The Top League Championship is Japan's highest-level knockout tournament for rugby union clubs. Held annually, the leading teams from the Top League regular season qualify for the playoffs to decide the Cup title. From 2018 onward, the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship has doubled as the Top League Championship Cup. Previously, teams competed for the Lixil Cup, from 2014 to 2016, and Microsoft Cup (prior to 2009). The Top League competition is a Japanese industrial league that presently consists of sixteen teams, all owned by major companies. Initially sponsored by Microsoft Japan, the knockout tournament was first contested by the top eight teams from the Top League in 2004. It was considered a separate competition to the Top League for the first three seasons but was officially integrated for the 2006–07 season. The number of teams was also cut to four to give a format of two semi-finals and a final, and from that time onward until the 2016–17 season the winner of the knockout cup was recognised as the Top League champion. There were no title-play-offs in 2016–17, and the team on top of the league after the round-robin stage won the Top League title. Overall Summary totals for all Top League championships up to and including 2018: Notes: 1The Panasonic Wild Knights summary includes results for the Sanyo Wild Knights from 2003 to 2012. *NEC won the 2004 Microsoft Cup but Kobe Steel was the Top League champion. These were separate competitions prior to 2007. ^The 2004 Kobe Steel and Sanyo (Panasonic) semi-final appearances are included, although that cup was not part of the championship. +Yamaha was 3rd and Suntory 4th in the 2003–04 Top League championship, but these results are not counted as semi-final appearances. Tournaments Teams listed are those that qualified from the Top League for the title play-offs in each season, or the top four teams where there were no play-offs. Results of the play-offs are written so that the score of the team in each row is mentioned first. Suntory Sungoliath 12–8 Panasonic Wild Knights Top League and All-Japan titles: 2017 onward There were no title-play-offs in 2018, and the team on top of the league after the round-robin stage was crowned the Top League title winner. However, the top three teams progressed to the All-Japan Championship. The All-Japan Championship doubled as the Top League Champions Cup title from 2018 onward, with university teams excluded.