V-Varen Nagasaki were founded in 2005 from the merger of Kunimi FC -- an alumni team from the legendary Kunimi High School football programme -- and local club Ariake SC. The "V" in the club's name stands for the Portuguese "Vitoria" (victory) and the Dutch "Vrede" (peace), while "Varen" means "voyage" in Dutch, reflecting both the port city's maritime heritage and Nagasaki's enduring message of peace.

Starting from the regional leagues, the club reached J2 in 2013 and earned their first J1 promotion in 2018, though they were relegated after a single season. A turning point came in 2017 when television shopping giant Japanet Holdings acquired full ownership after the club faced a financial crisis. Under CEO Akito Takada, V-Varen have been transformed into the centrepiece of an ambitious city-building project.

In October 2024, PEACE STADIUM Connected by SoftBank opened in the heart of Nagasaki City. The 20,027-seat football-specific venue is the centrepiece of "Nagasaki Stadium City," a mixed-use complex funded by Japanet Group at a cost of approximately 100 billion yen (around US$900 million). The closest seats sit just five metres from the pitch, offering an atmosphere unmatched by most Japanese stadiums.

The wider complex includes an arena, hotel, shopping facilities, and offices, designed to attract visitors on non-matchdays as well. As one of the few privately funded major stadium projects in Japan, it has drawn attention from across the J.League as a model for sustainable sports-led urban development.

Japanet Holdings, best known for their TV shopping business, took over V-Varen Nagasaki in 2017 and brought their customer-first marketing expertise to sports management. The combination of stadium construction, matchday experience, and regional revitalization has produced remarkable results -- attendance figures more than doubled from their J2 days thanks to the new stadium effect.

The late founder Akira Takada served as club president before handing the reins to his son Akito Takada, who now oversees the entire Japanet Group. Their vision of "enriching local communities through sport" continues to drive the Nagasaki project forward.