The J. League plans to expand the second division to 18 teams in 2010 from the current 13 in response to an increasing number of clubs hoping to join the league, J. League officials said Tuesday.
The plan was included in a study report by a committee mulling the league's future, which also proposed to eventually expand the second division to 22 teams or more under new entry requirements.
The committee demanded that clubs seeking J. League membership have an average attendance of 3,000 or more in addition to an annual operating revenue of at least 150 million yen.