In what will go down as one of the most keenly-contested J1 League seasons, three teams head into the final week of the campaign still in with a chance of winning the title.
Defending champions Vissel Kobe remain in pole position but any slip-up will allow either Sanfrecce Hiroshima or Machida Zelvia to pounce -- with just three points separating the trio.
Any one of the three would be deserving winners given they have taken turns throughout the campaign to be the dominant team in the competition, as well as the most consistent over a prolonged spell.
Each would also provide a compelling championship tale but, unfortunately for two of the clubs, only one can lift the trophy come Sunday.
Here, we take a look at each of the contenders and what needs to fall into place for them to become the 2024 J1 League champions.
VISSEL KOBE
Current position: 1st (69 points)
Final game: Shonan Bellmare (home)
The equation is simple enough for Vissel. Win, and they will be the best team in the land for a second successive season.
It also helps that they have the most straightforward tie, on paper at least, as the only team at home at the weekend and up against a struggling Shonan Bellmare outfit -- although they did make hard work of a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Kashiwa Reysol on Saturday.
Should Vissel go on to be crowned champions, a large part of that would be due to the fact that they have simply been able to find the most consistency out of the trio.
Their longest run without a win was just three games even if it did happen twice, with the first streak coinciding with the only time they suffered back-to-back losses. The timing of these brief winless spells coming in the middle of the campaign also helped, as they had enough opportunity to regain momentum.
Vissel were always going to contend given their previous title experience but it also helps having one of the most-seasoned squads in the competition, with the likes of Yuya Osako, Yoshinori Muto and Gōtoku Sakai all boasting prolonged stints abroad in Europe's biggest leagues.
There was late drama -- in the form of a missed penalty and a equaliser awarded only after VAR review -- as Vissel Kobe kept their J1 League title defence alive.
Even when they have missed some leading lights, others have stepped up like in the case of Taisei Miyashiro, who is one of three Vissel players -- including Muto and Osako -- to have be in double digits for goals, highlighting how well Takayuki Yoshida's charges have been able to spread the workload.
Vissel's away win at Sanfrecce back in July could prove to be a campaign-deciding result, while they also picked up four points in two meetings against Machida.
Having won the Emperor's Cup just over a week ago, and firmly on course for a place in the AFC Champions League Elite knockout round, Vissel could be in for a very happy end to 2024.
SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA
Current position: 2nd (68 points)
Final game: Gamba Osaka (away)
At one point 12 points off the pace, Sanfrecce have come from nowhere to be the biggest challengers to Vissel.
And it all stemmed from a seven-game winning run starting in the middle of July, which coincided with the midseason arrivals of Tolgay Arslan and Gonçalo Paciência to help fill a big void after Yuki Ohashi's free-scoring ways earned him a move to England with Championship outfit Blackburn.
Sanfrecce were even top of the table as recently as a month ago.
But having only suffered four defeats all season long, they chose the worst time to slump to a three-game losing streak which was only ended with Sunday's much-needed 5-1 rout of Consadole Sapporo.
Sanfrecce will be popular champions given they have arguably been the most-entertaining team in the J1 League this season with a competition-high 71 goals scored, excelling under coach Michael Skibbe's expansive 3-4-2-1 system which was really allowed the likes of wing-backs Naoto Arai and Shunki Higashi to shine while rejuvenating the career of Mutsuki Kato in his new role of attacking midfield.
Unfortunately for the Hiroshima-based outfit, their quest to win a first league title since 2015 is no longer in their control but, should Vissel suffer a shock loss to Shonan, a draw away to Gamba Osaka would be enough given their superior goal difference.
MACHIDA ZELVIA
Current position: 3rd (66 points)
Final game: Kashima Antlers (away)
It originally promised to be one of the most remarkable footballing feats.
And while their title charge has fizzled out since, the fact that Machida head into the final weekend of the season still mathematically capable of becoming champions is nothing short of astounding -- especially considering this is their debut campaign in the top flight of Japanese football.
Leading by as much as five points in the middle of the campaign, it is impressive that the new boys have not lost more than two games on the trot but, like Sanfrecce, an untimely slump in form -- with those losses arriving in the midst of a five-game winless run that ended just last month -- looks to have undone all their excellent work.
Perhaps crucially, Machida failed to rise to the occasion when coming up against their direct rivals as they picked up just one point from their four combined meetings with Vissel and Sanfrecce.
Machida can still look back on their campaign with plenty of pride given their swashbuckling ways under coach Go Kuroda's old-school approach of a 4-4-2 formation characterised by wing play and direct football -- and they'll also have continental competition to look forward to next season.
Yet, maybe there is still one final twist to the Zelvia fairy tale.
In the event that Machida pull off a victory in a tough trip to Kashima Antlers while Vissel and Sanfrecce both lose, they would leapfrog the duo and pull off one of the greatest success stories ever -- on goal difference, no less.