to chase victories. I think it will lead to opportunities for clubs to show such distinctive characteristics. It will be interesting to see how each club protects their budget while developing and assembling players within this deregulated environment.

― It will become a real test for top team management departments.

Adachi:We’re past the era of promoting players to the first team or signing players just because we can. Scouts and General Managers will need to work incredibly hard and watch players with eagle eyes.

― This seems like a major paradigm shift for top team management. As someone who long worked in that position, how challenging do you think this mission will be?

Adachi:It’s definitely a difficult job. For instance, while a big club might be able to offer 12 million yen　outright for a player, other clubs might only manage 6 million. However, there are always overlooked players out there.

― Regarding changes in squad building, the season calendar transition also needs to be turned into a positive turning point.

Adachi:This will align our schedule with global standards. That means we’ll have no more excuses, so it’s important to raise awareness during this preparation period. Top team management will compete with their overseas counterparts, and we might see foreign General Managers coming to Japan; some movements in this direction are already happening. We want to support Japanese top team management staff in competing globally, with J.LEAGUE providing clear direction.

― What’s your outlook for next season?

Adachi:From a football perspective, consistently producing good players is paramount. Raising the quality of players and coaches is crucial for increasing J.LEAGUE’s value, and awareness of this has undoubtedly spread among the directly involved people through discussions about the season calendar transition. Since awareness must increase for environmental changes to be effective, we must maintain our focus on developing good players while continuing to create the right environment. When transfers happen, they should command high fees, and that money should be used to acquire players and build solid team foundations. It will be an important season for the league as a whole to approach raising our business scale to the next level.

― 2024 was a groundbreaking season with JFA’s Chairperson of the Referees Committee Ogiya joining J.LEAGUE Football Committee, leading to deeper collaboration between J.LEAGUE and JFA Referees Committee. How did this relationship develop?

Adachi:Under Chairman Yoshikazu NONOMURA, J.LEAGUE is working on shaping what kind of product we want to create, and we started it as we realised that to create a good product, we need to work together with our referees.

Ogiya:While referees are often seen as independent entities, I feel mutual understanding has improved through having league officials participate in referee-related discussions and training sessions for referees. While negative aspects of referee decisions tend to attract attention, we’re grateful for this collaboration based on our shared goal of creating good matches.

― From J.LEAGUE’s perspective, how do you view the current state of refereeing?

Adachi:Until 2023, I was at a club (Hiroshima), and honestly, much of the referees’ world was invisible to us. When the Football Committee was established, and we started discussing what kind of product to create with referees, I appreciated how frequently Mr. Ogiya visited various clubs. I’ve shared various opinions during Mr. Ogiya’s visit, and I think we can see more changes ahead. Referees, too, are competitors and human; they make mistakes, just like players and teams. When we can discuss these as people and acknowledge each other, we can move forward without lingering issues. I feel this kind of environment is beginning to develop. With J.LEAGUE entering a new phase ahead of the season calendar transition, this year has marked the beginning of historical changes.

― Have you noticed any changes from the referees’ perspective?

Ogiya:Throughout the season, I’ve heard that J.LEAGUE and club officials are more likely to engage with referees. It might seem small, but it’s really encouraging when they visit the referees’ room at training sessions and match venues or speak to us during pitch inspections.

Adachi:I’ve noticed that when players and referees line up before and after matches, there are more smiles and handshakes between players and the referee team than ever before. I feel this shows trust building between both sides.

Ogiya:Also, it might seem minor, but after discussing referees’ nutritional supplements at training sessions, club staff started preparing snacks for us. Current referees have said they never expected such treatment. Including things like this, it’s been a gratifying season.

― These behind-the-scenes aspects are fascinating. What are the future challenges regarding referee quality?

Adachi:As I’ve discussed with Ogiya, developing young referees, especially those with high football understanding and playing experience, is one key theme. While referees are improving their level as football trends advance, we want to keep developing together.

― There were also matches officiated by overseas referees through exchange programmes.

Ogiya:We want to increase these exchanges further. We need to develop Japanese referees more, and it’s essential to have opportunities to learn from world-class referees like Ismail Elfath of the USA, who officiated at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Young overseas referees are also very appealing, and we can learn much from them. For teams competing in the AFC Champions League, it’s beneficial to be familiar with Asian referees, especially those from the Middle East. So, we’d like to expand these initiatives with J.LEAGUE’s cooperation.

― There seem to be differences in refereeing standards, and there were matches where players accepted decisions from foreign referees that might have drawn protests if they had been Japanese officials. How do you view these seemingly different player attitudes?

Adachi:I’ve noticed this a bit too, and players need to adjust their mindset in some areas. Of course, we want Japanese referees to maintain their dignity and show clear standards. However, we also need to encourage players to continue playing. Top-level players get up immediately and continue if no whistle is blown. This impresses spectators too, and beyond just making demands of referees, we want to raise these standards.

― Japanese referees have also officiated matches abroad.

Ogiya: I believe the experience of officiating overseas is definitely beneficial for them. Beyond AFC and FIFA appointments, we’ve had opportunities for matches and seminars abroad. Just before Copa América, J.LEAGUE and JFA collaborated to send a referee team led by Yusuke ARAKI for the Mexico vs Bolivia friendly match. While friendlies of that scale are rare, we hope to have more such opportunities.

― J.LEAGUE is aiming to raise standards by looking overseas, and this applies to referees as well.

Adachi:Teams and players alone can’t raise standards; referees must improve too for the country’s football level to advance. As with players, we need to raise standards in developing young referees, so J.LEAGUE and JFA want to work together to create this environment.

― Improving referee pay seems necessary for raising standards.

Ogiya:Ahead of the season calendar transition, we’re working together towards professionalising J1 referees. It’s extremely significant that we can now openly discuss such matters with J.LEAGUE officials in the Football Committee. We can discuss and learn about various aspects beyond just refereeing and then also talk about refereeing. We understand that we need to respond to this environment with results. We’re discussing pay with J.LEAGUE while comparing international standards, but we can’t just make demands. We need to create higher-level competition and develop more young referees. We must play our part in creating a better product.

Adachi:Working together and discussing various matters helps us learn many things. For instance, during a discussion about water breaks, someone mentioned how referees struggle to get water. This was raised in the Football Committee, and now we see players handing water to referees. I feel these gradual changes in the landscape are very significant. Since Mr. Ogiya joined the Football Committee, we’ve developed a sense of mutual understanding through various discussions, and I want to build on this momentum to progress further.

Text by Tatsuya TAKEUCHI