Feb 5 (Reuters) - Officials are confident that the J-League's biggest shake-up in its 33-year history will provide a career boost for the country's best young talent as it begins the process of realigning its calendar with the game's leading nations from Friday.
The season has largely been played from February to November since the J-League's inception in 1993, but that will change when the next edition kicks off in August and runs until May, mirroring the calendar in countries like England and Spain.
It is a long-mooted move that J-League Chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura believes can enhance the prospects of individual players and Japanese football in general.
"Previously, our competitors were neighbouring clubs or domestic rivals," Nonomura said in comments provided to Reuters by the J-League.
"But now, our clubs' rivals are Europe's top clubs, and, for example, for a 20-year-old centre forward at a J-League club, his rivals are 20-year-old centre forwards excelling in Europe.
"That's the kind of world it should be, yet focusing solely on domestic football inevitably hinders growth. This is clear from the data, so we're trying to fundamentally change things.
"It also matters for transfers and for people whose jobs are related to football, whether they work under global standards or only within a domestic industry framework.
"By changing the season calendar, competitors naturally change, awareness changes too, and various benefits should emerge."
Japanese players have been moving in ever larger numbers to Europe's leading leagues, with the majority of the Hajime Moriyasu-coached Japan national team now playing in nations like England, Germany or Belgium.
Under the previous calendar, Japanese clubs' domestic performances were often impacted by the departure of players mid-season to Europe during the summer transfer window.
Nonomura believes the switch can ensure Japan closes the gap on the sport's leaders.
"We spent about 30 years establishing ourselves as an industry in Japan, with considerable success, but we have also fallen quite far behind the global football market's expansion over those same 30 years," he said.
"The idea that the season calendar should change has existed for about 20 years, and I think there are many advantages to it."
High summer temperatures have long had a major impact on sport in Japan, affecting both on-field performances and attendances, while clubs often face mid-season disruption due to the transfer of players to leading leagues.
The new schedule allows greater preparation time for major tournaments like this summer's World Cup, where the Japanese will be making their eighth consecutive appearance.
To fill the gap between the end of the 2025 season, which concluded in December, and the new campaign, the J-League has launched a four-month-long transitional competition that kicks off on Friday.
The competition will be played on a regional basis among the J-League's 20 top-tier teams before a series of playoffs, with the winners qualifying for the next edition of the Asian Champions League Elite.
(Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
