1972 Japan Soccer League#First Division
{{Infobox football league season
| season = 1972
| competition = Japan Soccer League
| prevseason = 1971
| nextseason = 1973
}}
The 1972 season in Japanese football introduced a Second Division to the Japan Soccer League. Nine clubs were chosen from the 1971 Japanese Regional Leagues; when Nagoya Mutual Bank resigned from the League, a tenth club was chosen from the Kansai League.
League tables
=JSL First Division=
No relegation took place as the First Division was being expanded to 10 clubs.
{{#invoke:sports table|main|style=WDL
|res_col_header=Q
|winpoints=2
|team1=HIT|name_HIT=Hitachi
|team2=YAN|name_YAN=Yanmar Diesel
|team3=TYI|name_TYI=Toyo Industries
|team4=MIT|name_MIT=Mitsubishi Motors
|team5=NKK|name_NKK=Nippon Kokan
|team6=NSY|name_NSY=Nippon Steel
|team7=FUR|name_FUR=Furukawa Electric
|team8=TRE|name_TRE=Towa Real Estate
|win_HIT=9|draw_HIT=3|loss_HIT=2|gf_HIT=36|ga_HIT=16
|win_YAN=7|draw_YAN=6|loss_YAN=1|gf_YAN=30|ga_YAN=11
|win_TYI=7|draw_TYI=2|loss_TYI=5|gf_TYI=20|ga_TYI=13
|win_MIT=5|draw_MIT=6|loss_MIT=3|gf_MIT=26|ga_MIT=19
|win_NKK=4|draw_NKK=5|loss_NKK=5|gf_NKK=15|ga_NKK=18
|win_NSY=4|draw_NSY=4|loss_NSY=6|gf_NSY=22|ga_NSY=30
|win_FUR=3|draw_FUR=2|loss_FUR=9|gf_FUR=17|ga_FUR=41
|win_TRE=2|draw_TRE=2|loss_TRE=10|gf_TRE=11|ga_TRE=29
|col_C=#D0F0C0|text_C=Champions
|result1=C
|update=complete|source=
}}
=JSL Second Division=
Toyota Motors, later one of the Japanese big names as Nagoya Grampus, was crowned the inaugural Second Division champion. Tanabe Pharmaceutical, a club from Osaka, followed them into the expanded 10-team First Division. No relegations took place, to keep the Second Division at 10 clubs.
{{#invoke:sports table|main|style=WDL
|res_col_header=P
|winpoints=2
|team1=TYT|name_TYT=Toyota Motors
|team2=TAN|name_TAN=Tanabe Pharmaceutical
|team3=KOF|name_KOF=Kofu SC
|team4=KYO|name_KYO=Kyoto Shiko
|team5=FUJ|name_FUJ=Fujitsu
|team6=NLM|name_NLM=Nippon Light Metal
|team7=YOM|name_YOM=Yomiuri
|team8=DNC|name_DNC=Dainichi Nippon Cable Industries
|team9=NTT|name_NTT=NTT Kinki
|team10=TYD|name_TYD=Toyoda Automatic Loom Works
|win_TYT=13|draw_TYT=4|loss_TYT=1|gf_TYT=34|ga_TYT=16
|win_TAN=10|draw_TAN=6|loss_TAN=2|gf_TAN=37|ga_TAN=22
|win_KOF=9|draw_KOF=3|loss_KOF=6|gf_KOF=33|ga_KOF=21
|win_KYO=7|draw_KYO=3|loss_KYO=8|gf_KYO=19|ga_KYO=23
|win_FUJ=4|draw_FUJ=9|loss_FUJ=5|gf_FUJ=26|ga_FUJ=31
|win_NLM=7|draw_NLM=2|loss_NLM=9|gf_NLM=31|ga_NLM=33
|win_YOM=7|draw_YOM=1|loss_YOM=10|gf_YOM=27|ga_YOM=31
|win_DNC=5|draw_DNC=4|loss_DNC=9|gf_DNC=36|ga_DNC=40
|win_NTT=4|draw_NTT=6|loss_NTT=8|gf_NTT=21|ga_NTT=25
|win_TYD=4|draw_TYD=2|loss_TYD=12|gf_TYD=14|ga_TYD=36
|col_P=#D0F0C0|text_P=Promoted to First Division
|result1=P|result2=P
|update=complete|source=
}}