This is a list of J.League designated special players, picked by

J.League The , commonly a.k.a. shortened to the , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, in ...

clubs from universities and high schools all over Japan.

System information

The system, in place since 1998, aims to provide high potential players "a suitable environment in accordance with the player's ability." Most young players are registered with their university or high school until they are at least 18 and as such cannot be registered with another team. The 'designated special players' system allows J.League clubs to invite a maximum of three players to train and play in J.League competitions, without changing their registration status from their current registered team. Therefore, during this time, the player is allowed to play for both their educational institution and their J.League club. This provides the players an opportunity to train and play at a higher level, whilst also giving the clubs an opportunity to sell themselves as a potential destination upon completion of their studies. Although most of the time players go on to sign a professional contract with their host club, there is no guarantees or assurances that it will always be the case. A player is eligible to become a designated special players if they fulfill the following requirements: * They have an official offer from a J. League club * They have Japanese citizenship or do not apply as a foreign player * They registered with teams under the Japan University Football Association, the All Japan High School Athletic Federation, or teams of the Japan Club Youth Federation Level 2 other than J.League club teams. Once approved, the players can then participate in any of the following competitions: * J1, J2, J3 League matches * League Cup matches * Pre-season matches * J.League promotion/relegation play-off matches * Other official matches organised by J.League and the Japan FA

Key

Designated special players

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

''Caps and goals updated as of 4 June 2025. Players registered in the program updated as of 15 June 2025.''

Records

* Educational institution with most designated special players: **

Fukuoka University Fukuoka University is a private research university located in Fukuoka, Japan. The university has nine faculties with a total of around 20,000 students, 800 of whom are foreign. Its two campuses are in Nanakuma and Kitakyushu. Fukuoka Universit ...

(40) * J.League club taken on most designated special players: **

FC Tokyo , commonly known as , is a Japanese professional football club based in Chōfu, Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, the top tier of football in the country. From 2025, FC Tokyo is one of the few J.League clubs to be simply called ''Footb ...

(38)

Caps

All records below are for while the player was specially designated * Most J1 caps: 15 ** Tomoya Fujii (

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima () is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Hiroshima. The club competes in the J1 League, top flight of the Japanese football league system. Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Ja ...

, 2020) * Most J2 caps: 26 ** Yoshihito Kondo (

Iwaki FC is a football (soccer) club based in Iwaki, a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The club competes in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football league system. History Founder Club Iwaki FC was founded in 2012, before getting ...

, 2023) * Most J3 caps: 16 ** Takuya Koyama (

FC Tokyo U-23 FC Tokyo Under−23 was a Japanese Association football, football club based in Tokyo. It was the reserve team of FC Tokyo and played in J3 League which they have done since their entry to the league at the beginning of the 2016 J3 League, 2016 sea ...

, 2016) * Most League Cup caps: 8 ** Takuro Kaneko (

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo is a Japanese professional football club based in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido. They will play in the 2025 J2 League, the second tier league of Japanese football, after relegation from the J1 League at conclusion of the 2024 season. Th ...

, 2019)

Goals

* Most J1 goals: 4 **

Riki Matsuda is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Kataller Toyama. Career Oita Trinita Matsuda made his official debut for Oita Trinita in the J. League Division 1 on 22 May 2013 against Sagan Tosu in Best Amenity Stad ...

(

Oita Trinita is a Japanese football club located in Ōita, Capital of Ōita Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football. Name origin The club's name, ''Trinita'', is the Italian translation of the word ' ...

, 2013) **

Ayase Ueda is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club Feyenoord and the Japan national team. Youth career Born in the city of Mito, located in the Ibaraki Prefecture, he began playing football at age 6 and was in ...

(

Kashima Antlers The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...

, 2019) * Most J2 goals: 6 ** Yusuke Matsuo (

Yokohama FC is a Japanese professional football club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club was formed by fans of Yokohama Flügels as a protest against Flügels' merger with Yokohama Marinos in 1999, becoming th ...

, 2019) * Most J3 goals: 3 ** Daisuke Kitahara (

YSCC Yokohama , commonly referred to as simply Y.S.C.C. or Y.S.C.C. Yokohama (Y.S.C.C.横浜 or simply YS横浜, ''Wai Esushishi Yokohama'' or simply ''Wai Esu Yokohama'') is a Japanese multisports club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Although they ...

, 2016)

References

External links

JFA Youth Development
at jfa.jp {{J.League Designated special players J.League Association football player non-biographical articles