The J. League's Division Two will get under way on Saturday alongside Division One. The lower division has been expanded to 12 teams, with newcomer Yokohama FC joining relegated teams Kyoto Purple Sanga and Kawasaki Frontale.
The teams will compete against each other four times through the season in a single-stage format. The central focus, of course, will be the promotion race. The top two finishers will earn automatic promotion to Division One.
Oita Trinita, Kyoto Purple Sanga and Kawasaki Frontale are strong contenders for promotion, followed by Omiya Ardija. Trinita narrowly missed promotion the last two years as they finished a single point behind FC Tokyo (1999) and Urawa Reds last year.