Top League
| Top League | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition:: 2016–17 Top League
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 |
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| Sport | Rugby union |
| Instituted | 2003 |
| Inaugural season | 2003–04 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Country | Japan |
| Champions |
Suntory Sungoliath (4th title) (2016–17) |
| Most titles | Toshiba Brave Lupus (5 titles) |
| Website | www.top-league.jp |
The Top League is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of rugby competition in the country and is an industrial league, where many players are employees of their company and the teams are all owned by major companies. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by absorbing the Japan Company Rugby Football Championship, to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season in 2003–04 featured 12 teams. The league was expanded to 14 teams in 2006–07 and 16 teams in 2013–14.
The chief architect of the league was Hiroaki Shukuzawa who strongly felt the urgency of improving Japanese domestic company rugby to a professional level which would allow Japan to compete more convincingly at Rugby World Cups. Many full-time foreign professionals (mainly from Australia and New Zealand) have played in the Top League, notably Tony Brown and George Gregan. In the 2010s, salaries in the Top League have risen to become some of the highest in the rugby world; in 2012, South Africa's Jaque Fourie, now with Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers, was widely reported to be the world's highest-paid player.
A second tier Top League Challenge Series was also introduced in 2003. Between 2003–04 and 2016–17, teams from three regional regional leagues would qualify to this post-season competition, in which they could either win promotion to the next season's Top League, or qualify to promotion play-off matches.
In 2017, a second-tier Top Challenge League was introduced, to operate in a league format above the regional leagues.
The regional leagues are:
NTT Shining Arcs and Yamaha Jubilo which won their 2005 promotion/relegation play-offs (Irekaesen) against Canon Eagles and Kyuden Voltex to retain their places for the 2011–12 season. The following teams were in the league:
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