| Season: | 1988–89 |
| Nextseason: | 1989–90 |
Statistics of Japan Soccer League for the 1988–89 season.
For the first time, the format of three points for a win was adopted, but only for the First Division. Nissan won their first title.
Four-time champion Mitsubishi was relegated for the first time, along with struggling Sumitomo.
This was the last season in which the second tier was contested in an East-and-West format. Toshiba won a second championship, but this time their promotion was automatic. Fallen giant Hitachi, still adjusting to the change in town, joined them. Regional outfits Fujieda Municipal and NTT Kansai went back to their regional leagues.
| Pos | East | Score | West | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9–10 | Kofu Club | 1-1(PK3-1) | Nippon Steel | |
| 11–12 | Cosmo Oil | 0-0(PK3-2) | Kawasaki Steel | |
| 13–14 | Toho Titanium | 2-3 | Teijin Matsuyama | |
| 15–16 | Fujieda City Office | 0-3 | NTT Kansai |