2012 in Japanese football

Teams relegated from J.League Division 1

• Avispa Fukuoka
• Montedio Yamagata
• Ventforet Kofu

Teams promoted to J.League Division 1

• Sagan Tosu
• F.C. Tokyo
• Consadole Sapporo

Teams relegated from J.League Division 2

:No relegation to the Japan Football League

Teams promoted to J.League Division 2

• Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.
• F.C. Machida Zelvia

{{main|2012 J.League Division 1}}

Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the J. League title, their first in 42 years and first in the J. League era, marking their sixth time overall atop the Japanese football league system. Vegalta Sendai, which led the table riding on the wave of their fourth-place finish the previous year, ended up in second place after Albirex Niigata defeated them in the round before last. Urawa Red Diamonds was able to pass four other teams, including newly promoted Sagan Tosu, who surprisingly was in third place in the penultimate round.

Consadole Sapporo was relegated on September 30, the earliest a team has been relegated in the modern-day era. Niigata's victory enabled them to climb to safety while Vissel Kobe was relegated after six seasons. Gamba Osaka, despite scoring more goals than anyone else, had a poor defense and allowed many goals in, causing them to be relegated after 26 seasons in the top division.

{{2012 J. League Division 1 table}}

{{main|2012 J.League Division 2}}

Ventforet Kofu returned to the top flight at the first attempt, but this time they did so as champions. Shonan Bellmare returned to the top division as well, after two seasons. Oita Trinita, despite overwhelming odds due to its position and the playoff rules which favored the three higher-ranked teams, won the playoff and returned to the top flight after three seasons.

Newly promoted Machida Zelvia, despite hiring Osvaldo Ardiles as their manager, could not cope with professionalism and finished in bottom place, being relegated as V-Varen Nagasaki won the JFL championship.

{{:2012 J.League Division 2}}

{{main|2012 Japan Football League}}

Although Arte Takasaki withdrew from the league due to economic problems, the JFL decided to go with a 17-team format. V-Varen Nagasaki won the tournament, joining the professional ranks automatically.

Sagawa Shiga withdrew after the league following parent company Sagawa Express's decision to close the team, leaving Tochigi Uva to playout against the Regional League promotion series third place.

{{:2012 Japan Football League}}

{{main|2012 Japanese Regional Leagues}}

Kantō champions SC Sagamihara and Tōhoku champions Fukushima United won first and second place in the Regional League promotion series, thus being promoted automatically, while Hokkaidō champions Norbritz Hokkaido battled in the playout against Tochigi Uva but lost.

{{main|2012 Emperor's Cup}}

{{footballbox

|date = 1 January 2013

|time = 14:05

|report =

|team1 = Gamba Osaka

|team2 = Kashiwa Reysol

|score = 0–1

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Watanabe {{goal|35}}

|stadium = National Olympic Stadium, Shinjuku, Tokyo

|attendance = 46,480

|referee ={{flagicon|JPN}} Toshimitsu Yoshida

}}

{{main|2012 J. League Cup}}

{{footballbox

|date=3 November 2012

|time=13:05 JST (UTC+9)

|team1=Shimizu S-Pulse

|score= 1–2

|aet=yes

|report=[http://www.j-league.or.jp/data/2/?league=ync&genre=result&s=07&y2=2012&file=jpn/cup/201200200605101_W0201_J Report]

|team2=Kashima Antlers

|goals1= Omae {{goal|77|pen.}}

|goals2= Shibasaki {{goal|73|pen.|93}}

|stadium=National Olympic Stadium, Shinjuku, Tokyo

|attendance= 45,228

|referee={{flagicon|JPN}} Masaaki Iemoto

}}

{{main|2012 Japanese Super Cup }}

{{Footballbox

|date=3 March 2012

|time=13:35 JST (UTC+9)

|team1=Kashiwa Reysol

|score=2–1

|report=[http://www.j-league.or.jp/SS/eng/other/201250300101101_W0201_E.html Report]

|team2=FC Tokyo

|goals1=Wagner {{goal|27}}
Leandro {{goal|45|pen.}}

|goals2={{goal|64}} Aria

|stadium=National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo

|attendance=35,453http://www.j-league.or.jp/SS/eng/other/201250300101101_W0201_E.html {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}

|referee={{flagicon|JPN}} Yuichi Nishimura

}}

{{main|2012 Suruga Bank Championship}}

{{footballbox

|date = 1 August 2012

|time = 19:00 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = Kashima Antlers {{flagicon|JPN}}

|score = 2–2

|report = [https://archive.today/20130102134839/http://df1.conmebol.com/suruga/fichas/ficha130909.html Summary]

|team2 ={{flagicon|CHI}} Universidad de Chile

|goals1 = Iwamasa {{goal|18}}
Renato {{goal|27}}

|goals2 = Iwamasa {{goal|40|o.g.}}
Aránguiz {{goal|73|pen.}}

|stadium = Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima

|attendance = 20,021

|referee = Chris Beath (Australia)

|penalties1 = Juninho {{pengoal}}
Koroki {{pengoal}}
Sogahata {{pengoal}}
Endo {{pengoal}}
Motoyama {{pengoal}}
Araiba {{pengoal}}
Nishi {{pengoal}}

|penaltyscore=7–6

|penalties2 = {{pengoal}} Aránguiz
{{pengoal}} Rodríguez
{{pengoal}} Lorenzetti
{{pengoal}} Cereceda
{{pengoal}} Marino
{{pengoal}} Herrera
{{penmiss}} Castro

}}

{{main|2012 FIFA Club World Cup}}

Will take place between 6 and 16 December 2012.

Since the tournament is hosted in Japan the winners of the J. League will be invited to take part. If the AFC Champions League winner is from Japan, then the highest placed non-Japanese team of the AFC Champions League will be invited in place of the J. League winner.

{{main|Japan national football team in 2012}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=23 February 2012

|time = 19:20 JST (UTC+9)

|round = International Friendly (2012 Kirin Cup)

|team1={{fb-rt|Japan}}

|score= 3–1

|report=[ JFA]
[https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/02/24/world/friendlies/japan/iceland/1239704/ Summary]

|team2={{fb|Iceland}}

|goals1=Maeda {{goal|2}}
Fujimoto {{goal|53}}
Makino {{goal|79}}

|goals2=Smárason {{goal|90+3|pen.}}

|location= {{flagicon|Japan}} Osaka, Japan

|stadium=Nagai Stadium

|attendance=42,579

|referee = Chris Beath (Australia)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 29 February 2012

|time = 19:30 JST (UTC+9)

|round = 2014 World Cup Qualifier

|team1 = {{fb-rt|Japan}}

|score = 0–1

|report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120302202136/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/matches/round=257791/match=300172560/index.html Report]
[https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/02/29/asia/wc-qualifying-asia/japan/uzbekistan/1177925/ Summary]

|team2 = {{fb|Uzbekistan}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Shadrin {{goal|54}}

|stadium = Toyota Stadium

|location = {{flagicon|Japan}} Aichi, Japan

|attendance = 42,720

|referee = Abdullah Balideh (Qatar)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=23 May 2012

|time = 19:15 JST (UTC+9)

|round = International Friendly
(2012 Kirin Cup)

|team1={{fb-rt|Japan}}

|score= 2–0

|report=[ JFA]
[https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/05/23/world/friendlies/japan/azerbaijan/1282029/ Summary]

|team2={{fb|AZE}}

|goals1=Kagawa {{goal|43}}
Nabiyev {{goal|58|o.g.}}

|goals2=

|location= {{flagicon|Japan}} Fukuroi, Japan

|stadium=Shizuoka Stadium

|attendance= 35,000

|referee = Malik Abdul Bashir (Singapore)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 3 June 2012

|round = 2014 World Cup Qualifier

|time = 19:30 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|JPN}}

|score = 3–0

|report = [http://samuraiblue.jp/timeline/2014fifawc_final_q/groupB/match_page/m2.html JFA Report]

|team2 = {{fb|OMA}}

|goals1 = Honda {{goal|11}}
Maeda {{goal|51}}
Okazaki {{goal|54}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Saitama Stadium 2002

|location = {{flagicon|Japan}} Saitama, Japan

|attendance = 63,551

|referee = Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 8 June 2012

|round = 2014 World Cup Qualifier

|time = 19:30 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|JPN}}

|score = 6–0

|report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120606231635/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/matches/round=257777/match=300191849/index.html Report]

|team2 = {{fb|JOR}}

|goals1 = Maeda {{goal|19}}
Honda {{goal|22||31||54|pen.}}
Kagawa {{goal|34}}
Kurihara {{goal|90}}

|goals2 = Deeb {{sent off|2|25|27}}

|stadium = Saitama Stadium 2002

|location = {{flagicon|Japan}} Saitama, Japan

|attendance = 60,874

|referee = Kim Dong Jin (Korea Republic)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 12 June 2012

|round = 2014 World Cup Qualifier

|time = 19:00 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|AUS}}

|score = 1–1

|report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120610041844/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/matches/round=257777/match=300191848/index.html Report]

|team2 = {{fb|JPN}}

|goals1 = Milligan {{sent off|2|25|55}}
Wilkshire {{goal|69 pen}}

|goals2 = Kurihara {{goal|64}}
Kurihara {{sent off|2|23|89}}

|stadium = Suncorp Stadium

|location = {{flagicon|AUS}} Brisbane, Australia

|attendance = 40,189

|referee = Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 15 August 2012

|round = International Friendly (2012 Kirin Cup)

|time = 19:30 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|Japan}}

|score = 1–1

|report = [https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/08/15/world/friendlies/japan/venezuela/1313655/ Summary]

|team2 = {{fb|VEN}}

|goals1 = Endō {{goal|15}}

|goals2 = Miku {{goal|62}}

|stadium = Sapporo Dome

|location = {{flagicon|Japan}} Hokkaidō, Japan

|attendance = 39,396

|referee = Min-Hu Lee (Korea Republic)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 7 September 2012

|round = International Friendly (2012 Kirin Cup)

|time = 19:20 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|Japan}}

|score = 1–0

|report = [https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/09/06/world/friendlies/japan/united-arab-emirates/1384345/ Summary]

|team2 = {{fb|UAE}}

|goals1 = Havenaar {{goal|69}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium

|location = {{flagicon|Japan}} Niigata, Japan

|attendance = 42,020

|referee = Mingyu Ma (China PR)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 11 September 2012

|round = 2014 World Cup Qualifier

|time = 19:34 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|JPN}}

|score = 1–0

|report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120910232139/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/matches/round=257777/match=300191853/index.html Report]

|team2 = {{fb|IRQ}}

|goals1 = Maeda {{goal|25}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Saitama Stadium 2002

|location = {{flagicon|Japan}} Saitama, Japan

|attendance =

|referee = Malik Abdul Bashir (Singapore)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 13 October 2012

|round = International Friendly

|time = 04:00 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|France}}

|score = 0–1

|report = [https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/10/12/world/friendlies/france/japan/1395145/ Summary]

|team2 = {{fb|Japan}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Hasebe {{yel|34}}
Kagawa {{goal|88}}

|stadium = Stade de France

|location = {{flagicon|France}} Saint-Denis, France

|attendance = 55,000

|referee = William Collum (Scotland)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date =16 October 2012

|round = International Friendly

|time = 21:10 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|Japan}}

|score = 0–4

|report = [https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/10/16/world/friendlies/japan/brazil/1278059/ Summary]

|team2 = {{fb|BRA}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Paulinho {{goal|12}}
Neymar {{goal|25|pen.|48}}
Kaká {{goal|76}}

|stadium = Municipal Stadium

|location = {{flagicon|Poland}} Wrocław, Poland

|attendance =

|referee = Marcin Borski (Poland)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date = 14 November 2012

|round = 2014 World Cup Qualifier

|time = 20:30 JST (UTC+9)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|OMA}}

|score = 1–2

|report = [https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2012/11/14/asia/wc-qualifying-asia/oman/japan/1269306/ Summary]

|team2 = {{fb|JPN}}

|goals1 = Ahmed Mubarak {{goal|77}}

|goals2 = Kiyotake {{goal|20}}
Okazaki {{goal|89}}

|stadium = Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex

|location = {{flagicon|Oman}} Muscat Oman

|attendance =

|referee = Abdullah Balideh (Qatar)

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.02.29

|team1=Japan

|score=2–1

|report=

|team2=Norway

|goals1=Nagasato {{goal|?|}}
Kawasumi {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}

|location=Portugal

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.03.02

|team1=Japan

|score=2–0

|report=

|team2=Denmark

|goals1=Sugasawa {{goal|?|}}
Ono {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=

|location=Portugal

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.03.05

|team1=Japan

|score=1–0

|report=

|team2=United States

|goals1=Takase {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=

|location=Portugal

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.03.07

|team1=Japan

|score=3–4

|report=

|team2=Germany

|goals1=Kawasumi {{goal|?|}}
Tanaka {{goal|?|}}
Nagasato {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}

|location=Portugal

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=L

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.04.01

|team1=Japan

|score=1–1

|report=

|team2=United States

|goals1=Kinga {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}

|location=Miyagi, Japan

|stadium=Sendai Stadium

|attendance=

|result=D

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.04.05

|team1=Japan

|score=4–1

|report=

|team2=Brazil

|goals1={{goal|?|o.g.}}
Nagasato {{goal|?|}}
Miyama {{goal|?|}}
Sugasawa {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}

|location=Hyogo, Japan

|stadium=Kobe Wing Stadium

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.06.18

|team1=Japan

|score=1–4

|report=

|team2=United States

|goals1=Nagasato {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}

|location=Sweden

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=L

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.06.20

|team1=Japan

|score=1–0

|report=

|team2=Sweden

|goals1=Nagasato {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=

|location=Sweden

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.07.11

|team1=Japan

|score=3–0

|report=

|team2=Australia

|goals1=Miyama {{goal|?|}}
Ogimi {{goal|?|}}
Sawa {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=

|location=Tokyo, Japan

|stadium=National Stadium

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.07.19

|team1=Japan

|score=0–2

|report=

|team2=France

|goals1=

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}

|location=France

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=L

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.07.25

|team1=Japan

|score=2–1

|report=

|team2=Canada

|goals1=Kawasumi {{goal|?|}}
Miyama {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}

|location=England

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.07.28

|team1=Japan

|score=0–0

|report=

|team2=Sweden

|goals1=

|goals2=

|location=England

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=D

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.07.31

|team1=Japan

|score=0–0

|report=

|team2=South Africa

|goals1=

|goals2=

|location=Wales

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=D

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.08.03

|team1=Japan

|score=2–0

|report=

|team2=Brazil

|goals1=Ogimi {{goal|?|}}
Ono {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=

|location=Wales

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.08.06

|team1=Japan

|score=2–1

|report=

|team2=France

|goals1=Ogimi {{goal|?|}}
Sakaguchi {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}

|location=England

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=W

}}

{{football box collapsible

|date=2012.08.09

|team1=Japan

|score=1–2

|report=

|team2=United States

|goals1=Ogimi {{goal|?|}}

|goals2=? {{goal|?|}}
? {{goal|?|}}

|location=England

|stadium=

|attendance=

|result=L

}}

{{reflist}}

{{Japanese football seasons}}

{{2012 in Japanese football}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2012 In Japanese Football}}

Category:Seasons in Japanese football