Montedio Yamagata held off JEF United Chiba to win the J. League promotion playoff final 1-0 on Sunday at Ajinomoto Stadium, securing the third and last ticket to J1 for next season.
Masato Yamazaki's first-half header proved to be decisive for Montedio, who had to win in order to climb back to the first division after three years in J2.
JEF, as the higher finishing team in the season (third; Montedio were sixth), only needed a draw to seal their return to the top flight for the first time since 2009.