Football Season Guide

J2 League

Japan

J2 League

2025

Iwaki FC

In

Yuki Hayasaka (gk) Kawasaki Frontale – on loan; Ryota Matsumoto (gk) Tokyo University; Ryo Endo (def) Albirex Niigata; Yuto Yamada (def) Tokyo Verdy; Haruki Shirai (def) V-Varen Nagasaki – on loan; Shota Kofie (def) Sanfrecce Hiroshima – on loan; Rintaro Yamauchi (def) Sendai University; Nelson Ishiwatari (mid) Cerezo Osaka – on loan; Fumiya Unoki (att) Kashiwa Reysol – on loan; Naoki Kumata (att) Racing Genk U21 – on loan; Iori Sakamoto (att) Hirosaki – end of loan; Haruto Murakami (att) Osaka University; Taisei Kato (att) Kanoya University;

Out

Kotaro Tachikawa (r) (gk) Imabari; Rio Omori (r) (def) FC Tokyo – end of loan; Yoshihiro Shimoda (r) (mid) Kashima Antlers – end of loan; Jun Nishikawa (r) (att) Cerezo Osaka – end of loan; Kengo Tanaka (sp) (gk) end of career; Reo Sugiyama (sp) (mid) Kochi United; Kotaro Arima (sp) (att) Oita Trinita; Yoshihito Kondo (sp) (att) Kagoshima United – on loan; Shuhei Shikano (gk) Tochigi – on loan; Shuhei Hayami (def) Hachinohe; Rui Osako (mid) Cerezo Osaka – end of loan; Ryo Tanada (att) Sanfrecce Hiroshima – end of loan;

Iwaki had their best-ever campaign last year. They finished in 9th place and never dropped bellow 14th place all season. The counterattacking weapon was Iwaki’s main strength. It was no surprise that in 2024 9 of the 15 league wins were achieved on the road. Of course, the other main reason for the successful last season was the lethal striker Kaina Tanimura. He played in all 38 rounds and scored 18 goals, while also adding 7 assists. For now, Tanimura remains in the squad and all hopes in attack will be focused on him. Iwaki didn’t lose many important players in the off-season. The new arrivals are not much of an upgrade though. From the newcomers centre-back Ryo Endo has the best chance of becoming a regular starter. Yuki Hayasaka could also be given a shot at a starting role on goal but he lacks J2 experience. Coach Tamura is expected to continue using the counterattack as his main weapon on the road. The ability to be explosive on transition and the presence of Tanimura inside the box should make Iwaki a dangerous away team once more in 2025. However, the home form must improve in order for Iwaki to stay out of trouble. The inability to create chances when in control of the midfield at home was a major weakness last season. Not much creativity has been added in midfield so far this winter. Pretty much all current inner midfielders are defensive-minded players.

Target

Survival is the main priority. If Tanimura stays and is fit this should be achieved easy. If he leaves at any stage of the campaign Iwaki might be staring at a bottom 3 finish.