Vissel Kobe became the first Japanese club to surpass ¥10 billion ($92.7 million) in annual operating revenue as the club once again topped the J. League earnings list for the 2019 fiscal year, according to figures released Wednesday.
The league's financial disclosures showed Vissel, owned by e-commerce giant Rakuten, turned over ¥11.4 billion to break their own record for operating revenue.
The league posted reports for 45 clubs, while omitting figures from four clubs who reported in March. A further six have postponed settling their books due to the coronavirus crisis, which forced the league to suspend matches in late February.
First-division side Sagan Tosu posted losses exceeding ¥2 billion yen as it fell into the red for the second straight year, but the club has made concrete moves to return to the black, according to executive Tsutomu Murayama.
"We have already outlined plans for increasing capital. When all is said and done, we will not fall into insolvency," he said.
Second-division side FC Ryukyu fell into the red for a fourth consecutive year but was still able to meet the financial requirements for its J. League license.