Local governments and the Old media made the J-League an Unreasonable Monster
It feels that J.League club teams follow the “standard playbook” when requesting that local governments construct new J.League exclusive stadiums.
The “standard playbook” described here is the routine tactic used by club teams of private companies to get local governments to construct exclusive stadiums using large amounts of tax money.
The process of discussions regarding the construction of a J.League exclusive stadium.
1. The club team announces it will construct the privately built and privately operated “soccer-only stadium” to obtain a J1 (or J2) license.
At this stage, the announcement emphasizes it will be the “soccer-only” stadium without an athletic track. The old media and supporters will be simultaneously reporting on the “construction of a soccer-only stadium,” aggressively building momentum.
2. The club team begins discussions with the local government regarding the construction of the soccer-only stadium.
At this stage, since it is ostensibly privately built and privately operated, the local government does not hold any suspicions and proceeds to discuss the development of the surrounding environment and other related matters.
3. After the local government joins the discussions, the club team abandons the privately built and privately operated plan and announces the construction of the publicly funded “multi-purpose stadium“.
At the moment the publicly funded project is announced, the name suddenly changes from the “soccer-only” stadium to the “multi-purpose” stadium.
Actually, it is a multi-purpose stadium in name only. The soccer field within the stadium is exclusively occupied by the club team, while the areas outside the stadium are opened to the public. In other words, the correct name would be the “multi-purpose facility + J.League exclusive stadium”.
4. J.League officials including the Chairman unexpectedly visit the local government for discussions.
Information previously kept confidential was disclosed by ABS Akita Broadcasting through the request for disclosure of information, exposing the J.League’s lack of common sense.
However, many old media completely ignore this, as if accepting the J.League’s unreasonable stance. In other words, it can be understood that the old media takes the position that if the J.League-exclusive stadium can be constructed with large amounts of tax money, it is acceptable for local governments to go bankrupt.
5. The local government announces that it will construct a publicly owned and publicly operated stadium exclusively for the J.League, reasoning that the club team of the private company needs to obtain the J1 (or J2) license.
If the local government does not decide to construct the J.League exclusive stadium, the J.League once again pressure the local government by stating “We will not issue the license under these circumstances”. During this time, the club team raises a small amount of funds through donations and corporate versions of the “Hometown Tax” program. During this time, the club team raises a small amount of funds through donations and corporate versions of the “Hometown Tax” program. However, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and parent companies that support the J-League exclusive stadium project do not bear the construction or maintenance costs.
6. The local government designates the club team as the designated administrator and continues to provide large sums of money to the club team under the guise of stadium maintenance and management fees.
This means that the local government continues to provide operating costs for the profit-making purposes of a private company.
Thanks to the fair and neutral coverage by ABS Akita Broadcasting, the J.League’s domineering attitude is gradually becoming known to the public.
Even today, there are many local government leaders who continue to push for the construction of stadiums exclusively for private companies.
For example, the current governor of Akita Prefecture is reportedly a supporter of constructing such a J-League exclusive stadium.
Did this governor properly explain the details of a J-League exclusive stadium during the election campaign ?
It’s likely that he is only spouting full of rhetoric about the benefits of having the J.League club team, without properly explaining that the J.League is the private organization and its club teams are private companies, the reasons for constructing the new soccer stadium when one already exists, the fact that the stadium will become unnecessarily expensive due to the demands of J.League of the private organization, the fact that although it is called a public stadium, the soccer field cannot be opened for citizens, and the need to cover not only construction costs but also long-term maintenance costs.
In other words, it feels as though they are concealing the truth and manipulating public opinion to achieve the plan for a J-League exclusive stadium.
In fact, when Associate Professor Shiro Hagiwara of Nagoya Gakuin University conducted a survey among Akita residents asking, “How much tax would you be willing to pay for a new stadium ?” 52.4% of respondents opposed the idea even at a cost of 100 yen, exceeding the percentage in favor. When the amount was raised to 800 yen, opposition exceeded 70%.
By the way, if Akita Prefecture and Akita City each bear 3 billion yen of the cost for the J.League-exclusive stadium, residents of Akita Prefecture would face a burden of 3,500 yen, while residents of Akita city would have an additional 10,000 yen added to their burden.
However, this does not include the long-term maintenance costs.
It seems the governor of Akita Prefecture made statements at a gathering of business executives and others that could be leading up to the construction of J-League exclusive stadiums.
For example, he made statements implying that “there are almost no sports facilities in Japan that operate on a self-sustaining basis and turn a profit” and that “many publicly funded facilities are being built for specific sports”.
What is difficult to understand about these statements is the confusion between “specific sports” and “specific private companies”. Even using stadiums as an example, there is a fundamental difference between “renting them out but having few borrowers” and “not renting them out at all”.Is there some special reason why he wants to pour such large amounts of tax money into private companies ?
Or is this statement based on the assumption that there is enough tax revenue to make medical care, public transportation, and water and sewer services free for the prefecture’s residents ?
Could there be a plan behind this statement that, if Akita City opposes the project, Akita Prefecture would take the lead in constructing it ?
In recent years, more and more people have been criticizing the J.League as a “tax league.” This issue has even been covered by fair and neutral media outlets.
However, despite all the criticism, the J.League is consistently ignoring it.
In fact, their demands have only escalated, such as combining stadiums with hospitals.
We believe the J.League thinks that by pressuring local governments with the argument that “we cannot issue licenses to club teams (which are private companies),” the local governments will eventually give in. (If the J.League disagrees with this, then there’s no need to discuss about “private company licensing” with local governments.)
It is the longstanding stance of local governments that has turned the J-League into an unreasonable monster.
Once discussions regarding a J.League-exclusive stadium begin, the local government should continue to provide residents with detailed information.
Of course, it is also necessary to explain the potential sacrifices (which are bound to exist) resulting from the costs associated with a J.League exclusive stadium.
If residents reject the construction of a J.League exclusive stadium, the local government should inform the J.League and the club team that it will not cooperate and will not participate in further discussions.
It is also necessary to consider having local governments that host J.League club teams collaborate with one another and engage in discussions with the J.League.
Unless local governments work together to take action, the J.League may become even more reliant on tax revenue than it is now.
In fact, in conjunction with the J.League’s transition to an autumn-spring schedule, it is already requiring local governments to bear the associated costs.
If this situation continues, regulations for stadiums in snowy regions may be stricted. For example, retractable-roof stadiums could be mandated to accommodate matches on snowy days and to maintain the turf.
In recent years, residents have become more vigilant in monitoring their local governments.
There have been instances where residents have sent written objections to local governments regarding the construction of J.League exclusive stadiums.
There have also been cases where local government leaders have refused to use tax funds to build J.League exclusive stadiums.
* Please note: We use the term “J.League exclusive stadium” because the J.League uses the stadium for most of the year.
Reference: ABS(Akita Broadcasting System Inc.) (2026/03/25)
https://news.ntv.co.jp/n/abs/category/society/ab4f3fad838e9a42daa050521a1f4dc54b
Reference: ABS(Akita Broadcasting System Inc.)(Youtube) (2026/03/27)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi9nZavFZoU
Reference: ABS(Akita Broadcasting System Inc.) (2026/03/14)
https://news.ntv.co.jp/n/abs/category/society/ab16ee26059ac64b17bc939256576e22f4
Reference: AKITA Prefecture (2026/03/15)
https://www.pref.akita.lg.jp/pages/contents/93076
Referenece: JBpress (2026/03/20)
https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/92770
Reference: AKITA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION. (2026/03/29)
https://fa-akita.net/pickup/entry-16893/
Reference: BLAUBLITZ AKITA (2026/03/14)
https://blaublitz.jp/whatsnew/139283.html
Reference: 47 NEWS (2026/03/14)
https://www.47news.jp/12223895.html
Reference: The Asahi Shimbun (2026/01/24)
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASR5Z6WFLR5ZULOB00H.html
Reference: Town News (2026/01/14)
https://www.townnews.co.jp/0302/2025/07/10/792506.html
Thanks.