Toshihiro Aoyama has been declared the J.League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2015 season after captaining Sanfrecce Hiroshima to the title.

The 29-year-old’s award meant this was only the second time a Sanfrecce player was selected for the honour, after Hisato Sato became the first to receive it in 2012.

Aoyama made 33 league appearances and scored three times this term as his side sealed their third title under Hajime Moriyasu.

The coach was recognised for his feat with the award of Manager of the Year, with Sanfrecce also achieving a bronze medal finish at the recent Club World Cup.

Kawasaki Frontale striker Yoshito Okubo pipped Douglas to the top scorer award, as his 23 goals saw him sweep to the prize for the third consecutive season.

There was place still for Sanfrecce starlet Takuma Asano still, with the 21-year-old named Best Young Player owing to his knack for scoring crucial goals coming off the bench.

Below is the full list of prize recipients at the 2015 J.League Awards:

Most Valuable Player: Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)

Top Scorer: Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale)

Best Young Player: Takuma Asano (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)

Fair Play Awards (Team): Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Fair Play Awards (Individual): Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale) & Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F.Marinos)

Manager of the Year: Hajime Moriyasu

Referee of the Year: Yuichi Nishimura

Assistant Referee of the Year: Toru Sagara

Best Youth Scheme: Shimizu S.Pulse

J.League best pitches awards: Denka Big Swan Stadium; Toyota Stadium; IAI Stadium Nihondaira; Honjo Stadium Kitakyushu

Special Service Award (for retired players): Toru Araiba; Koji Nakata; Chikara Fujimoto; Tsuneyasu Miyamoto; Atsushi Yanagisawa