J.League's J1 Teams See Drop In Teams Operating At A Loss; Number Rise In J2

The number of teams in the J.League's J1 operating at a loss decreased from 10 to eight since '10, recently disclosed management information of its 38 participating teams in '11 revealed, according to NIKKEI. In J2, meanwhile, teams operating at a loss rose from eight to 10. J1 team Urawa Reds "led the league in revenue" for the seventh consecutive year with ¥5,382,000,000 ($68.3M), although it still saw a decrease of more than ¥240,000,000 ($3M) since '10. J1 team Yokohama F-Marinos "ranked sixth in revenue" with ¥3,463,000,000 ($44M), but its overall profit was down ¥585,000,000 ($7.4M) due to excess operating costs. Under the Club License System the J.League is introducing in '13, teams with deficits for three straight seasons will not be allowed to participate in the league. A total of five teams in the league have raked in three straight seasons with deficits (NIKKEI, 8/21).