The 2016
SSF National Sports-Life Survey
Executive Summary March 2017, Japan

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Overview

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

In order to understand the level of participation in sports and physical activities
by Japanese, the Sasakawa Sports Foundation (SSF) has examined thestatistical data gathered through the “SSF National Sports-Life Survey”, which
has been conducted every other year since 1992. This survey measures thenumber of people aged 18 and over taking part in sports and physical activities
across Japan in terms of frequency, duration and intensity. People take part insports and physical activity in different ways, with many doing a range ofactivities including sports spectating, sports volunteering.

2 Survey design1 ) Population : People aged 18 and over who live in Japan2) Sample size : 3,000
3) Number of locations : 300 [273 cities and 27 towns/villages]
4) Extracting method : Quota method

Level of sports and physical activities
Types of sports and physical activities
Sports spectatingSports volunteering
Sports clubs

2
5
7
11
12

Description of terms• Level of participation in sports and physical activities

3 Survey period

June 10th - July 10th, 2016

4 Survey methods

Leaving method :The survey official visiting the respondent, distributing the paper-basedquestionnaire and having the respondent fill out the survey within a certain
period. The survey official then returns to the respondent to collect the survey.

In this survey, the participation in sports and physicalactivities are divided into the following levels; “Level 0” forthose who did not participate in any sports or physicalactivities for the past year; “Level 1” for those who
participated at least once during the year, but less than twicea week; “Level 2” for those who participated at least twice a
week; “Level 3” for those who participated at least twice aweek with a duration of “more than 30 minutes” ; and “Level4” for those who participated at least twice a week, durationof “more than 30 minutes” , and with more than moderateintensity.

• Estimated participants

Estimated sports participants are calculated by applying therate of regular sports and physical activities participation
over the past year to the population of those 18 and over
(106,300,916 people).

5 Survey sample

3,000 (Male : 1,491, Female : 1,509)
18-19 years old 74 (Male : 38, Female : 36)
20-29 393 (Male : 201, Female : 192)
30-39 499 (Male : 255, Female : 244)
40-49 570 (Male : 290, Female : 280)
50-59 474 (Male : 238, Female : 236)
60-69 557 (Male : 272, Female : 285)
70 and over 433 (Male : 197, Female : 236)

• Range of sports and physical activities

This survey measures a wide range of sporting activities
including fitness activities, Strolling/Walking/Cycling for
leisure or travel and dance.
The school PE classes were excluded whilst sports club
activities at schools and workplaces were included.

1

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Definition of levels
Level

Definition

Level 0For the past year,
no sports/physical activities at all

Level 1

At least once a year, less than
twice a week (1-103 times a year)

Level 2At least twice a week(at least 104 times a year)

Level 3
Level 4

(Active Sports
Participant)Levels of sports and physical activities

Level 4

19.6%

Level 027.6%

Level 3

17.6%
Level 2At least twice a week,at least 30 min at a time

7.8%

Level 1

27.4%

At least twice a week, at least 30 min
at a time, moderate intensity at leastslightly hardPeople who has not participated any sports and physical activities at all for the past year [Level 0] was 27.6% (29.3 million). Level 2 or higher, people
who did at least twice a week, accounted for 45.0% and Level 4 [defined as Active Sports Participants] was 19.6% (20.8 million).

2

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Levels of sports and physicalactivities : By gender
Level 0Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Levels of sports and physicalactivities : By age
Level 4

Level 024.1

(n=1,491)

31.5

24.4

38.7

5.6 12.0 19.3

30-39

23.8

38.3

10.8 13.6 13.4

40-49

25.1

37.4

9.3 10.2 18.1

50-59

33.8

25.1

7.2 14.8

19.2

60-69

28.5

13.1 7.5

27.5

23.3

70 and over

31.9

12.0 5.8

28.4

21.9

(n=570)30.9(n=1,509)(n=474)23.3 9.2 19.2 17.4

(n=557)(n=433)

0

20

40

60

80

100 (%)

044.3% of males and 45.8% of females participated in sports and physicalLevel 420-29

(n=499)FemaleLevel 316.2

(n=393)

6.4 16.0 21.9

Level 218-19

(n=74)

Male

Level 128.4

20

6.8 13.5

40

60

35.1

80

100 (%)

58.3% of those ages 60-69 and 56.1% of those 70 and over were at Level 2 orhigher showing that around 60% of the elderly participate in sports and physicalactivities twice a week or more (Level 2 or higher) with females being 1.5 percentage
points higher than males.
There is a difference in inactivity levels between men and women, with females
30.9% (17.0 million) more likely to be inactive than males 24.1% (12.4 million).

activities twice a week or more.
However, bipolarization was clear in the elderly with 28.5% of those ages 60-69 and
31.9% of those 70 and over not doing any physical activity at all (Level 0).

3

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Levels of sports and physical activities : By age, 1992-2016

(%)
70
60
50

40.6

40
30

At least twice a week

Active sports participant

40.8 40.0

31.5
23.7

20

16.1
10
6.6
0

1992

45.4

51.4 49.7

55.4
45.3

51.5
41.9

At least once a week

56.4 59.0 59.1 57.2 56.0
49.1 49.3 47.5
45.5

45.1

17.4

18.4 20.0 18.7

19.6

2008

2010

2016 (year)

35.2
27.8

21.7
7.6

9.1

1994

1996

13.0
1998

17.6
2000

13.3
2002

16.1

15.9

2004

2006

2012

2014

（n=1,640）（n=1,596）（n=1,571）（n=2,322）（n=2,232）（n=2,267）（n=2,288）（n=1,867）（n=2,000）（n=2,000）（n=2,000）（n=2,000）（n=3,000）

Note: The survey targeted people who were 20 years old and over up until 2014, but added the 18-19 age group in 2016.

Those who participate at least once a week have increased from 23.7% since 1992 and peaked at 59.1% in 2012 but dropped to 56.0% in 2016.
In the same manner, those who participate at least twice a week have increased from 16.1% since 1992 and peaked at 49.3% in 2012 but
dropped to 45.1% in 2016.
Active sports participants increased from 6.6% since 1992 and reached 20.0% in 2012 but leveled out at 19.6% in 2016.

4

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Types of sports and physicalactivities : By gender

Types of sports and physical activities
Total (n=3,000)
Rank

Types of sports

Participation rate

1
2
3
4
5
6

Strolling
Walking
Calisthenics and light exercises
Weight training
Bowling
Jogging and Running
Fishing
Swimming
Golf on a course
Cycling
Golf practice on a driving range
Sea bathing
Playing catch
Badminton
Climbing
Yoga
Jumping rope
Table tennis
HikingSoccer

31.7
23.5
17.0
13.7
9.5
8.9
7.4
7.4
7.0
6.8
6.3
6.2
5.6
5.5
4.7
4.6
4.4
4.3
3.9
3.6

7
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

（％）

Male (n=1,491)

Estimated participants

Rank

3,370
2,498
1,807
1,456
1,010
946
787
787
744
723
670
659
595
585
500
489
468
457
415
383

1

Strolling

2

Walking3

Weight training

4

Golf on a course

5

Fishing(in 10,000s)

Types of sports

6

Jogging andRunning

7

Bowling9

Calisthenics andlight exercises
Golf practice ona driving range

10

Cycling

8

Participation rate Rank
（％）

26.7
21.9
17.1
12.9
12.3
12.0
11.8
11.7
10.5
8.5

Female (n=1,509)
Types of sports

1

Strolling

2

Walking3

Calisthenics andlight exercises

4

Weight training

5

Yoga

6

Bowling

7

Swimming

8
9

Jogging andRunning
Badminton
Jumping rope

Participation rate
（％）

36.6
25.0
22.2
10.3
8.0
7.3
6.6
5.8
5.6
5.6

Note) Estimated participants: Calculated by applying the participation rate to the population of
106,300,916 people 18 years old and over (from the basic resident register on January 1st, 2015).
The population of males 18 years old and over is 51,406,572 and the population of females
18 years old and over is 54,894,344.

Note) Estimated participants: Calculated by applying the participation rate to the population of
106,300,916 people 18 years old and over (from the basic resident register on January 1st, 2015).
The population of males 18 years old and over is 51,406,572 and the population of females
18 years old and over is 54,894,344.

Types of sports and physical activities over the past year were "Strolling" in first place
at 31.7% (33.7 million), "Walking" in second place at 23.5% (25.0 million),"Calisthenics and light exercises" in third place at 17.0% (18.1 million), "Weight training"in fourth place at 13.7% (14.6 million) and "Bowling" in fifth place at 9.5% (10.1 million).

"Strolling" and "Walking" is high for both males and females. The rate for "Golf" (on acourse at 12.9% and on a driving range at 10.5% ) is high in males while the rate of"Yoga" is high in females at 8.0%.

5The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Levels of sports and physical activities : By age
18-19（n=74）
Rank
1
3
4
6
7
8
9

Types of sports
Strolling
Weight training
Jogging and Running
BaseballWalking
Basketball
SoccerVolleyball
Badminton
Cycling
Playing catch
Sea bathing
Swimming

50-59（n=474）
Rank

Types of sports

1
2
3
4
5

Strolling
Walking
Calisthenics and light exercises
Weight training
Golf on a course
Bowling
Golf practice on a driving range
Fishing
Cycling
Jogging and Running

68
9Participation rate Rank
（％）

20.3
20.3
18.9
16.2
16.2
14.9
13.5
12.2
10.8
10.8
10.8
10.8
10.8

1
2
3
4
6
7
9
10

Participation rate Rank
（％）

30.2
22.2
13.3
12.0
8.2
7.6
7.6
7.2
6.3
6.3

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

20-29（n=393）
Types of sports
Strolling
Bowling
Weight training
Jogging and Running
Walking
Badminton
Calisthenics and light exercises
Playing catch
Snowboarding
Sea bathing

60-69（n=557）
Types of sports
Walking
Strolling
Calisthenics and light exercises
Weight training
Golf on a course
Golf practice on a driving range
Hiking
Jogging and Running
Fishing
Swimming

Participation rate Rank
（％）

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

24.4
19.6
18.8
15.0
15.0
11.5
9.2
9.2
8.9
8.4

Participation rate Rank
（％）

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

37.9
37.3
25.3
10.6
8.8
7.5
7.0
6.6
6.1
5.9

9

30-39（n=499）
Types of sports
Strolling
Weight training
Calisthenics and light exercises
Walking
Bowling
Sea bathing
Jogging and Running
Swimming
Jumping rope
SoccerParticipation rate Rank
（％）

29.7
17.8
14.8
13.8
12.8
12.4
11.6
11.0
10.4
9.4

1
2
3
4
5
7
8
10

40-49（n=570）
Types of sports

Participation rate

Strolling
Walking
Calisthenics and light exercises
Weight training
BowlingFishing
Sea bathing
Jogging and Running
Swimming
Cycling

31.4
19.3
15.4
15.3
10.7
10.7
9.8
9.3
9.3
8.9

70 and over（n=433）
Types of sports

Participation rate

Strolling
Walking
Calisthenics and light exercises
Ground golf
Golf on a course
Weight training
Golf practice on a driving range
Swimming
CyclingFishing

37.4
31.9
23.8
7.4
7.2
6.7
5.5
5.1
4.6
4.6

（％）

"Strolling" and "Walking" are in the top 5 in all age groups. "Baseball" is high for 18-19 while "Bowling" is high for ages 20-49.
"Golf on a course" becomes popular for those 50 and over.

6（％）

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Live sports spectating : Total and by genderLive sports spectating : By age

48.6

18-19

(n=74)

32.9

Total

(n=3,000)

36.9
33.9
38.6
32.5
29.4
22.6

20-29

(n=393)30-39(n=499)

40-49

37.6

Male

(n=1,491)(n=570)50-59(n=474)

60-69

28.2

Female(n=1,509)(n=557)70 and over(n=433)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60 (%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60 (%)The highest rate of attending live sporting events is with 18-19 at 48.6% followed by
40-49 at 38.6% and then 20-29 at 36.9%. The 40-49 holding the top stop in therate of attending live sports events among those 20 and over is the same as past
survey results.

The percentage of people who have attended a live sporting event in the past year was
32.9%. By gender, 37.6% of males has attended whilst 28.2% of females has
done. Live sporting events are enjoyed by males than females and this trend has notchanged since 1994 – when sports spectating was first added to the survey.

7

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Live spectator sports types
2016 (n=3,000)
Rank

Types of sports

Attendance
rate
(%)

①
Estimated
spectators（in 10,000s）

Live spectator sports types : By gender②
Frequency③
Estimated annual（times/year） total（①×②）

15.6

1,658

2.33

3,863

2

High-school
baseball

5.5

585

3.21

1,878

3

Professional
football

5.3

563

3.13

1,762

Marathon andEkiden*

3.9

415

1.42

589

4
5

（NPB）

（J League）

Soccer（High-School,
University, JFL, etc.）

2.4

255

Rank

Types of sports（in 10,000s）

Professional
baseball1

Male (n=1,491)

3.20

1
2

816

Professional
baseball（NPB）

Professional
football（J League）

3

High-school
baseball4

Marathon andEkiden*Soccer5 （High-School,＊ Road relay

University, JFL, etc.）

Note) Estimated participants: Calculated by applying the participation rate to the populationof 106,300,916 people 18 years old and over (from the basic resident register on January
1st, 2015).

Attendance
Rank
rate
(%)

Female (n=1,509)
Types of sports

Professional
baseballAttendance
rate
(%)

18.7

1

7.4

2

Marathon andEkiden*

4.4

7.1

3

High-school
baseball

4.0

3.4

4

Professional
football

2.8

5 （High-School,（NPB）（J League）

SoccerUniversity, JFL, etc.）

12.5

3.2
1.9

＊ Road relay

The rate of watching live sports by type is highest in "Professional baseball" at 15.6%.
This is followed by "High-school baseball" at 5.5%, "Professional football" at 5.3%
and "Marathon and Ekiden" at 3.9%.

The type with the highest rate was "Professional baseball" for both males and females(Males: 18.7%, Females: 12.5%). Professional sports continue at number 2 in maleswith " Professional football" but for females it is "Marathon and Ekiden". Number 3 forboth males and females was "High-school baseball" (Males: 7.1%, Females: 4.0%).

8

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Live spectator sports types : By age

Rank

18-19（n=74）

Types of sports

Professional baseballParticipation rate
（％）

20.3
2 High-school baseball16.2
Soccer3 （High-School, University, JFL, etc.）
9.5
Professional football
4 （J League）
6.8
Amateur baseball5 （University, company teams, etc.）
4.1
Basketball
6 （High-School, University, NBL, WJBL, etc.）
4.1
Volleyball7 （High-School, University, V League, etc.）
4.1
1

Rank

（NPB）

50-59（n=474）

Types of sports

Professional baseball

1

（NPB）

2

High-school baseball3

Marathon and Ekiden*

4（J League）

5

Professional football
Professional golf
Sumo wrestling

Participation rate
（％）

16.0
6.1
5.7
3.8
2.1
2.1

Rank

20-29（n=393）

Types of sports

Professional baseballParticipation rate
（％）

Rank

18.6
Professional football
2 （J League）
6.1
3 High-school baseball
4.6
Soccer4 （High-School, University, JFL, etc.）
3.1
Amateur baseball5 （University, company teams, etc.）
2.8
1

Rank

Types of sports

Professional baseball

1

（NPB）

2

Marathon and Ekiden*

3

High-school baseball4（J League）

5

Sumo wrestling

Professional football

Participation rate（％）

Types of sports

Professional baseballParticipation rate
（％）

15.6
Professional football
2 （J League）
9.2
High-school baseball
2.8
3Marathon and Ekiden*
2.8
Soccer5 （High-School, University, JFL, etc.）
2.4
4.1
1

（NPB）

60-69（n=557）

30-39（n=499）

Rank

14.4
5.7
5.2
3.6
3.1

（NPB）

Rank

40-49（n=570）

Types of sports

Professional baseballParticipation rate
（％）

13.9
2 （J League）
7.7
3 High-school baseball
6.0
4 Marathon and Ekiden*
4.2
Soccer5 （High-School, University, JFL, etc.）
4.0
1

（NPB）

Professional football

70 and over（n=433）
Types of sports

Professional baseball

1

（NPB）

2

High-school baseball3

Marathon and Ekiden*

4

Professional golf

5

Sumo wrestling

Participation rate
（％）

15.5
6.9
3.7
2.3
1.2
＊ Road relay

The highest rate of watching live sports by type is "Professional baseball" for all age groups.
In second place, 18-19 watch "High-school baseball" live, 20-29, 30-39 and 40-49 watch "Professional football" live, 50-59 watch "High-school baseball" live, 60-69 watch"Marathon and Ekiden" live and those 70 and over watch "High-school baseball" live.
We see that "Soccer（High-School, University, JFL, etc.）" in age groups from 18-19 to 40-49 is replaced with "Sumo wrestling" in age groups 50 and over in the top 5.

9

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Types of sports spectating on TV : Total and by gender
Total (n=3,000)
Rank

Types of sports

1

Professional baseball

（NPB）

2

High-school baseball3

Figure skating

4

Japanese national soccer games
including the Olympics

5

Marathon and Ekiden*

There is no type ofsport I watch on TV.

Male (n=1,491)
Attendance
rate
(%)

53.8
48.4
46.2
45.3
43.2
12.0

Rank

Types of sports

1

Professional baseball

（NPB）

2

High-school baseball3

Japanese national soccer games
including the Olympics

4

Sumo wrestling

5

Marathon and Ekiden*

There is no type ofsport I watch on TV.

Female (n=1,509)
Attendance
rate
(%)

64.9
53.5
51.0
42.9
42.6
10.4

Rank

Types of sports

1

Figure skating

2

Volleyball（Japanese

3

Marathon and Ekiden*

4High-school baseball

5

（NPB）

Women's national games）

Professional baseball

There is no type ofsport I watch on TV.

Attendance
rate
(%)

59.1
47.1
43.7
43.3
42.9
13.6

＊ Road relay"Major League Baseball"(Males: 29.6%, Females: 9.9%), "Professional golf"(Males: 31.7%, Females: 15.4%) and "Professional football" (Males: 31.7%,
Females: 19.0%) showed a remarkably higher rate in males.
Meanwhile, "Figure skating" (Males: 33.2%, Females: 59.1%) "Volleyball(Japanese Women's national games)" (Males: 38.4%, Females: 47.1%) and"Volleyball (Japanese national games)" (Males: 30.9%, Females: 39.4%)
showed a high rate in females.

Sports watched on TV in the past year was the same a watching sports live with
"Professional baseball" at the top spot at 53.8%. Following this was "High-school
baseball" at 48.4%, "Figure skating" at 46.2%, "Japanese national soccer
games including the Olympics" at 45.3% and "Marathon and Ekiden" at 43.2%.
In almost all types, males had a higher rate of watching than females.
In particular, "Professional baseball" (Males: 64.9%, Females: 42.9%), "Martial
arts (boxing, mixed martial arts, etc.)"(Males: 30.7%, Females: 9.1%),

10

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Sports volunteering : Total and by gender
Participation rate

Sports volunteering : By age

Rate of desire to participate

Participation rate

18-19

Total

（n=2,999）（n=74）

9.5（n=74）

6.7

20-29（n=393）（n=393）13.9（n=3,000）

30-39（n=499）

8.2

40-49

（n=1,509）

16.6（n=474）60-69（n=556）

5.4（n=557）70 and over

11.3

（n=1,509）

0

50-59

（n=474）510（n=433）（n=433）

15

20

25

30

35（%）

0

The sports volunteer participation rate over the past year was 6.7%.
This has seen very little change since the survey started in 1994.
Males are at 8.1% while females are at 5.4% in 2016.
The tendency for males to have a higher rate is the same as previous surveys.

14.4

9.3

（n=570）（n=1,491）

Female16.8（n=570）8.1（n=1,490）

31.1

5.1

（n=499）Male

Rate of desire to participate

6.3
6.1
3.9

15.1
14.1
13.3

6.7
5

10

15

20

25

30

35（%）

The 18-19 is the highest at 9.5%. Followed by the 40-49 at 9.3% and the 30-39 at
8.2%.
The tendency for the 40-49 having the highest volunteer rate for age groups 20 andover is the same as past surveys.

11

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Sports club membership :Total and by gender
Currently member

Total 18.1

Formerly member

22.1（n=3,000）

Sports club membership : By age
Never joined

Currently member

24.3

23.0

52.7

20-29

20.9

21.6

57.5

30-39

15.4

23.8

60.7

40-49

15.6

23.7

60.7

50-59

16.9

26.6

56.5

60-69

19.6

19.0

61.4

70 and over

20.1

17.3

62.6

（n=393）（n=499）Male（n=1,491）

Female（n=1,509）

0

19.7

23.6

（n=570）56.7

16.4 20.6（n=474）（n=557）63.0（n=433）

20

40

60

80

0

100（%）

Never joined

18-19（n=74）

59.8

Formerly member

20

40

60

80

100（%）The highest current membership rate is with the 18-19 at 24.3%,
followed by the 20-29 at 20.9%, the 70 and over at 20.1% and the 60-69 at
19.6%. Current membership rates among younger and older age groups is high whilecurrent membership range of the mature generation from 30-59 is low.

Current members of sports clubs are at 18.1%, those who have once joined sports
clubs in the past but are not current members are as 22.1%, and those who havenever joined a sports club are at 59.8%.
The current membership rate among males is 19.7% and 16.4% among females.
Males are more likely to join sports clubs as it has been seen in the previous surveys,
but the difference in the current membership rate between males and females isgradually decreasing.

12The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Types of sports clubs : Total and by gender
Community groups and clubs
Workplace clubs

Private clubs

Alumni clubs

Friends and acquaintances' clubs

2.6
Total

（n=542）

32.7

Types of sports clubs : By age
Community groups and clubs

OthersWorkplace clubs

3.9

24.4 7.2 29.3

（n=18）

18-19

16.7

11.1 11.1

20-29

14.6

25.6

8.5 6.1

30-39

18.2

16.9

23.4

（n=82）（n=77）

Male（n=294）29.3

3.7
17.0 12.2

4.4
1.2

Female（n=248）

0

36.7
20

33.1
40

40-49

33.3

60

80

（n=89）

29.2

50-59

31.3

（n=80）

3.2
24.6
1.2

60-69

47.7

70 and over

51.7

Others

16.7
34.1

1.1
11.2
1.3
3.8

32.5

（n=109）0Alumni clubs

44.4

19.1

11.0

39.0

2.6

37.1

2.2

28.8
1.8 1.8

2.5

29.4

17.4 1.8
1.1 1.1（n=87）

100（%）

Private clubs

Friends and acquaintances' clubs

20

24.1
40

60

20.7 1.1
80

100（%）The membership rate to "Community groups and clubs" gets higher with age.
This rate does not exceed 20% in ages groups 18-19 to 30-39, but it reaches around
30% for the 40-49 and 50-59 age groups and gets to around 50% for those 60 andover.
Meanwhile, the rate of participation in "Friends and acquaintances' clubs" decreases
with age.

For participating sports club type, the highest rate was "Community groups and clubs"
at 32.7% followed by "Friends and acquaintances' clubs" at 29.3% and "Private
clubs" at 24.4%.
The highest rate for males was "Friends and acquaintances' clubs" at 33.3%
followed by "Community groups and clubs" at 29.3%.
The highest rate for females was "Community groups and clubs" at 36.7%
followed by "Private clubs" at 33.1%.

13

The 2016 SSF National Sports-Life Survey

Towards the Realization of"Sport for Everyone"
The Sasakawa Sports Foundation (SSF) was established in
March 1991.
Since the establishment, SSF has implemented a wide rangeof activities such as survey research, grant programs, andinternational cultural exchange in order to promote theenjoyment of sports by "anyone, anytime, anywhere".
As Japan has faced the declining birthrate and the aging
society, the public awareness about the importance ofsports and healthy lifestyles has increased. Despite this fact,over the past ten years, the number of people who areunaccustomed to playing sports has remained steady at fiveout of ten. SSF believes that it is our responsibility to change
this shocking statistic while helping create a healthy,
dynamic environment for everyone, the mission of SSF.
The first decade of the 21st century has now gone and wehave begun to see a push toward new sports policies by thegovernment. SSF celebrated its 20th anniversary amid theongoing changes, and has decided to enhance the researchfunction, which compiles and analyzes a wide variety ofsurvey data. We are thus able to proactively propose
governmental policy on local and national levels andpropose programs to sports organizations. In addition, we arealso able to develop and implement programs that embody
our vision of sports in the future.

SSF will continue promoting the firm establishment of "Sport
for Everyone," a philosophy that aims to create a happier,healthier society, with the ultimate goal of enriching theathletic lives of each individual and creating an environment
in which people can continue enjoying sports in their own
ways.
Kiyoko Ono, President
Sasakawa Sports Foundation

1. Research and surveys

Outline of Activities

The Institute of Sports Policy, established in SSF carries out fact-finding surveys, case studies and empirical research in
the three fields of ""sports policy"",""community-building through sports"" and ""promotion of sports among children andyouth"".
The institute gathers and analyses quantitative data and advanced cases in the country as well as overseas, which areessential for the national government and local governments to draft sports policy and for various organizations to plan
sports promotion programs. SSF proactively makes proposals for policies to governments and for plans to sports
organizations, based on evidence obtained from the research and survey.

2. Research grants and human resource development<Research grants>
The Sasakawa sports research grants program aims to support prominent research in the fields of the humanities andsocial science that contributes to the promotion of sports in the country.
Under this program, SSF aims to encourage debate on sports policy in Japan, and to nurture young researchers who will
carry the future of the next generation.

<Sport Policy for Japan>

SSF contributes to foster leaders who will direct the future of the promotion of sports in the country by supervising the
program called ""Sport Policy for Japan"". This program provides students who are studying sports with exchanging
ideas each other and publishing their research results."

3. Collaboration with local governments
SSF promotes a nationwide sport program, which aims to encourage people to participate in sports and physicalactivities, called Challenge Day. In this program, municipal communities with similar size of populations compete over thepercentage of their residents who did some kind of sports and physical activities for a minimum of fifteen minutes on thelast Wednesday of May. Through Challenge Day, SSF is able to forge closer links with local governments and otherorganizations, and to verify that sports are beneficial in building local communities and promoting relationships between
people of different generations, and to propose a system in which individual residents can enjoy sports in theircommunities.
Furthermore, in collaboration with local governments who participate in Challenge Day and with other local governments
nationwide, SSF draws up sports promotion plans for local communities and offers the results of its surveys andresearch.

4. Public relations
SSF disseminates the information about its initiatives as described above, and releases the latest sports information in

the country and overseas that is beneficial for sports policy research, using its official website, social media, at
symposiums, seminars, and international conferences.
As part of its public relations activities, SSF publishes the results of the National Sport and Lifestyle Survey, which isbiannually conducted to understand the state of participation and involvement in sports by Japanese, by means of areport called the SSF National Sports-Life Survey.
SSF also brings out and extensively distributes Sport White Paper, in which the latest data in the country and overseas isprinted.

14

The 2016
SSF National Sports-Life Survey
Executive Summary
March 2017, Japan