The 2002 J. League Division 2 season is the 31st season of the second-tier club football in Japan and the 4th season since the establishment of J2 League.

Starting this season, extra-time rule was abolished and the league adopted the traditional 3-1-0 points system. The twelve clubs competed in the quadruple round-robin format. The top two received promotion to the J. League Division 1. There were no relegation to the third-tier Japan Football League

Japan Football League

The is the 3rd tier of the Japanese association football league system, following J. League Division 1 and J. League Division 2. Also known as the JFL, it is generally considered as the top amateur league in Japan although in reality it is a semi-professional league as many full-time footballers...

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Participating clubs

Following twelve clubs played in J. League Division 2 during 2002 season. Of these clubs, Cereso Osaka and Avispa Fukuoka were relegated from J1 League last year.

• Montedio Yamagata
• Mito HollyHocks
• Omiya Ardija
• Kawasaki Frontale
• Yokohama F.C.
• Shonan Bellmare
• Ventforet Kofu
• Albirex Niigata
• Cerezo Osaka
• Avispa Fukuoka
• Sagan Tosu
• Oita Trinita

League Format

Twelve clubs will play in quadruple round-robin format, a total of 44 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order:

• Goal differential
• Goals scored
• Head-to-head results

A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied at the first place, both clubs will be declared as the champions. The top two clubs are promoted to J1.

Top scores

Pos	Footballer	Club	Goals	PK	GP	Shots	Goals Per Game
1st	Marcus	Albirex Niigata Albirex Niigata is a Japanese J. League Division 1 association football team. Despite the club's relative youth, only joining the J. League in 1999, Albirex are one of Japan's best supported teams. In 2003, while still playing in the second tier of Japanese football , Albirex attracted the best average crowd in...	19	4/5	36	139	0.55
2nd	Yoshito Okubo Yoshito Okubo is a Japanese football player, he is a forward and currently plays for Vissel Kobe.- Career :On January 3, 2009, Vissel announced his transfer to VfL Wolfsburg of the 1. Bundesliga...	Cerezo Osaka Cerezo Osaka is a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....	18	1/2	29	65	0.91
|  Andradina	Oita Trinita Oita Trinita is a J. League Division 2 team. The team name Trinita can be considered either a combination of the English word trinity and Ōita, or the Italian word trinità. The dual meaning expresses the will of the citizens, companies, and local governments to support the team.The team's home town is Ōita...	18	1/1	39	117	0.50
4th	Bentinho	Kawasaki Frontale Kawasaki Frontale is a J. League Division 1 association football club. The team is located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. Their home stadium is Todoroki Athletics Stadium, in Nakahara Ward, in the central area of Kawasaki.-History:...	16	3/3	36	176	0.44
5th	Takayoshi Ono	Mito HollyHock Mito HollyHock is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team's hometown is located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture....	14	2/2	36	85	0.46
|  Hiroshi Morita	Sagan Tosu Sagan Tosu is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture.Sagan is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one...	14	0/0	38	86	0.45
|  David Bisconti David Bisconti David Bisconti is a retired Argentine football player who played 12 times for the Argentina national team.Bisconti played the majority of his football for Rosario Central and Yokohama Marinos in Japan...	Sagan Tosu Sagan Tosu is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture.Sagan is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one...	14	4/4	39	92	0.42
8th	Yasuo Manaka Yasuo Manaka Yasuo Manaka is a former Japanese football player. He holds the record for the fastest J. League hat-trick ever. On 14 July 2001, he scored three goals in seven minutes for Cerezo Osaka against Kashiwa Reysol.-Club career statistics:...	Cerezo Osaka Cerezo Osaka is a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....	13	1/1	28	67	1.05
|  Jorge Dely Valdés Jorge Dely Valdés Jorge Luis Dely Valdés is a Panamanian football player. He is a twin brother of Julio Dely Valdés and younger brother of Armando Dely Valdés....	Omiya Ardija Omiya Ardija is a professional football club which play in the J. League Division 1, and are based in Ōmiya-ku in Saitama, Japan. Its "hometown" as designated by the league is the whole of Saitama city, which is shared with neighbours Urawa Red Diamonds...	13	2/2	32	72	0.46
10th	Hiroaki Morishima	Cerezo Osaka Cerezo Osaka is a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....	12	0/0	37	75	0.34
|  Marlon	Kawasaki Frontale Kawasaki Frontale is a J. League Division 1 association football club. The team is located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. Their home stadium is Todoroki Athletics Stadium, in Nakahara Ward, in the central area of Kawasaki.-History:...	12	0/0	23	74	0.58