Sanfrecce Hiroshima won their first J. League title on Saturday with a 4-1 victory over Cerezo Osaka, coupled by second-place Vegalta Sendai's 1-0 defeat at home to relegation-threatened Albirex Niigata.
With one match left in the 2012 season, Sanfrecce have 61 points after the win and an insurmountable four-point lead over Vegalta.
After firing blanks in a 2-0 defeat at Urawa Reds last weekend, goals from Yojiro Takahagi, Toshihiro Aoyama, captain Hisato Sato and Hironori Ishikawa sent Hajime Moriyasu's side to victory — and the club's elusive first piece of silverware.