Top-Scoring defenders in J1 League

The top-scoring defenders in J1 League, ranked on Field Insider.

Top-scoring midfielders in J1 League Top-scoring attackers in J1 League Best defenders in J1 League Most in-form defenders in J1 League Most valuable defenders in J1 League Most improved defenders in J1 League

At a glance

R. Handa of Gamba Osaka is the standout for raw talent across defenders in J1 League, with a Field Insider Rating of 56.5, and T. Koga has been the form player this season, grading 69.2, and Diego leads the scoring with 5 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: T. Koga has improved his Season rating most, up +45.3 on last season, while Kim Tae-Hyeon's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +3.7 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, T. Koga of Kashiwa Reysol is the most valuable name in this group at 22.7.

Kashima · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

T. Koga+45.3SsN

Kashiwa Reysol · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by top scorersCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	Diego Defensive midfielder	Kashiwa Reysol	30	5	271.1%	2926.5%
2	Y. Sato Full-back	Nagoya Grampus	27	5	2575.5%	424.3%
3	N. Arai Defensive midfielder	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	29	4	2639.9%	3426.2%
4	K. Hayashi Defensive midfielder	Machida Zelvia	25	4	3536.8%	544.6%
5	D. Okamura Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	29	4	448.4%	3811.1%
6	T. Kishimoto Defensive midfielder	Gamba Osaka	29	4	1817.2%	2923.7%
7	S. Fukuda Full-back	Kyoto Sanga	25	3	2138.7%	535.2%
8	Matheus Thuler Centre-back	Vissel Kobe	27	3	3524.4%	4520%
9	T. Hara Full-back	Nagoya Grampus	28	3	1724.2%	3820%
10	G. Shōji Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	33	3	474.5%	2515.8%
11	H. Taniguchi Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	26	3	5779.1%	4811.6%
12	H. Araki Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	29	3	5488.1%	3913.2%
13	A. Sasaki Full-back	Kawasaki Frontale	26	3	3132.5%	508.6%
14	M. Høibråten Centre-back	Urawa	31	2	4435.9%	3117.6%
15	B. Nduka Centre-back	Yokohama FC	30	2	4368%	3320.4%
16	R. Tsunoda Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	27	2	149.4%	3721.2%
17	A. Scholz Centre-back	FC Tokyo	33	2	2052.6%	1624.2%
18	Dion-Johan Cools Full-back	Cerezo Osaka	30	2	819.4%	2449.4%
19	W. Harada Full-back	Kashiwa Reysol	30	2	52110.4%	3312.1%
20	H. Sugai Full-back	Kyoto Sanga	27	2	32767.6%	4713.1%
21	N. Ueda Centre-back	Kashima	31	2	5016.8%	3416.4%
22	Y. Suzuki Full-back	Shonan Bellmare	32	2	2926.6%	2426.9%
23	M. Ito Centre-back	Yokohama FC	33	2	32200%	1813.3%
24	J. Quiñónes Centre-back	Yokohama F. Marinos	28	2	22	35
25	T. Shiotani Full-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	37	2	437.5%	1529%
26	R. Kikuchi Centre-back	Machida Zelvia	29	2	1471.6%	3022%
27	R. Shindo Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	30	2	1170.8%	2811.5%
28	K. Kurokawa Full-back	Gamba Osaka	29	2	3019.3%	3723%
29	S. Nakatani Centre-back	Gamba Osaka	30	2	3513.3%	3424.5%
30	S. Takagi Full-back	Shimizu S-pulse	24	2	27	51
31	Kim Ju-Sung Centre-back	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	25	1	1829.4%	47±0%
32	H. Inamura Full-back	Albirex Niigata	24	1	14426.9%	473.3%
33	Niko Takahashi Cendagorta Centre-back	Cerezo Osaka	20	1	13	50
34	K. Nagato Full-back	Vissel Kobe	31	1	38151.7%	2911.6%
35	I. Drešević Full-back	Machida Zelvia	29	1	4317.2%	3523.2%
36	K. Nemoto Centre-back	Urawa	23	1	7	47
37	S. Mori Defensive midfielder	Nagoya Grampus	19	1	18	52
38	D. Fukazawa Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	27	1	34185%	3911.1%
39	H. Mitsumaru Full-back	Kashiwa Reysol	33	1	26528.6%	158.3%
40	N. Hayashi Centre-back	Tokyo Verdy	28	1	2516.2%	3231.4%
41	M. Yuzawa Defensive midfielder	Avispa Fukuoka	32	1	1039.4%	1730.5%
42	M. Tashiro Centre-back	Avispa Fukuoka	33	1	2937.3%	1842.2%
43	T. Kamijima Centre-back	Avispa Fukuoka	29	1	2824.2%	3225.1%
44	Y. Suzuki Centre-back	Kyoto Sanga	33	1	3225.2%	244%
45	H. Ishihara Full-back	Urawa	27	1	3749.8%	4411.4%
46	Danilo Boza Centre-back	Urawa	28	1	4381.6%	4330.6%
47	T. Sekine Full-back	Urawa	31	1	233.7%	2425.1%
48	K. Nono Full-back	Kashima	24	1	3219.8%	5311.8%
49	G. Sakai Full-back	Vissel Kobe	35	1	439.6%	1810.7%
50	R. Koike Full-back	Kashima	30	1	38790.7%	335.4%