White Paper on Sport in Japan 2023

White Paper on Sport in Japan

2023

White Paper on Sportin Japan
2023

Sasakawa Sports Foundation

First published 2023
by Sasakawa Sports Foundation
The Nippon Zaidan Bldg. 3F, 1-2-2 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052, Japan
Copyright © 2023 by Sasakawa Sports Foundation
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced in any form orby any electronic, mechanical, or other means including photocopying and recording, orin any information storage, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Some part of this book was revised from the previous version published in 2020.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Nippon Foundation.

ISBN 978-4-915944-88-8

Contents
Chapter 1 Sport Policy
Ⅰ. The Acts on Sport
Ⅱ. Sport Administration System
Ⅲ. Sport Budget
Ⅳ. Sport Integrity

1
6
23
26

Chapter 2 Sport Participation
Ⅰ. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Adult
Ⅱ. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
by Children and Young People
Ⅲ. Sport Facilities
Ⅳ. Sport Spectators
Ⅴ. Volunteering in Sport

36
43
46
48

Chapter 3 Disability SportⅠ. Participation in Sport and Recreation
by People with Disabilities
Ⅱ. Sport Facilities for People with Disabilities
Ⅲ. High Performance Measures for Paralympic Sport
Ⅳ. The Nippon Foundation Parasports Support Center

52
59
63
66

Chapter 4 Human Resources for Sport
Ⅰ. Professions in Sport
Ⅱ. Sport Instructors

68
71

Chapter 5 Sport Clubs
Ⅰ. Sport Club Memberships for Adults
Ⅱ. Participation in Sport Clubs and School Sport Clubs
by Children and Young People
Ⅲ. Private Fitness Clubs
Ⅳ. Comprehensive Community Sports Clubs
List of Figures
List of Tables
Picture Credits

28

76
79
86
89

Foreword
The activities of the Sasakawa Sports Foundation (SSF) are aimed
at creating a “Sport for Everyone society” in which everyone enjoys sports
in a manner that fits their own lifestyle and interests. Sports not only havethe power to maintain and improve mental and physical health, but also themysterious ability (value) to act as a universal remedy that helps people
grow and encourages the formation of society.
The role of the community in people’s lives has been shrinking over
the years, and kids are growing up with fewer opportunities to interact
with those in different age groups. The rapid graying of the population ispushing up health- and nursing-care costs, exacerbating already strained
fiscal resources. These are issues confronting not just Japan but also an
increasing number of countries around the world.
We at the Sasakawa Sports Foundation (SSF) believe that one wayof tackling these issues is to utilize the power of sports to build a healthier,more vibrant, and more inclusive society.
Sports can lead to better physical and mental health and can also
be used as a communication tool to bridge differences in age, language,
and gender. Our task at the SSF is to help provide an environment
where everyone can participate in sports and expand opportunities forinterpersonal contact, thereby energizing and invigorating both individuals
and communities. Such initiatives can not only encourage greater “selfhelp” efforts toward better health but also deepen understanding ofothers, fostering an altruistic desire for “mutual aid” and prompting thegovernment to enhance “public assistance.”
And as people’s engagement with sports and the community
increases, they will experience all three facets of sports: “participate,”“spectate,” and “volunteer.”
To achieve these goals, we undertake research activities to obtain thedata needed to develop concrete, effective policy solutions. We then workwith individual and organizational partners to implement those policies,
actively engaging with the community to gauge their effectiveness andfeeding the results back to our research team. The two pillars of ouractivities thus act as a feedback mechanism, enabling us to develop evenbetter, more practical solutions confronting society.
A key component of this virtuous cycle is World Challenge Day—a
day on which communities around the world encourage as many people
as possible to be physically active. It provides an opportunity for notonly individual participants to take up physical activity but also the hostmunicipalities to directly engage with local residents and to promote good
health and stronger community ties.
It has been thanks to our active involvement in Challenge Day that
we have been able to conclude partnership agreements with a numberof local governments to jointly develop and implement sports-related
initiatives, and we hope to share the best, most successful practices withmany more municipalities both in Japan and around the world.
It is our strong hope that our efforts to address social challenges
through the power of sports will trigger similar initiatives abroad, and we
intend to actively offer our insights to organizations sharing the Sports for
All philosophy. At the same time, we seek to incorporate many innovative,
promising practices from other countries, working closely with researchersand professionals around the globe to create a better world for all.
Finally, this book would not have been possible without thecontributions and support of our editorial board and authors. I would liketo thank them and acknowledge their outstanding work.
Kazutoshi Watanabe
President, Sasakawa Sports Foundation
October, 2023

Chief Editor
Kazutoshi Watanabe
President, Sasakawa Sports Foundation

Editorial Board for White Paper on SportThe Editorial Board made a full contribution in contents editing,writing articles and facilitating authors for the original White Paper on
Sport which was published in Japanese in March 2023.
Satoshi Ashidate
President, Japan Sport Council
Yumiko Hagi, Ph.D (Deceased)Professor, School of Physical Education, Tokai University
Shinsuke Sano
Professor, Department of Sport Management, Shobi University
Board of Director, Sasakawa Sports Foundation
Teruichi Shimomitsu, MD, Ph.D
President, Japan Health Promotion and Fitness Foundation

As of October 2023

Sport Policy 1

Chapter 1
Sport Policy
I. The Acts on Sport
1. The Basic Act on SportIn June 2011, the Basic Act on Sport was enacted with thecomprehensive revision on the Sport Promotion Act for the first time in
50 years. The Act consists of 35 articles and supplementary provisions,and declares in the preamble that “Sport are a universally shared humanculture.” It defines sport as athletic competitions and other physicalactivities performed by individuals or groups for the purpose of “sounddevelopment of mind and body”, “retention and promotion of health andphysical strength”, “acquisition of mental satisfaction” and “cultivationof the spirit of self-sufficiency or other mentalities”. Furthermore, the Act
defines sport as “crucial for citizens to lead a healthy and fulfilled life interms of mind and body throughout their lifetime”, and clearly states thatliving life happily and fruitfully through sport is the right of all citizens.
The Act also states that sport not only have an impact on individuals,
but can also develop a sense of unity or vitality of an area, and contribute torecovery of the regional society. It places an emphasis on the importance ofJapanese athletes achieving the great success in international competitions.
In addition, the Act identifies sport as a key element in the improvementof the international status of Japan. It states that sport can create vitality in
our society, contribute greatly to the development of the national economy,
and promote global mutual understanding through international exchange,
which will contribute greatly to international peace.
The major provisions of the Basic Act on Sport that have been
newly established or revised, are as follows:• Paragraph 5 of Article 2 (Basic Principles) prescribes the promotionof sport for people with disabilities, stating that “sport shall bepromoted with due consideration according to the type and degree of
disability so that persons with disabilities can play sport voluntarily
and proactively.” Articles 3 and 4 clarify the responsibilities of thenational government and local governments, respectively.
• Under Article 5, sport organizations must “protect the rights
and interests of those who play sport”, “ensure transparency of2 Sport Policy

management” and “endeavor to resolve disputes concerning sport
in a prompt and appropriate manner.”• Under Article 9, the Act requires the Minister of Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
to formulate a “Sport Basic Plan”, and Article 10 requires local
governments to formulate a plan concerning the promotion of sport(a “local sport promotion plan”) making allowance for the Sport
Basic Plan and in the context of the actual situation in the area.
• The roles to be played by the sport industry are also definedin Article 18, mentioning the importance of coordination andcooperation between sport organizations and business operators fordissemination of sport and improvement at competition level.
• With regard to sport for people with disabilities, Article 26 statesthat in order to ensure the smooth holding and operation of the
National Sports Games for Persons with Disabilities, necessary
support should be provided to Japanese Para-Sports Associationand to the prefectures of the venue.
Furthermore, Article 2 of the supplementary provisions refers to theestablishment of a sports agency as the administrative organization thatcomprehensively promotes sport policies.
2. Sports Promotion Lottery Law

In 1998, in order to secure financial resources for sport promotion,
the “Act on Carrying Out, etc. Sports Promotion Vote” (commonly known
as the “Sports Promotion Lottery Law”) was enacted through legislation
drafted by the nonpartisan Federation of Diet Members for Sports. One of
the reasons for the enactment of this Act was the necessity for structuralreforms in the sport system.
Article 21 of the Act specified how lottery revenue should be used
and allocated to local government bodies and sport organizations. The
allocation of subsidies from the Sports Promotion Lottery is determinedin accordance with the “Basic Policies for Subsidies from the Sports
Promotion Lottery Profits” formulated by MEXT. An amount equivalent
to 50% of lottery ticket sales is used as prize money for winners, then two
thirds of the remaining profit (after deducting management expenses) isused as subsidies for the promotion of sport, while the remaining one thirdis paid to the national treasury.
In May 2013, the Act on the Sports Promotion Lottery was partiallyrevised to expand the type of football matches that could be bet on (which
had previously been limited to the Japan Professional Football League

Sport Policy 3“J. LEAGUE”). The Act now allows betting on football matches that areheld by overseas professional leagues designated by MEXT such as the
English Premier League, and the matches which conform to the standards
specified by an ordinance of MEXT. A further revision in 2016 raised thepercentage of lottery profits that are used as subsidies for local governments
and sports organizations to three-eights (3/8) from one-third (1/3).
In the 2020 revision, professional basketball league “B. LEAGUE”
was added to the list of applicable sports. The revision also allowed thesale of lottery tickets that predict the result of each match and the winningteam of a competition. In September 2022, the “WINNER” lottery wasestablished in which people try to predict the results of each match, and a
portion of the lottery profits is used to support clubs and other organizations
by improving the environment for players and strengthening clubmanagement. Further, this revision expanded the projects that contributeto furbishing equipment that contributes to the safety of people engaged
in sports, including air-conditioning systems and lighting, as well as thosethat contribute to the stability of living in the event of a major disaster,
infectious disease and such like.
3. Act on the Japan Sport Council

Based on the “Act on the National Agency for the Advancementof Sports and Health (NAASH), Independent Administrative Agency”
promulgated in 2002, NAASH was established in October 2003. NAASH
succeeded to all activities previously allocated to the National Stadium
and the School Health Center of Japan, such as the administration ofschool lunches, school safety and the operation of the National Stadium.
In 2012, NAASH has changed its organization name to the Japan SportCouncil (JSC) and the Act above is thereby called the “Act on the JapanSport Council”.
This law defined the purpose of establishing the JSC and the rangeof its activities; it was revised in 2013 to allow up to 5% of sales proceedsfrom the Sports Promotion Lottery overseen by the JSC to be applied tothe costs of bidding on international sports events or to the maintenanceof sports facilities required to host them. This limit was increased to 10%
by a 2016 revision, and part of this is currently being used to develop the
New National Stadium.
4. Act on Special Measures for the 2019 Rugby World Cup

In July 2009, Japan was selected to host the 2019 Rugby World
Cup. In Addition to the event’s national significance as well as its close4 Sport Policy

connection to the preparation and management of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic
and Paralympic Games, the “Act on Special Measures for Rugby World
Cup 2019” was enacted in June 2015 to ensure that preparations for the
event would go well and that it would be run smoothly. These measures
include activities such as issuing charitable postcards and dispatching
government officials to the organizing committee. This Act was partiallyrevised in June 2018 to make the organizing committee exempt from theprovision of the Radio Act, which stipulates the fees for registering andoperating radio stations and applying for related permits.
5. Act on Special Measures for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics andParalympics

In September 2013, Tokyo was successful in its bid to host the2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Considering the significant impact
hosting the Olympics would have on Japan, the “Act on Special Measures
for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics” was enacted in June2015 to ensure that preparations for the event would go smoothly. These
measures include activities such as issuing charitable postcards, dispatching
government officials to the organizing committee, establishing an Olympic
Promotion Office and making government assets (the JGSDF Asaka
Exercise Area, Kokyogaien National Garden and Kitanomaru Garden)
freely available to use. As a result of the partial revision of the Act in June
2018, special exemptions were added to the Act on National Holidays for2020 only: the Marine Day observed annually on the third Monday in Julywas moved to July 23, the day prior to the Olympics opening ceremony;
the Sports Day observed on the second Monday in October was moved
to July 24, the day of the Olympics opening ceremony; and the MountainDay observed on August 11 was moved to August 10, after the Olympics
closing ceremony.
In conjunction with the one-year postponement of the Tokyo 2020
Games, the Act was partially amended again in 2020 to include a namechange to the “Act on Special Measures for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic
and Paralympic Games”, a one-year postponement of the deadline forthe establishment of the Promotion Headquarters, and special measures
to change the national holiday again in 2021 in connection with the
postponement of the games.
6. Act on the Promotion of Anti-Doping Activities in SportIn October 2018, the Act on the Promotion of Anti-Doping Activities
in Sport enters into force and is intended to boost future anti-doping activities

Sport Policy 5

across the country. The Act was passed in accordance with the contentsof the Basic Act on Sport enacted in 2011 as well as the International
Convention against Doping in Sport adopted by the UNESCO in 2005.
The UNESCO convention, a global agreement between governments on
anti-doping activities, is the first shared international standards for antidoping. In addition to formulating basic principles related to anti-doping
activities and clarifying the role of the national government, the Act aims
to comprehensively promote anti-doping policies and contribute to thesound development of sport.
The Act is comprised of 16 total articles. The Article 3 establishes
fairness in sport as well as maintaining and improving the mental andphysical health of athletes as basic principles, stipulating that: (a) the
inspections conducted within anti-doping activities must be fair andtransparent; (b) anti-doping activities must be implemented in a way that
ensures the independence and autonomy of the organizations that manage
sport competitions; and (c) diversity in sport must be considered when
implementing anti-doping activities. Based on the basic principles statedin the above article, the article 5 clarifies the responsibilities of the national
government with regard to formulating and implementing policies for antidoping activities. The article 6 defines the role of the Japan Sport Council(JSC) in anti-doping activities. The JSC coordinates with the Japan AntiDoping Agency (JADA) and serves as a central organization for antidoping activities.

6 Sport Policy

II. Sport Administration System
1. Sport Administrative Organizations

The promotion of sports in postwar Japan has been led primarily
by administrative organizations such as MEXT (formerly the Ministry of
Education, Science and Culture) and the Boards of Education in each local
government as part of a larger educational administration system (Figure1-1). MEXT has been responsible for wide range of policies, including
those related to school sport and physical education and activities of school
clubs as well as regional sport. They are also responsible for hosting andparticipating in international sport competitions such as the Olympics andParalympics and the FIFA World Cup and enhancing high performancesport.
Professional sports are not under the direct jurisdiction of MEXT,
however, the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB), the Japan
Professional Football League (J. LEAGUE) and the Japan ProfessionalSports Association were all once under the jurisdiction of MEXT andcarry the influence of its methods of sport administration. At present, dueJapan Sport Council

Japan Sports Agency

Japan Anti-Doping
AgencyCommissioner
Council for Sport

Japan Sports Arbitration
AgencyNippon JuniorHigh School
Physical Culture
Association

National Trainning
CenterHigh PerformanceSport Centre

Japan Institute of Sports
Sciences(JISS)

7 Divisions

All Japan
High School
Athletic
Federation

Japan Associatioon
for University
Athletics andSport【Prefectures】
Sports Dept.

Japan Sport
Association(JSPO)

Japanese
Olympic
Committee (JOC)

Japanese Para-Sports
Association
Japanese Paralympic
Committee

sports promoting
foundations

National Recreation
Association ofJapan
The Nippon
Foundation
Paralympic
Support Center

national governing
bodies of sports

Board of Educationprefectural
councils ofcommunity
sports leaders

prefectural
junior high school
physical culture
associations

prefectural
high school
athletic
federations（Welfare Dept.）【Municipalities】
Sport Commision

Sports Dept.
Board of Education（Welfare Dept.）prefectural sports
federations

prefectural
sportsassociations

sportspromotingfoundations

prefecturalpara-sports
associations

local sports
associations

local sports
federations

local para-sports
associations
National
Federation ofCommunity Sport
Leaders

prefectural
councils ofcommunity sports
leaders

Community Sports
Leaders

Comprehensive
Community Sports Clubs

sports clubs and teams

Figure 1-1 Sport Administration Structure in Japan：aﬃliatedSport Policy 7

to the reform of the public interest corporation system, these organizations
are administered by the Cabinet Office. Moreover, many industries
responsible for sport goods and equipment, leisure industries such as golfcourse, ski resorts and bowling alleys, and health service industries suchas fitness clubs are administered by Ministry of Economy, Trade, andIndustry (METI).
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)
administers several services including: businesses promoting health andphysical strength in municipalities; long-term care and preventive services
pursuant to the “Long-term Care Insurance Act”; events including the
National Health and Welfare Festival for the Elderly; promotion of sportand physical activities from the perspectives of fitness, health and social
welfare. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism(MLIT) is responsible for the maintenance of sport facilities such as sport/
multipurpose parks used for the National Sports Festivals, and the Japan
Tourism Agency of MLIT is in charge of promoting sport tourism. As
is seen here, a large number of government offices are involved in the
promotion of sport.
Japan Sports Agency

Sport administration in Japan involves a large number of ministries
and government offices. In recent years, the expectation that a multitude
of benefits can be achieved through sport has led to the comprehensive
promotion of sport policies that span over several different fields, andthe sport administration is expected to increase the effectiveness of
those policies. In this context, “comprehensive review of the modalityof administrative organization for promotion of the measures concerning
sport” was stated in Article 2 under the supplementary provisions of the
Basic Act on Sport enacted in 2011. Moreover, in September 2013, Tokyo
was awarded to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo
2020), creating favorable conditions for the establishment of the JapanSports Agency (JSA) in October 2015.
The JSA was created by expanding MEXT’s Sports and YouthBureau into an external bureau and is led by a commissioner, a deputy
commissioner, a director-general and a deputy director-general. The four
divisions of the Sports and Youth Bureau were reorganized and expanded
into the JSA’s seven divisions (Figure 1-2). The number of personnel was
also increased from 76 at the time of the Sports and Youth Bureau to 121
and is expected to be 114 in FY2023.

8 Sport Policy
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT)

Commissioner, Japan Sports Agency

Policy Division
Office for Planning and Coordination

Sports for Health Division
Office to Promote Para-Sports
Community Sports Division
Competitive Sports Division

Community Development Division

Sports Organizations Support andPrivate-Sector Cooperation DivisionInternational Affairs Division
Japan Sports Agency (2022)

Figure 1-2 Organization Chart of Japan Sports Agency
Division in Japan Sports Agency
1. Policy Division

The Policy Division is responsible for the overall administration andmanagement of the Japan Sports Agency as well as for the promotion ofmartial arts and public relations. The Office for Planning and Coordination,
established in the Policy Division, is in charge of operations related to The
Sport Basic Plan, administration of the sports council and measures forschool physical education. Measures for school physical education, whichused to be handled by the MEXT, are now under the shared jurisdictionof the Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau of the MEXT and theJapan Sports Agency’s Office for Planning and Coordination.
2. Sports for Health Division

The division is responsible for promoting health through sports,
including the promotion of sports to the public and the promotion ofsports based on the knowledge of preventative medicine, and encouraging
participation of women and working generations in sports. It is in chargeof the Sport in Life Project, the Sports Yell Company accreditation
project, and initiatives related to health management in collaboration
with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The divisionalso promotes disability sports through its Office to Promote Para-Sports

Sport Policy 9(note, however, that it was transferred from the Ministry of Health, Labourand Welfare (MHLW) in FY2014 before the Japan Sports Agency wasestablished).
3. Community Sports Division

The Community Sports Division was newly established under the
reorganization implemented in FY2022. It is responsible for reforming
sports club activities in schools, which is one of the major policies of
the Japan Sports Agency, and reviews the phased transition of sports
club activities on holidays in public junior high schools and other publicschools to local communities and the competitions in which participationis on a school basis.
The division is also in charge of promoting community development
through sports, such as strengthening the operating structure of integrated
community sports clubs and promoting local sports activities, andpromoting sports activities for preschool children through to university
students by utilizing the Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Childhoodin the field, enhancing youth sports clubs, supporting university sports andtaking other steps.
4. Competitive Sports Division

In an aim to enhance international competitiveness for the Olympic
and Paralympic Games and other events, the division works to support
activities to strengthen top athletes and to build a base for reinforcement
and research activities for top athletes. In the former, the division
provides support for intangible aspects, such as supporting various sports
organizations with reinforcement activities and implementing professionaland high-level support in a strategic and comprehensive manner throughsports medicine, science and information for sports with high potential
for winning medals. In the latter, support for tangible aspects is given,such as the development of a national training center to serve as a base forreinforcement activities. The division also works to ensure the integrity ofthe sport world through the use of the Governance Code for National Sport
Federation Members and to support the strengthening of the organizationalbase with the aim of promoting reforms and autonomous operation ofsports organizations.
5. Community Development DivisionThis division is in charge of regional revitalization and town
planning using sports aimed at vitalizing communities and the economy
through promoting sporting events and sports tourism, and hosting
tournaments, training camps and such like. It also undertakes projects
to promote the effective use of physical education facilities at schools,

10 Sport Policy

adoption of universal design for sports facilities, and public use of privatesports facilities in order to secure and enhance a sustainable environment
for sports in local communities.
6. Sports Organizations Support and Private-Sector Cooperation DivisionThis division leads the transformation of sports into a growthindustry through digital transformation (DX) in the field of sports, use oftechnology and promotion of open innovation in sports, and promotionof stadium and arena reforms. It is also responsible for strengthening
the management capability of sports organizations, training coaches,
instructors and other personnel, and helping athletes develop their careers.
7. International Affairs Division

The International Affairs Division was established in FY2022,
taking over some of the duties of the previous International Affairs Divisionand the Olympic and Paralympic Affairs Division. It has a comprehensiverole in international sport strategies including international exchange andcooperation through sports, support for obtaining executive positionsin international sports organizations, support through bids and holding
international competitions and matches and promotion of anti-doping
activities. It also undertakes initiatives to contribute to the achievement of
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2. The Sport Basic Plan

The Third Sport Basic Plan was formulated in March 2022, outlining
the measures and targets to be tackled in the five years from FY2022 to
FY2026. In formulating the Third Plan, a review of the four pillars of theSecond Plan (FY2017-2021) and changes in social conditions were taken
into account.
The first pillar is boosting the participating population, i.e., people
who “do”, “watch” and “support” sports, and enhancing human resource
development and venues for this purpose. Compared with the target valuesof the Second Plan, which used the percentage of persons playing sports
in FY2021 as an indicator of the participating population, 56.4% of adults
played sports at least once a week (about 65% of the target value) while
30.4% played sports at least three times a week (about 30% of the target
value), and 31.0% of persons with disabilities played sports at least oncea week (about 40% of the target value) while 16.5% played sports atleast three times a week (about 20% of the target value). Although thesepercentages reflected a certain level of achievement, increasing from thelevels at the time the plan was formulated, the results other than the rateof adults who played sports at least three times a week have not reachedSport Policy 11

the targets set in the Second Plan. There is a need to continue creating anenvironment and building momentum for people of the country to playsports, and in particular, to reach out to people in the low-frequency tier
who do not play sports at all and those who play sports less than once a
week.
The second pillar was the realization of a vibrant, close-knit society
through sports. Under the Second Plan, steps were taken by various entities
to put in place an environment for the implementation of sports, but thepercentage of persons with disabilities playing sports has not reached thetarget. In addition, the percentage of women playing sports continues tofall short of that of men. As for the realization of a healthy, long-lived
society through sports, there is a need to develop a system to accumulate
and utilize further evidence. In terms of economic and community
revitalization, efforts have been made to promote stadium-arena reforms
and sports tourism initiatives. However, the measures initially envisioned
have been found to be insufficient in some respects under the COVID-19
pandemic. While such issues remain, the targets set in the Second Plan,
including the number of Japanese in executive positions at international
sports federations and other organizations, were largely achieved in termsof international exchange and cooperation. There is a need to continue
actively promoting international exchange and cooperation through sports,
thereby contributing to maintaining and improving Japan’s presence in theinternational community.
The third pillar was the development of strong and sustainable humanresources and an environment to enhance international competitiveness.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the number of gold medals and thetotal number of medals both reached record highs. Also at the Tokyo 2020
Paralympic Games, the total number of medals nearly marked a record
high. The international competitiveness must be advanced effectively andefficiently also after the Games.
The fourth pillar was the enhancement of the value of sports
through the promotion of clean and fair sports. In this regard, the Action
Plan for Ensuring Sport Integrity was compiled in December 2018, andinitiatives such as the formulation of the Governance Code for NationalSport Federation Members were taken. On the other hand, scandals in the
management of sports organizations and problematic cases of inappropriate
guidance have occurred also in recent years. In addition to striving toeradicate non-compliance, corporal punishment and violence among
persons related to sports, it is necessary to strengthen the governance ofsports organizations and ensure transparency in their management.

12 Sport Policy

In addition, during the five-year period of the Second Plan, various
social conditions changed. In particular, the spread of COVID-19 since2020, has upended daily life and restricted many sports activities. As aresult, the Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed by a year and most of thegames were held without spectators. The decrease in opportunities toparticipate in sports due to the pandemic and the holding of the Tokyo
2020 Games were frequently mentioned in the Third Plan and can be said
to have been the social changes that were given the most emphasis informulating the plan.
Moreover, the declining birthrate, aging population and declining
population, particularly in rural areas, are accelerating, leading to a decline
in the number of people participating in sports and those who take roles inpromoting sports and to widening regional disparities. Rapid technologicalinnovation is also driving the need for digital transformation (DX) acrossindustries. Furthermore, changes in lifestyles, i.e., ways of working andliving, as well as the progress of worldwide efforts to realize a sustainable
society and a symbiotic society have led to significant changes in the social
environment surrounding the sports world in Japan.
In light of these changes, the Third Plan reorganized the essenceof sports as enjoying fun and pleasure through voluntary participationin various forms of “doing”, “watching” and “supporting” sports. Selfmotivation, fun and joy are the essence of value that sport itself has, andare also linked to the idea of well-being. With such value at the base,the additional value that sports contribute to social vitalization is also
considered important. Specifically, as stated in the preamble of the Basic
Act, such contribution includes the revitalization of local communities
through sports, realization of a healthy and energetic long-living society,development of the economy for the people and promotion of global
mutual understanding. Necessary measures are required to further enhance
the aforementioned value of sports.
Based on the above review of the Second Plan and reaffirmationof the value of sports, the Third Plan, while following the direction of
the Second Plan, has two major points. The first point is the succession
and development of the sports legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic andParalympic Games, and the second is the three new perspectives toenhance the value of sports.
3. JSA Measures(1) Creating sports opportunities in diverse settings

The policy goal is to improve the percentage of people who playSport Policy 13

sports and build a society in which each and every person can enjoy thevalue of sports in their daily lives. To this end, measures will be deployed
to create sports opportunities for the people of Japan, enhance sports
opportunities for children and improve their physical fitness, improve thepercentage of women, persons with disabilities and the working generation
who play sports, and promote university sports. Through these measures,the goal has been set to increase the percentage of adults who engage insports at least once a week to 70% (40% for persons with disabilities),
exceeding the numerical target of 65% set in the Second Plan. At the sametime, a qualitative goal is newly adopted to increase the number of persons
who make it a habit to engage in light physical activities for 30 minutes
or more at least twice a week and continue to do so for at least a year, as
recommended by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).
Specific measures aimed at creating opportunities to engage in sports
include the “Sport in Life Project”, promotion of integrated community
sports clubs, and the “Sports Yell Company” accreditation project.
Aiming to enhance sports opportunities for children and young
people in schools and communities and improve their physical fitness, thereform of school-based sports club activities are being carried out based on
the direction and measures of reforms proposed by the Council for Review
on Transition of School-based Sports Club Activities to Communities,
and ways to hold competitions are being reviewed. This will shift theoperation and management of junior high school sports club activities tolocal communities and allow local clubs to participate in competitions. In
addition, efforts will be made to raise awareness of the Physical Activity
Guidelines for Early Childhood and to develop exercise habits from earlychildhood through the use of the Active Child Program.
(2) Promoting DX in the sports world

With the introduction of DX to the sports world, efforts are being
made to expand the way sports are conducted using advanced technology
and big data, and to create new business models using digital technology.
The aim is to make it possible to widely provide the public and society
with knowledge and opportunities related to various sports, and to increase
the effectiveness of “doing”, “watching” and “supporting” sports. For
example, digital technology will be used to have diverse entities provide
a place to conduct sports even for persons who have difficulties going out
for health reasons, and advanced technologies such as AI and VR will be
used to enhance support for athletes.
In addition, support will be provided for creating business models,
including the creation of new sports using digital technology through14 Sport Policy

awarding business operators who are active in the use of technology,
supporting model projects and conducting sports in a virtual space(metaverse). In addition, legal arrangements will be examined for thecommercialization of sports-related businesses that has become possible
with the development of digital technologies such as non-fungible tokens(NFT) and betting, while efforts will be made to support human resource
development.
(3) Enhancement of international competitivenessThe policy goal is to realize targets in the summer and winter Olympic
and Paralympic Games as well as the major international competitions ofeach sport, such as the record-high number of gold medals, total numberof medals won, number of prizes won, number of medal winning eventsand so on. To this end, support will be given to measures of the National
Governing Bodies of Sport (NF) for improving athletic performance, in
cooperation with the JOC and JPC
The High Performance Sport Center (HPSC) has launched acollaborative team consisting of the JOC, JPC and JSC to build anautonomous and sustainable system at the NF to strengthen athletic
performance. In addition, the Japan Sports Agency will develop andassign personnel, such as reinforcement managers, coaches and staff,
while enhancing the consultation system and supporting childbirth andchild-rearing to promote the success of female athletes and pursue thedevelopment and assignment of elite female coaches. This will be done tohelp establish a system to improve athletic performance.
(4) International exchange and cooperation through sports

The government is working to enhance Japan’s global position in
the world of sport by promoting international exchange and cooperation
through sports. At the same time, setting the policy goal of strengthening
ties among countries, regions and people through sports, steps are taken
to participate in decision-making in the world of international sports anddevelop the sports industry internationally. To participate in decisionmaking, the identification and development of human resources who
can play an active role in the International Federations (IF) and otherorganizations and the dispatch of personnel from the National Federations(NF) and others who will be responsible for the next generation to therelevant organizations will be promoted. The aim is to increase the numberof Japanese executives in the IFs, Asian Federations and other organs andseek their re-election in the posts.
As a measure for the international expansion of the sports industry,the “Japan SPorts business INitiative (JSPIN)”, a platform to support

Sport Policy 15

this, has been established to encourage the creation of domestic andinternational networks. In addition, the four parties of the Japan Sports
Agency, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan External
Trade Organization and JSC signed a basic agreement to promote theinternational expansion of Japan’s sports and sports-related industries.
(5) Health promotion through sports

With the aim of contributing to the realization of a healthy, longlived society by promoting health through sports and to the extensionof healthy life expectancy as stated in Health Japan 21 formulated by
the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), through the
improvement of the percentage of persons playing sports, steps are taken
to enhance research on sports that contribute to the promotion of healthand implement measures in collaboration with related organizations.
The Japan Sports Agency is working to promote health throughsports by disseminating and utilizing scientific knowledge in light of thelack of a system to utilize accumulated evidence on health promotion
through exercise and playing sports. Concrete measures and initiatives
often overlap with (1) the creation of sports opportunities at diverse
settings, in part because they aim to contribute to the improvement ofsports implementation rates.
In addition, efforts will be made to develop a system to lead people
in the fields of medical and nursing care to sports, in cooperation withmedical and nursing care providers, private business operators and insurers.
(6) Promoting sports as a growth industry

A policy goal is set to increase the size of the sports market to 15
trillion yen by 2025 by creating a virtuous cycle of expanding the market
and returning profits to improving the sports environment, thereby driving
an increase in the number of people participating in sports. The main
initiatives are the stadium and arena reform promotion project, which was
implemented based on the Second Plan, and the sports open innovation
project.
In the stadium and arena reform promotion project, the know-how
of the private sector will be shared to promote the transformation of costcenters into profit centers, and therefore the stadium and arena will be
realized as the core of community development and regional vitalization.
The sports open innovation promotion project will support the developmentof new business models through open innovation between professional
sports organizations and other industries, honor good practices nationwide,
and work to build a Sport Open Innovation Platform (SOIP) with sports atthe core in communities.

16 Sport Policy(7) Regional revitalization and community development through sports

By taking steps distinctive to each relevant region toward regional
revitalization and community development through sports across thecountry and promoting solutions to local social issues through the use of
sports, the aim is to have sports contribute to local communities and society,further broaden the understanding and support of residents and citizens forthe promotion of sports and create a virtuous cycle of promoting sports
and promoting regional development. Based on this approach, a target
has been presented to raise the ratio of local governments working on
community development through promoting sports and health from 15.6%(FY2021) to 40% at the end of FY2026.
The second term of “Comprehensive strategy for overcoming
population decline and revitalizing local economies” (2019) by the
Cabinet Secretariat pointed out the importance of building distinctive
sports legacies in each region, rather than ending the Tokyo 2020 Games
as a transient event. The Third Plan also succeeds to this policy withsteps taken toward regional revitalization and community development
through sports in collaboration with related government agencies. As oneof the projects to promote sports and healthy town planning, a system wasintroduced in FY2021 to award municipalities that implement outstanding
measures to promote sports and healthy town planning.
In addition, efforts are being made to further promote sports
tourism, which is one of the important factors in regional revitalization
through sports. On top of outdoor sports tourism and martial arts tourism,
contents development for utilizing local resources such as urban sports
and workcations will be continued. Furthermore, in order to improve thequality of the regional sports commission, the management base will bestrengthened by contributing to the region through enhancing resident
services in addition to inviting customers from outside the region, and by
utilizing the community reviving cooperator squad.
(8) Realizing an inclusive society through sports

Through the creation of an environment in which everyone can enjoy
the value of sports that they “do”, “watch” and “support,” and enjoy sports“together” with people in various positions and circumstances, promoting
disability sports and encouraging empowerment of women through sports
in order to realize an inclusive society centered on sports are underway.
In the promotion of disability sports, in addition to improving the
sporting environment so that persons with disabilities can participate insociety through sports, efforts will be made to raise awareness of people
not engaging in sports and promote understanding of the general public

Sport Policy 17

through having them experience disability sports to encourage changes inpeople’s awareness in an aim to realize an inclusive society. Specifically,
there are needs to increase the number of coaches and staff related todisability sports, disseminate the teaching methods accumulated bydisability sports associations, etc. and secure human resources to support
disability sports.
With regard to promoting empowerment of women through sports,
steps will be taken to encourage growth in the percentage of women
directors in sport associations to approach the target of 40% in accordancewith the Governance Code for National Sport Federation Members (2018)
and the Fifth Basic Plan for Gender Equality (2020), in addition to taking
initiatives toward increasing the ratio of women engaging in sports. Major
initiatives include the formation of a model to match candidates withsports organizations that are active in recruiting female executives andsupporting the promotion and development of female executives withinsports organizations.
(9) Governance reform and management enhancement of sports organizations
to be in charge

By reforming the governance and strengthening the management ofsports organizations, which will be the main players in charge of providing
sports opportunities, the JSA will develop measures that contribute toensuring stable opportunities for the public to be involved in sports.
The JSA, in collaboration with the JSC and governing bodies
of sports, will conduct training and other programs to enable sports
associations to carry out voluntary and autonomous governance reforms.
Through this training, the JSA promotes the creation of a mechanism forsharing information among sports organizations for an increase of theirprofit, while boosting the development of human resources to undertakethe efforts to reinforce collaboration and implement strategic management,
and the creation of jobs.
(10) 
Tangible and intangible aspects and human resources essential for
promoting sports

In order to secure and strengthen the foundation that is essential
for the people of Japan to become familiar with sports, including tangible
aspects (venue creation), intangible aspects (environment-building) andhuman resources, measures which promote the creation of venues andenvironments, and the development of human resources involved in sports
will be carried forward.
In addition to making effective use of existing facilities in accordancewith the Guidelines for the Appropriate Stocking of Sports Facilities

18 Sport Policy(2018), efforts will be made to actively utilize various types of space,such as open spaces in parks and empty spaces in commercial facilities,
to create venues for sports outside of sports facilities. In addition, the JSA
and JSPO began operating a system for the registration and certificationof comprehensive community sports clubs in 47 prefectures in 2022,
aiming to build a regional sports environment by improving the qualityof comprehensive clubs and promoting efforts to solve regional issues
through collaboration with local governments.
For the development of human resources involved in sports, on
top of helping active athletes to develop dual careers, the JSA will workwith Japan Anti-Doping Association to improve the qualifications andabilities of doping inspectors who can operate in an international way, andboost initiatives similar to a collaboration agreement regarding promotionof sports volunteering activities by the JSPO, SSF and the Japan Sports
Volunteer Network, an NPO.
(11) Ensuring safety and security of people engaging in sports

A policy goal was set to ensure the mental and physical safety andsecurity of people who engage in sports so that such people do not leave
sports or be deprived of the opportunity to enjoy sports for reasons they are
not happy with. With the aim of eradicating violence and abuse in sports
coaching, the JSPO has formulated the Model Core Curriculum to train goodcoaches who will continue to learn throughout their lives, and incorporates
the curriculum in the official sports coaching training sessions. In orderto prevent slander against athletes and sexual harassment through photos
and videos, steps will be taken to ensure an environment where athletes
can focus on their sports by means of issuing joint statements compiled
by sports-related associations and furnishing information provision forms.
In addition, efforts are being made to improve the environment andto prevent sports accidents and sports injuries so that everyone can enjoy
sports safely and with a sense of security by taking measures to prevent
fatal accidents during school physical education activities, and reviewing
the timing of holding sports competitions in light of climate change andthe characteristics of sports.
(12) Ensuring sport integrity

To enhance the integrity of sports in Japan and promote clean andfair sports in an integrated manner, the JSA will strengthen the governanceof sports organizations, ensure thorough compliance, develop a dispute
resolution system and promote anti-doping activities so that the people ofJapan and society can fully enjoy the value of sports.
In addition to striving to eradicate non-compliance, corporal

Sport Policy 19

punishment and violence, etc. among sports personnel, the JSA strengthens
governance of sports organizations and promotes the transparency ofmanagement of such organizations. In putting in place a dispute resolution
system, increasing the number of organizations that adopt automatic
acceptance clauses for sports arbitration on top of promoting theunderstanding of sports arbitration and mediation systems among sports
organizations and athletes will be aimed. Further, efforts will be madeto contribute to international anti-doping activities through participationin the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to support inspectors who
have been trained for the Tokyo 2020 Games to perform at subsequentinternational competitions, and to maintain and improve the level ofknowledge about anti-doping activities of relevant persons in the country.
4. Major Sport Promotion Institutions in Japan

In addition to administrative organizations, a number of public
interest corporations such as the Japan Sport Council (JSC), the JapanSport Association (JSPO), the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) andthe National Recreation Association of Japan (NRAJ) play a significant
role in the promotion of sport. Their roles include enhancement of highperformance sport, provision of subsidies for promotional activities anddevelopment of a better understanding of the value of sport.
The JSC strives to promote sport and improve physical health ofschool children through the following activities; management of sportfacilities such as the New National Stadium, conduct of various research
projects at the Japan High Performance Sport Center, support for sport
promotion through operation of the Sports Promotion Lottery and paymentof necessary benefits in the case of accidents that occur to students under
the supervision of schools. The JSPO, JOC and NRAJ preside over various
sport associations such as sports organizations in the all 47 prefectures andare incorporated into the national administrative system which controls
sport policies. These policies concern issues such as the improvement ofJapan’s international high performance, the training of sport instructors,
and the development of regional sport clubs to enhance physical fitness
for children.
The Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) was established in 2001
as an institution to promote, educate and coordinate anti-doping activities
in Japan. As a contracted party of the World Anti-Doping Code (WADA
Code), the JADA implements the Japan Anti-Doping Code which isconsistent with the WADA Code. The Japan Sports Arbitration Agency(JSAA) also contributes to the promotion of sports through improving

20 Sport Policy

sports environments, encouraging athletes to compete fairly with one
another and through other awareness-raising activities.
5. Sport Administrative Organizations in Local Governments Sport Administrative Organizations in Prefectures andMunicipalities

Until recently, the regional boards of education were principally incharge of all duties involved in sport administration for each prefecture andmunicipality. This was due to Article 23, item 13 (Duties and Authority of
the Boards of Education) of the “Act on the Organization and Operationof Local Educational Administration” (hereinafter referred to as the“Local Educational Administration Act”), which stated that the boards ofeducation were to supervise and execute the operation of policies related
to sport. However, under Article 4 of the Basic Act on Sport, it is now
prescribed that “local governments are responsible for establishing andimplementing measures concerning sport which are appropriate to thecharacteristics of the area voluntarily and independently, while maintaining
coordination with the national government.” Furthermore, because of
the special provision added to the Local Educational Administration Act(Article 24-2, “Special Provision on Duties and Authority”) after its partial
revision in 2007, it has become possible for the heads of local publicbodies to supervise and administer affairs related to sport that had been
under the jurisdiction of the boards of education. As a result of this greater
flexibility, administrative affairs have been transferred from the boards ofeducation and been placed under the mayors or governors in many local
governments.
As of December 2022, 11 prefectures out of 47 have placed thesport administrative department within their board of education, while 36
have placed the department within the governor’s office. According to theJapan Sports Agency’s “Survey on Local Sports Administration” (2017),
of the 790 municipalities (excluding ordinance-designated cities) polled,
80.4% placed their sport administrative department within the boards ofeducation, while 19.6% placed it within the municipality’s head office.
Viewed in terms of population, 84.0% of municipalities with at least
500,000 people placed their sport administrative department within thehead office, while only 2.3% of municipalities with less than 10,000 did so.
Municipalities with smaller populations are therefore more likely to place
the department that administers their sport within the boards of education,even after the revision of the Local Educational Administration Act.
By transferring authority of the sport administrative department

Sport Policy 21

from the boards of education to the governor’s office, prefectures andmunicipalities are attempting to not only increase the efficiency of sportsrelated business, but also to improve coordination with other administrative
areas such as culture, tourism, social welfare and community development.
Local Quasi-Government Corporations and Public Foundations
Related to Sports Promotion

In many prefectures and ordinance-designated cities, quasigovernment corporations and public interest corporations have been
established, playing a part in the promotion of sports and complementing
the work of local government related to sport. These extra-governmentorganizations usually receive financial assistance from the relevant
local government at the time of their establishment. However, howsuch organizations are funded and the amount or ratio of government
contribution varies depending on the organization. The establishment,
operation, budgetary and human resources, as well as financial audits andthe like, are prescribed by the “Local Autonomy Act.”
When the Local Autonomy Act was partially revised in September
2003, the management of public facilities (sport facilities, city parks,
cultural centers, social welfare facilities, etc.) switched from the “Operation
Consignment System” to the “Designated Administration System”, which
was further enacted in September 2006. Under the former “Operation
Consignment System”, the management of public facilities was under
the direct control of the local government, or was consigned only tothose public foundations and corporations that were funded by the local
government. However, with the revised system, such work may now be
conducted either by the local government or by a designated administrator
who has been selected through public advertisement. Applicants may
include private businesses such as stock companies, public interest
corporations, NPOs and voluntary basis organizations.
Due to this revision, many quasi-government corporations or public
foundations that had been in operation primarily for the management
and operation of public sports facilities have been forced to review theirbusiness activities and organization structures. The number of prefecturescontaining quasi-government corporations or public foundations has beensteadily decreasing from 23 prefectures in 2005 to 18 prefectures in 2010
and 15 prefectures in 2022. Meanwhile, in September 2020, Fukuoka
Prefecture newly established the Fukuoka Prefecture Sports Promotion
Fund to contribute to the development of top athletes associated with theprefecture and the revitalization of the region by bidding for and holding22 Sport Policy

large-scale sports events.
As of October 2022, six of the 20 ordinance-designated cities havequasi-governmental corporations or public foundations. As with similar
entities at the prefectural level, these organizations have played a certain
role in the regional promotion of sports, although in some cases they havemerged with sport associations (Sapporo, Chiba, Yokohama).

Sport Policy 23

III. Sport Budget
1. National Budget for Sport

Figure 1-3 shows the budget trends of the Sports and Youth Bureauof the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) and the Japan Sports Agency, which have been responsible forpromoting sports in Japan. The sports budget, which stood at 12.2 billion
yen in FY2002, continued to increase slightly until FY2008, but in responseto the revision of the government curriculum guidelines in FY2007, which
made martial arts compulsory, the budget for the development of martial
arts halls for public junior high schools increased. As a result, in FY2009,
the total budget came to 22.5 billion yen, exceeding the 20-billion-yen
threshold. After a slight increase thereafter, the budget for FY2015 roseto 28.9 billion yen on the back of the decision to host the Tokyo 2020
Games in September 2013. Then the budget showed a further increase
to 32.3 billion yen in FY2016, topping 30 billion yen for the first time. It
can be said that creating the Japan Sports Agency, which promotes sports
measures comprehensively, accelerated the hike in the sports budget. With
the aim of achieving the policy goals set out in the Second Sport Basic
Plan, the budget has been the 35-billion-yen mark since FY2017, reflecting
the continuous increase in funding for projects related to improving
athletic performance in preparation for international competitions andfor developing measures that contribute to solving social issues throughsports. The budget for FY2023 hit a record high of 35.9 billion yen,including 2.8 billion yen earmarked for environmental improvement in
anticipation of the gradual transition of school-based sports club activities
to local communities.
In addition to the initial budget set each fiscal year, there are additionalamounts from the supplementary budget. A supplementary budget iscreated when new financial needs arise in the middle of a fiscal year. In
FY2020, a supplementary budget was drawn up three times, providing
additional funds of 102.37 billion yen. Of this amount, 56 billion yen wasappropriated for COVID-19 countermeasures in the Tokyo Olympic andParalympic Games and 12.69 billion yen for COVID-19 countermeasuresin host towns and others, reflecting the government’s policy of taking
emergency measures against COVID-19. The amount also included funds
for projects to support the holding of local tournaments to replace national
tournaments for school sports club activities and projects to establish
exercise habits for children in the aftermath of COVID-19. In particular,
4.8 billion yen was appropriated as a subsidy for continuing sports businessto help cover the expenses of sports organizations and individual business24 Sport Policy

operators who were forced to refrain from holding activities due to thepandemic, so they can resume or continue their activities.
In FY2021, 8.5 billion yen was set aside as a supplementary budget,which was passed for the purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19,
continuing from the previous fiscal year, and resuming socioeconomic
activities and preparing for the crisis under the policy of co-existing with
COVID-19. Of this amount, 5.1 billion yen was earmarked to support theholding of national-level sports events and such like to subsidize part ofthe costs necessary for sports organizations, etc. that host national sports
leagues or tournaments to do so with thorough implementation of measuresagainst infectious diseases at the games and publicize such measurestaken. The aim is to ensure thorough implementation of measures against
infectious diseases by improving the way games are operated, to expand
the provision of experiential opportunities during the pandemic and tothoroughly implement measures against infectious diseases at international
tournaments. In addition, 1.0 billion yen was provided to support thedevelopment of a sports environment to prevent people with disabilities
from refraining from exercise, and 0.83 billion yen was granted to theJapan Sport Council, founder of the High Performance Sport Center, tocover the expenses needed to put in place a system for measures against
infectious diseases at the Center.
The supplementary budget passed in FY2022 was 4.6 billion yen. In
order to ensure the smooth implementation of an integrated environment
for collaboration between school-based sports club activities and local
communities and the transfer of school-based activities to local sports
clubs from the beginning of FY2023, 1.9 billion yen was allocated to help
cover the expenses required for local municipalities to establish a transition
system, such as holding training sessions for general coordinators to liaise
and coordinate with related parties and establishing human resource banks.

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

35,000,000

40,000,000

45,000,000

50,000,000

2002

12,238,813(In thousand of yen)

2003

12,905,802

2004

16,819,827

2005

16,401,272

2006

16,797,615

Supplementary Budget

Annual Budget

2008

2010

17,200,000

2009

1,450,000

19,000,472

2011

2013

2019

2020

2021

35,900,157

2023

4,632,074

2022

8,519,657

35,383,872

35,480,014(Year)
MOF (2021), MEXT (2022), Japan Sports Agency (2022)

2018

35,083,872

3,560,000

35,033,064

6,040,000

33,989,139

31,420,000

2017

20,580,000

2016

510,000
2015

13,020,000

2014

20,810,000

24,327,849

14,260,000

2012

330,000

22,790,469

23,542,693

28,976,254

Figure 1-3 Trends in the National Sport Budget

2007

18,716,682

22,529,344

22,740,469

25,527,849

32,360,310

33,393,116

102,370,000

Sport Policy 25

26 Sport Policy

IV. Sport Integrity
1. Trends in Promoting Sport Integrity

In 2011, Jacques Rogge, then president of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC), raised concerns about the potential threat to sports frompressure caused by illegal sports betting and other misconduct, stating that
“Sport is in danger.” On March 1 of the same year, Ronald Nobel, thenthe secretary-general of the International Criminal Police Organization(Interpol), warned at a meeting at IOC headquarters that “the pressuresthat threaten sport integrity are growing, and they are coming from all
corners of the world in a variety of ways.”
Against this backdrop, a public symposium on sport integrity as
the main theme, organized by the Japan Sport Council (JSC), was held inTokyo for the first time in Japan in 2014. At the symposium, the criticalstate of sports was pointed out regarding the fact that in the international
community surrounding today’s sports world, a number of threats thatshake the integrity of sports at its core could be noted. In FY2014, theJSC established a Sport Integrity Unit to protect and enhance sport
integrity against a variety of threats to sports, including match-fixing,
illegal gambling, lack of governance, violence and doping, through taking
measures to protect sport integrity.
It is estimated that it was around 2010 that the emergence andspread of the use of the term integrity in public sports organizations inJapan and abroad became prominent. It has also been pointed out that thiswas because in addition to doping, there were ethical and social issues thatthreatened a wide range of values in sports, such as issues including matchfixing and illegal gambling, violence, harassment and lack of governanceand compliance.
2. Understanding Sport Integrity and Related Initiatives
Domestic Trends

The following concepts and policy goals are set out in the Second
Sport Basic Plan in which the term sport integrity was published for the
first time. First of all, to understand what sport integrity refers to, while itis not necessarily given a clear definition, the word integrity means havinghonesty, prudence and virtue, and sport integrity is a concept that has
been considered important around the globe. It is recognized as a state ofbeing free from such injustices as doping, match-fixing, illegal gambling,
violence, harassment, discrimination and lack of group governance, and isachieved as a result of people involved in sports acting honestly based on
their strong moral principles.

Sport Policy 27

As for specific policies, following the establishment of a policy
target of “aiming to further enhance the value of sports by enhancing
the integrity of sports in Japan and promoting clean and fair sports in
an integrated manner toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic
Games,” specific measures were set as below.
• The government shall, in cooperation with the JSC, JOC, JapanSport Association (JSPO) and Japanese Para Sports Association(JPSA), develop evaluation indicators for the management ofsports organizations, develop the necessary systems to continuously
monitor and evaluate sports organizations, provide necessary advice
to organizations that need support and take other steps to integrally
address sport integrity.
• The government shall, in cooperation with sports organizations,work to vitalize the initiatives of sports organizations throughproviding information on excellent sport integrity initiatives.
• The government shall promote highly transparent and soundmanagement of sports organizations in compliance with relevantlaws and regulations through developing response procedures,etc. in the event of inappropriate incidents occurring in sports
organizations and supporting the reinforcement of human resources
and financial resources, which are the foundation of organizational
management.
• In light of the concerted efforts of professional sports organizations
to promote sport integrity, the government shall provide informationand necessary advice, including compliance seminars.
Furthermore, in the Third Sport Basic Plan, “Ensuring sport integrity”
was specified among the 12 measures to be taken comprehensively andsystematically over the next five years in Japan. The Third Plan states that“(Sport integrity) is the state of integrity in which sports are free froma variety of threats. Examples of threats include doping, match-fixing,
gambling, illegal drugs, violence, harassment of various kinds, racial
discrimination and lack of governance in sports organizations.”
Under the policy goal of “improving the percentage of people whoplay sports and building a society in which each and every person canenjoy the value of sports in their daily lives,” specific measures have been
set out for strengthening the governance and ensuring compliance ofsports organizations, developing a dispute resolution system, promoting
anti-doping activities, eradicating violence and abuse in sports coaching,
and taking steps to prevent problems such as slander and discrimination
on social media.

28 Sport Participation

Chapter 2
Sport Participation
I. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Adult
1. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities

To understand the level of participation in sport and physicalactivities by adult, the Sasakawa Sports Foundation (SSF) has examined
the statistical data gathered through the “SSF National Sports-Life Survey”,
which has been conducted every other year since 1992. The survey aims
to understand the current situations of sport participation in terms offrequency, duration and intensity among Japanese adults, including those
who participate in higher levels of sport and physical activities.
In this survey, the participation of adults in sport and physicalactivities were divided into the following levels; “Level 0” for those who
did not participate in any sport or physical activities for the past year; “Level1” for those who participated at least once during the year, but less than
twice a week; “Level 2” for those who participated at least twice a week;“Level 3” for those who participated at least twice a week with a durationof “more than 30 minutes”; and “Level 4” for those who participated atleast twice a week, with a duration of “more than 30 minutes” and withmore than moderate intensity (Table 2-1).
The levels of participation in sport and physical activities by adultare shown in Figure 2-1. Level 4 is the participation level recommended
by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Ministry of
Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan. SSF defines people who areat this level as “Active Sports Participants”. Since 1992, the percentage
Table 2-1 Levels of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
Level 0Non-participation (0 time/year)

Level 1

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

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

Level 3At least twice a week, with a duration of more than 30 minutes

Level 4
(Active Sports Participant)

At least twice a week, with a duration of more than 30 minutes, and withmore than moderate intensity
SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1992

2.7

6.8

34.6

49.3

6.6

（％）

1994

7.5
6.6

7.6

28.3

50.1

1996

9.1
8.9

9.8

34.1

38.1

2000

7.8

15.4

17.6

29.3

29.8

2002

8.5

13.3

18.2

27.9

32.0

2004

9.2

16.1

26.6
20.0

28.1

2006

7.8

15.9

18.2

26.5

31.7

2008

9.1

17.4

19.1

26.4

28.1

21.5

2010

9.3

18.4

24.1

26.9
26.4

2012

9.2

2014

10.0

25.1 26.2
20.2 18.8
20.0
18.7

25.6

2016

7.8

17.6

19.6

27.4

27.6

Figure 2-1 Rates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities

1998

9.1

13.0

13.1

30.4

34.3

2018

9.5

17.6

26.0
20.7

26.2

2022

9.5

19.3

20.2

23.9

27.1

(Year)
SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

2020

10.0

17.8

22.1

23.4

26.7

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Level 0Sport Participation 29

30 Sport Participationof Level 0 has decreased significantly from 49.3% in 1992 to 24.1% in2010 and has been on a slight upward trend since then. Level 1 shows arelatively similar trend of its percentage, increasing and decreasing from
34.6% in 1992 to 23.9% in 2022. On the other hand, the percentages ofLevel 3 and Level 4 are on the rise. Over the 30-year period from 1992 to
2022, Level 3 increased from 2.7% to 19.3%, and Level 4 increased from
6.6% to 20.2%, an increase of more than 10 percentage points. Level 2
increased slightly from 6.8% in 1992 to 9.5% in 2022, but the change issmaller than for the other levels.
Comparing 2018 and 2020 to confirm pre- and post-epidemicchanges in the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections, Level 0 increasedslightly by 0.7 points from 26.0% to 26.7%. Furthermore, the percentagesof Levels 2 to 4 also increased, from 9.5% to 10.0% at Level 2, from 17.6%
to 17.8% at Level 3 and from 20.7% to 22.1% at Level 4 respectively, but
the differences were negligible. In terms of changes before and after the
Tokyo 2020 hosting, which were postponed one year and held in 2021 dueto the COVID-19 pandemic, Level 0 increased 0.4 percentage points from
26.7% to 27.1% between 2020 and 2022. At Levels 2 and above, Level
3 increased by 1.5 points, while Levels 2 and 4 decreased by 0.5 and 1.9
points, respectively. However, changes at both levels were slight.
These overviews show that although there have been major socialchanges since 2018, such as the spread of the COVID-19 infections andthe Tokyo 2020 hosting, there have been few changes in the participation
rate for sport and physical activities during this period. There was no
significant difference in the overall sport and physical activities within thepast five years.
2. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Gender

The changes in the participation rate for sport and physical activities
over the last ten years (2012 to 2022) were compared by gender (Table
2-2). For men, in 2022, 24.8% were in Level 0, 26.1% in Level 1 and22.9% in Level 4. As for changes over the past decade, Level 0 for men
has increased slightly. Level 1 was around 30% until 2018, but since 2020
it has decreased to less than 30%. Furthermore, Level 4 was the highest in
the last decade at 24.1% in 2020.
For women, the participation rate for sport and physical activities
in 2022 was found as 29.3% for Level 0, 21.6% for Level 1 and 17.6%
for Level 4. Regarding the changes in the participation rate for sport andphysical activities over the past 10 years, Level 0 increased from 2012 to2016 and decreased to 28.2% in 2018, the same level as in 2012, but has

Sport Participation 31
Table 2-2 Rates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities(By Gender)
(%)
Level

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

Men Level 0

22.8

23.2

24.1

23.8

23.9

24.8

Women Level 0

28.3

29.5

30.9

28.2

29.4

29.3

Men Level 1

30.0

30.6

31.5

30.7

28.3

26.1

Women Level 1

20.3

21.9

23.3

21.7

18.6

21.6

Men Level 4

20.4

20.9

21.9

21.9

24.1

22.9

Women Level 4

19.5

16.5

17.4

19.4

20.1

17.6

SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2012-2022)

increased slightly since then. Level 1 has fluctuated, but remains at around20%. Level 4 decreased from 2012 to 2014, then increased until 2020, andthen decreased again in 2022.
Finally, a comparison of the participation level for sport and physicalactivities between men and women shows a higher percentage of womenin Level 0 and a higher percentage of men in Levels 1 and 4. This trend has
continued for the past decade.
3. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Types of Sport

Table 2-3 shows the trends in the participation rate for various
types of sport (performed at least once in the previous year). In 2022,“Strolling” was the highest at 31.8%, followed by “Walking” (29.4%),“Calisthenics and light exercises” (17.4%) and “Weight training” (16.4%).
These four activities have had a high rate of participation over the past
10 years and have occupied the top activities since 2014. In addition,“Jogging/Running” has not changed much in the participation rate itself,
but its ranking has been rising year by year, and the participation rate in
2022 was 8.9%, the fifth highest. The above activities can be performed
by a single person and do not require special equipment or facilities, andbecause they can be performed casually, the participation rate is considered
consistently high.
As for others, “Fishing”, “Cycling”, “Golf on a course”, “Golfpractice on a driving range” and “Bowling” were highly participated in
2022. Among these, a distinctive trend in recent years has been a downward
trend in the “Bowling” rate since 2012. Especially since 2018, both its
participation rate and ranking have decreased, and this may be partly due
to the closure of facilities by the COVID-19 pandemic. A similar trend
was also seen in “Swimming”, with a participation rate of around 7% from2014 to 2018, but since 2020 it has not entered the top ten.

Weight training

Jogging/Running

Golf on a course

Golf practice on adriving range

5

6

7

8

Calisthenics andlight exercises

Cycling
Golf practice on adriving range
7.5 Swimming

9.7 Jogging/Running12.2 Bowling

13.0 Weight training

20.5

Performed at least once in the previous year.

10

Fishing
Playing catch

8.0

Bowling

49

8.3 Golf on a course

Calisthenics andlight exercises

3

25.0 Walking

Walking234.9 Strolling

2014

Strolling

2012

1

Rank

Calisthenics andlight exercises

Fishing
Swimming

Cycling

7.2 Golf on a course

7.5

9.5 Jogging/Running10.0 Bowling

13.0 Weight training

18.5

25.7 Walking

33.0 Strolling

2016

Calisthenics andlight exercises

Fishing

6.8

Golf practice on adriving range

7.0 Swimming

7.4

Golf on a course

8.9 Jogging/Running

9.5 Bowling13.7 Weight training

17.0

23.5 Walking

31.7 Strolling

2018

Calisthenics andlight exercises

2020

Calisthenics andlight exercises

Golf practice on adriving range
6.3 Bowling

6.4

6.6 Golf on a course

6.8 Cycling

7.8 Fishing

10.6 Jogging/Running18.0 Weight training

19.4

28.3 Walking

32.9 Strolling

2022

5.5

6.1

6.7

7.0

7.2

8.9

16.4

17.4

29.4

31.8

(%)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2012-2022)

6.6 Jumping rope

6.9 Golf on a course

7.2 Cycling

8.1 Bowling

9.6 Fishing

9.9 Jogging/Running15.2 Weight training

19.6

25.4 Walking

30.9 Strolling

Table 2-3 Rates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities (By Types of Sport)

32 Sport Participation

Sport Participation 33
4. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities during the COVID-19
Pandemic

The SSF conducted a “National Survey on The Effects of COVID-19
on Sports and Physical Activities” to examine the participation status for
sport and physical activities in the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey was
performed three times, every four months, in June and October 2020 and
February 2021, among men and women aged 18-79 years throughout
Japan, in an attempt to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
on their sport and physical activities.
In terms of the participation rate for sport and physical activities
by types of sport during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Walking” was 27.1%
from February to May 2020, 23.1% from June to September, 25.2% from
October 2020 to January 2021, and “Strolling” was 18.4%, 12.2%, 14.2%
and “Weight training” was 11.4%, 9.7%, 10.0%, during the same periods(Table 2-4). The top-ranked activities that can be performed relatively
casually at home or around home were most frequently conducted fromFebruary to May during the year. On the other hand, the rates of otheractivities using sport clubs and facilities such as “Golf on a course” (3.0%,
3.5%, 3.6%), “Golf practice on a driving range” (2.7%, 3.2%, 3.4%),“Swimming” (1.5%, 2.2%, 1.7%) were the lowest from February to May
2020, then showing a slight increase to flat trend after June 2020. The
closure and subsequent reopening of sport clubs and facilities due to thestate of emergency declaration issued in April 2020 is thought to haveaffected the participation rate for sport and physical activities.
Table 2-4 R ates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
during the COVID-19 Pandemic (By Types of Sport) (%)
Rank

Sport

February
2020 - May
2020

June 2020 September
2020

October 2020
- January2021

1Walking

27.1

→

23.1

→

25.2

2

Strolling

18.4

→

12.2

→

14.2

3

Weight training

11.4

→

9.7

→

10.0

4

Jogging/Running

6.4

→

5.5

→

5.4

5

Calisthenics and light exercises

5.9

→

4.0

→

4.6

6

Golf on a course

3.0

→

3.5

→

3.6

7

Golf practice on a driving range

2.7

→

3.2

→

3.4

8

Cycling

4.0

→

3.3

→

2.8

9

Yoga

2.5

→

2.6

→

2.5

10

Swimming

1.5

→

2.2

→

1.7

49.9

→

55.2

→

52.6

Didn't participate in any sportand physical activities

National Survey on The Effects of COVID-19 on Sports and Physical Activities (2021)

34 Sport Participation

The one-year trend in the percentage of people who did notparticipate in any sport and physical activities was 49.9% from February to
May 2020, 55.2% from June to September 2020 and 52.6% from October
2020 to January 2021, with the lowest percentage in February to May
2020. In the one year since the first infection with the COVID-19 in Japan,
it can be said that the largest number of people conducted sport or physicalactivities from February to May 2020, which includes the period of thefirst declaration of the state of emergency.
5. Number of Registered Players by Types of Sport

In order to participate in competitions hosted by National Governing
Bodies (NGB) of sport or their affiliated organizations, participants
are required to pay an annual membership fee. These participants are
acknowledged as registered players.
The number of registered players that were released by NGBs andthe estimated number of participants in top sports that were performedby the participants at least once a year according to the results obtained
from “The 2022 SSF National Sports-Life Survey” and “The 2021 SSF
National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People”, were listed
in Table 2-5.
When the number of individual players was examined, the sport that
had the largest number of registered players was “Football” with 919,466
people, followed by “Golf” (629,070), “Basketball” (597,375), “Track andfield” (425,280), “Volleyball” (418,847), “Badminton (303,743)” and “Softtennis” (278,005). By gender, the number of men registered was higher
than that of women in many sports, with the exception of “Volleyball”,“Badminton” and “Aerobics” that had a higher number of women.

Sport Participation 35
Table 2-5 Number of Registered Players and Estimated Participants
Sport

Number of Registered Players

Participation Rate(%)

Total

Age 12-17

Men

Women

Adult

Estimated Number
of Participants(in 10,000s)

Golf

629,070

567,963

61,107

1.2

6.7

715

Badminton

303,743

148,348

155,395

25.1

4.8

676

Bowling

10,910

8,435

2,475

7.6

5.5

631

Swimming

128,669

-

-

9.5

4.8

570

Mountaineering

5,340

-

-

3.8

5.1

564

Table tennis

188,511

115,892

72,619

17.5

4.0

541

Football919,466

863,206

56,260

25.8

3.4

534

Basketball597,375

344,337

259,722

20.6

2.8

435

Volleyball418,847

159,125

259,772

21.9

2.3

391

Baseball

12,202

11,893

309

12.0

2.8

376

Tennis

10,620

6,855

3,765

6.2

2.7

327

Soft tennis

278,005

148,923

129,082

8.3

1.1

172

Ground golf

156,023

94,461

61,562

0.0

1.3

137

Aerobics

1,321

217

1,104

1.2

1.2

135

Softball

172,256

100,697

71,559

4.5

0.9

125

Track and field

425,280

275,187

150,093

9.3

0.4

105

Ice skating

7,112

-

-

1.6

0.7

85

Flying disc

5,185

3,439

1,746

2.6

0.5

71

Surfing

10,326

8,833

1,493

0.1

0.6

64

Boxing

3,388

2,959

429

0.1

0.6

64

Karate86,707

-

-

1.6

0.5

64

Judo

143,549

115,937

27,612

2.7

0.3

50

Canoe

3,407

2,398

1,009

0.3

0.4

44

Rowing

9,074

6,098

2,976

0.5

0.2

24

Rugby

96,714

91,631

5,082

0.5

0.2

24

Note1 : The estimated number of participants is displayed in a descending order (participants are aged
12 or over, and participated in the sports at least once a year).
Note2 : The estimated population of participants is the total number of 1 and 2 below.
1 The number of participants is calculated by multiplying the participation rate suggested in
the 2022 survey by the adult population (of 105,448,713 people based on the Basic Resident
Register on January 1, 2021).
2 The number of participants is calculated by multiplying the participation rate suggested in the2021 survey by the teenage population (of 6,776,072 people based on the Basic Resident
Register on January 1, 2020).
Note3 : The registered numbers for mountaineering are players registered to Japan Mountaineering &Sport Climbing Association.
Note4 : F
 utsal or 5 a side football is not included in the football.
Note5 : 
The registered numbers for baseball are players registered to Japan Amateur Baseball
Association.
Note6 : Soft volleyball is not included in the volleyball.
SSF Survey of the National Governing Bodies of Sports (2021)
SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)
SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

36 Sport Participation

II. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
by Children and Young People
1. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Children Aged
4-11 Years

The levels of frequency of children’s participation in sport andphysical activities were divided into 4 groups (Table 2-6). Those who
had not participated in any sport or physical activities within the previous
year were categorized into the “non-participation group”; those who
participated at least once a year but less than three times a week (between
1-155 times per year) were categorized into the “low frequency group”;
those who participated at least three times a week but less than seventimes a week (between 156-363 times per year) were categorized into the“moderate frequency group”; and those who participated at least seventimes a week (364 or more times per year) were categorized into the “highfrequency group”. Participation in sport activities during classes or events
at school, kindergarten or nursery school were excluded from this survey.
Concerning the frequency of participation in sport and physicalactivities, children who never participated in any sport or physical activities(non-participation group) were 3.1%; those who participated at least threetimes a week (moderate and high frequency groups) were over 79.8%;
and those who participated in sport and physical activities at least seventimes a week (high frequency group) were 45.4% (Figure 2-2). Half of thechildren were actively exercising, but about 20% of the children fallen into
the non-participation group or low frequency group.
By gender, the moderate frequency group and high frequency
group combined account for 81.1% of boys and 78.4% of girls, with boys
exceeding girls by 2.7 percentage points.
By school year, the high frequency group is 38.5% for preschool
children, 50.0% for first and second grades, 51.5% for third and fourth
grades and 42.0% for fifth and sixth grades. The percentage of the highTable 2-6 C ategories of Participation in Sport and Physical
Activities for Children Aged 4-11 years
Participation Group

Criteria

Non-participation group Non-participation (0 time/year)
Low frequency group

At least once a year but less than 3 times a week
(between 1-155 times/year)

Moderate frequency
group

At least 3 times a week but less than 7 times a week
(between 156-363 times/year)

High frequency group

At least 7 times a week (364 or more times/year)
SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

Sport Participation 37
Non-participation group
Low frequency group

Moderate frequency group
High frequency group

Overall

17.1
3.1

34.4

45.4

Boys

15.1
3.9

34.8

46.3

Girls

19.2
2.4

33.9

44.5

Preschool children

20.1

38.5

35.9

5.5
First and second
gradesThird and fourth
gradesFifth and sixth
grades

16.3
1.7

32.0

50.0

13.9
1.7

32.9

51.5

18.4

42.0

36.3

3.3
0

20

40

60

80

100（%）

SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

Figure 2-2 Frequency Levels of Participation for Children Aged
4-11 years (By Gender and By School Year)frequency group increased from preschool children to third and fourth
grades, but decreased in fifth and sixth grades. On the other hand, thepercentage of the non-participation group and the low-frequency groupcombined peaked in the third and fourth grades and declined to 15.6%, but
increased in the fifth and sixth grades to 21.7%.
2. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Children Aged
4-11 Years by Types of Sport

Table 2-7 shows the ranking of participation in sport and physicalactivities by children aged 4-11 years (top ten sport and physical activities“often participated in” in the previous year). This excludes sport andphysical activities that were performed irregularly, allowing for a moreaccurate and clear understanding of the types of sport and physical activities
that are participated daily. Overall, “Tag” had the highest participation rateof 57.3%, followed by “Bicycle riding”, “Jump rope (including long jumprope)”, “Dodgeball” and “Swimming”. In addition, from 2019 to 2021, theparticipation rates of activities such as “Jump rope (including long jumprope)” and “Iron bar”, which involve little physical contact with humans,
have increased, possibly due to the spread of the COVID-19 infection.
Regarding gender, “Tag” had the highest participation rate for boys,
followed by “Football”, “Dodgeball”, “Bicycle riding” and “Swimming”,
while for girls, “Tag” had the highest participation rate, followed by “Jumprope (including long jump rope)”, “Swings”, “Bicycle riding” and “Iron30.2

Jump rope(including long jump rope)

Dodgeball

Swimming

SwingsFootballIron barHide-and-seek

Race

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

10

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Rank

Iron bar

Race

Hide-and-seek

14.3

18.4

20.7

22.3

Jump rope(including long jump rope)
Swings

28.8

30.1

35.9

39.1

56.7

%

Swimming

Bicycle riding

Dodgeball

Football

Tag

Sport

Boys

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Rank

Badminton

Race

Hide-and-seek

Dodgeball

Swimming

Iron bar

Bicycle riding

12.0

15.8

21.2

22.5

25.7

28.2

30.5

32.8

37.9

Jump rope(including long jump rope)
Swings

57.8

%

Tag

Sport

Girls

Note : The “often participated in” indicates sport and physical activities that were participated in more frequently than the “at least once a year”.
SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

17.1

19.8

21.3

22.5

26.8

27.3

29.2

30.3

Bicycle riding

2

57.3

%

Tag

Sport

1

Rank

Overall

Table 2-7 Ranking of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Children Aged 4-11 years (Those Who “Often
Participated in” By Gender)
(%)

38 Sport Participation

Sport Participation 39

bar”. This suggests that boys at the ages of around 4-11 years are alreadyparticipating in sport that continue to be popular in junior high and highschool years, while girls are mainly participating in play-based activities.
3. Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Young People
Aged 12-21 Years

The participation rates of young people aged 12 to 21 years in sportand physical activities were analyzed in terms of frequency, duration andintensity (Table 2-8).
Those who did not participate in any sport or physical activities at allin the previous year were categorized as “Level 0”; those who participatedin sport and physical activities at least once a year but less than once a week
(1 to 51 times/year) as “Level 1”; those who participated at least once aweek but less than five times a week (52 to 259 times/year) as “Level 2”;
those who participated at least five times a week (260 or more times/year)
as “Level 3”; and those who participated at least five times a week, with aduration of 120 minutes and with more than moderate intensity as “Level
4.” Participation in sport activities during classes or events at schools were
excluded from this survey.
From the survey conducted in 2021, the percentage of young
people who did not participate in any sport or physical activities in theprevious year (Level 0) was 19.7%, representing one in every five young
people (Figure 2-3). Those who participated at least five times a week,with a duration of 120 minutes and with more than moderate intensity(Level 4) constituted 21.8% of the young people. These results confirm
the polarization of participation rates for sport and physical activities.
Furthermore, it becomes clear that one in four girls aged 12 to 21 has notparticipated in any sport or physical activities in the past year.
Table 2-8 Levels of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
by Young People Aged 12-21 years
Level

Criteria

Level 0Non-participation (0 time/year)

Level 1

At least once during the year but less than once a week (1-51 times/year)

Level 2At least once a week but less than 5 times a week (52-259 times/year)

Level 3At least 5 times a week (260 times or more/year)

Level 4At least 5 times a week (260 times or more/year)with a duration of 120 minutes and with more than moderate intensity
SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

17.5

25.3

20

33.7

19.6

10.4

13.5

14.9

16.3

40

25.1

20.3

22.0

27.0

21.8

31.6

21.5

60

20.7

21.7

27.3

20.4

22.2

80

Level 2

13.3

16.8

31.1

33.0

28.3

21.8

Level 3

15.1

5.6

5.5

100 (％)

Level 4

SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

21.9

Level 1Figure 2-3 Rates of Sport Participation for Young People Aged 12-21 years (By Gender and By School Year)

0

Working

CollegeHigh

6.9

Junior high

8.9

24.9

14.5

19.7

Girls

Boys

Overall

Level 040 Sport Participation

Sport Participation 41

By school year, the proportion of young people at Level 0 was
8.9% in junior high school years, 17.5% in high school years and 25.3%
in college years, indicating a general tendency to increase as school
years advanced. On the other hand, “Level 4” declined as school years
progressed, with 33.0% in junior high school years, 31.1% in high school
years and 5.5% in college years, with a particularly large decrease fromhigh school years to college years. It is possible to confirm the current
situation that opportunities for sport and physical activities for junior highand high school students come from sport clubs at schools.
4. Ranking of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by
Young People Aged 12-21 Years by Types of Sport

Table 2-9 shows the ranking of participation in sport and physicalactivities by young people aged 12-21 years (top ten sport and physicalactivities “often participated in” in the previous year). In 2021, “Jogging/
Running” had the highest participation rate of 23.2%, followed by“Football”, “Badminton”, “Weight training” and “Basketball”.
By gender, “Football” had the highest participation rate for boys,
followed by “Jogging/Running”, “Baseball”, “Weight training” and“Basketball”, whereas “Badminton” had the highest participation rate forgirls, followed by “Walking”, “Jogging/Running”, “Weight training” and“Volleyball”. For both men and women, the rates of individual activities
such as “Jogging/Running”, “Weight training” and “Walking” as wellas activities with relatively little physical contact with others such as“Volleyball” and “Badminton” have increased from 2019 to 2021.

FootballBadminton

Weight training

Basketball

Volleyball

Walking

Table tennis

Tag

Baseball

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

10.9

11.7

11.9

16.1

16.3

16.4

19.5

19.7

20.9

23.2

%

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Rank

Tag

Catch

Table tennis

Badminton

Volleyball

Basketball

Weight training

BaseballJogging/Running

Football

Sport

Boys

9.6

11.3

13.1

14.9

15.0

17.5

17.7

18.9

22.6

32.0

%

10

9

8

6

5

4

3

2

1

Rank

10.5
9.2

Gymnastics (light gymnastics,
morning radio calisthenics, etc.)

14.1

15.0

17.8

21.5

23.9

24.1

25.2

%

Table tennis

Tag

Jump rope(including long jump rope)

Basketball

Volleyball

Weight training

Jogging/Running

Walking

Badminton

Sport

Girls

Note : The “often participated in” indicates sport and physical activities that were participated in more frequently than the “at least once a year”.
SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

Jogging/Running

Sport

1

Rank

Overall

Table 2-9 Ranking of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Young People Aged 12-21 years (Those Who“Often Participated in” By Gender)
(%)

42 Sport Participation

Sport Participation 43

III. Sport Facilities
1. Public, Private and School Facilities

According to the “Social Education Survey” of Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the numberof public sport facilities in Japan increased from the time the survey started
in the 1950s to the 1990s, peaked at 48,055 in 2005 since the 2000s, andhas remained flat or declined slightly since then, reaching 45,680 in 2021
(Figure 2-4). Similarly, the number of private sport facilities has declined
from 18,146 in 1996 to 14,987 in 2015 and 16,397 in 2018.
Moreover, many schools and educational organizations own
sport facilities such as gymnasiums, playgrounds and swimming pools,
which are used for their physical education classes or school sport clubs.
According to the “Survey on the Current Status of Facilities for Physical
Education and Sports Activities” (2018) conducted by MEXT, there
were 113,054 “school sport facilities” (in elementary, junior high, high,vocational schools, etc.). The number of such facilities has decreased byabout 20,000 from the same survey in 2008 to 116,029 in 2015 and has
decreased by about another 3,000 since then.
2. Usage of Sport Facilities

In the SSF National Sports-Life Survey, men and women aged
18 and over were asked questions about the usage of sport facilities andlocations when engaging in sport and physical activities, and the samequestions were asked to young people aged 12 to 21. According to theresults, 56.9% of those aged 18 and over used “Streets” the highest,
followed by “Home (yard, indoor, etc.)” at 31.3% and “Park” at 17.0%,
indicating that sport and physical activities were being conducted infamiliar places such as at home and around home. In particular, there wasa significant increase from 23.9% in the 2018 survey for “Home (yard,
indoor, etc.)”. Similarly, for those aged 12-21, “Park” was the highest at
28.9%, followed by “Kindergarten yard/Schoolyard/School ground” at
28.0%, “School gymnasium” at 22.1%, “Around own home or the homeof a friend or acquaintance” at 18.8% and “Own home or the home of afriend or acquaintance” at 15.1%. Based on these results, it was confirmedthat while the main places for sport and physical activities for young
people was at schools, as with those aged 18 and over, sport and physicalactivities were also frequently performed at home and around home.

1955

1,634

As of October 2021.

0

10,00020,00030,00040,000（Facilities）
50,000

1960

1,848

1963

2,524

1971

7,146

1978

13,662

1981

19,391

1984

24,605

1987

13,44734,4091993

16,08840,663

1996

1999

18,146 17,738

2002

2005

2011

2015

2018

15,532 14,987 16,397

2021(Year)
Social Education Survey (MEXT, 1955-2021)

2008

16,814 16,780 17,323

48,055 47,925 47,571 47,536
46,97746,554 47,321
45,680Figure 2-4 Number of Public and Private Sport Facilities in Japan

1968

4,659

Private Sport Facilities

Public Sport Facilities

48,14144 Sport Participation

Sport Participation 45
Table 2-10 Utilization Rates of Facilities and Places for Sport andPhysical Activities
Rank

People aged 18 and over (2022)（％）

1

Streets

56.9

2

Home (yard, indoor, etc.)

31.3

3

Park

17.0

4

Gymnasium

13.3

5Plateau/Mountain

11.4

6

Ocean/Beach

10.4

7

Golf course

8.8

8Training room

8.7

9Golf driving range

7.2

10

Riverbed

6.0

11

Bowling alley

5.9

12

Sports ground

5.8

13

Indoor swimming pool

5.6

14

Tennis court

3.9

15

Skiing ground

3.6

Rank

Young people Aged 12-21 years (2021)

（％）

1

Park

28.9

2

Kindergarten yard/Schoolyard/School ground

28.0

3

School gymnasium

22.1

4

Around own home or the home of a friend or acquaintance

18.8

5

Own home or the home of a friend or acquaintance

15.1

6

Gymnasium

13.3

7Streets

11.2

8School9.8

9Bowling alley

5.6

10

Yard of own home or the home of a friend or acquaintance

5.3

11

Skiing ground

5.2

12

Sports ground/Play ground

4.8

13

Inside own home or the home of a friend or acquaintance

4.5

14

Ocean/Beach/Port

4.3

15

Mountain/Plateau/Forest

3.8

Note : If the same person used the same facility or place for different types of the top five "Often
participated in" sport and physical activities in the past year, the number of facilities or places
was counted as one.
SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022),
SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

46 Sport Participation

IV. Sport Spectators
1. Sport Spectating at Live Sport Events

According to “The 2022 SSF National Sports-Life Survey”, 19.3%
of adults had attended a sport event at gymnasiums/arenas or stadium as aspectator in the previous year (Figure 2-5). When compared with previous
surveys, the rate of sport spectating increased from 31.7% in 2012 to 32.9%
in 2016, the highest rate in the past decade, but then continued to decline,
reaching 19.3% in 2022, the lowest rate in the past decade. Although there
are limitations for precise comparisons of the spectating rates because of thechange in the survey population from 20 and over to 18 and over since 2016,
the rate had been increasing and decreasing slightly until 2018, but after2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began, it has decreased significantly.
By gender, the spectating rate for men (23.2%) was 7.8 percentage
points higher than the rate for women (15.4%) (Figure 2-6). By age, 30.7%of the 18-19 age group and 23.9% of the 40-49 age group were higher
than other age groups. On the other hand, the rate among the elderly was
relatively low, at 16.0% for the 60-69 age group and 14.6% for the 70 andover age group.
Regarding the results by types of sport, “Professional Baseball (NPB)”
had the highest spectating rate at 8.7%, followed by “Professional football(J.LEAGUE)” at 3.0%, “High school baseball” at 2.8%, “Football (highschool, university, JFL, WE LEAGUE, etc.)” at 1.3% and “Professional
basketball (B.LEAGUE)” at 1.0% (Table 2-11). In addition, “Martial arts
(boxing, mixed martial arts, etc.)” has newly risen to the top ten at 0.8%.
(Year)
2012

31.7

2014

31.6
32.9

2016

31.8

2018
21.8

2020

19.3

2022
0

10

20

30

40
(%)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2012-2022)

Figure 2-5 Rates of Adult Spectating Live Sport Events

Sport Participation 47

Men

23.2

Women

15.4

In the 18-19

30.7

20-29

20.3

30-39

20.8

40-49

23.9

50-59

18.3

60-69

16.0

70 and over
0

14.6
10

20

30

40

50
(%)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

Figure 2-6 Rates of Adult Spectating Live Sport Events (By Genderand By Age)

Table 2-11 Popular Spectator Sport (Multiple Answers)
2022
Rank

Sport

AttendanceRate(%)

Estimated
Spectators(in 10,000s)

1Professional baseball (NPB)

8.7

917

2

Professional football (J.LEAGUE)

3.0

316

3

High school baseball

2.8

295

4

Football (high school, university, JFL, WE LEAGUE,
etc.)

1.3

137

5

Professional basketball (B.LEAGUE)

1.0

105

0.9

95

0.8

84

Amateur baseball (university, company teams, etc.)
6Basketball (high school, university, W LEAGUE, etc.)
Volleyball (high school, university, V.LEAGUE, etc.)

9Martial arts (boxing, mixed martial arts, etc.)
Rugby (high school, university, LEAGUE ONE, etc.)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

48 Sport Participation

V. Volunteering in Sport
1. Rates and Types of Volunteering in Sport among Adults

According to the “The 2022 SSF National Sports-Life Survey”, therate of volunteering in sport among adults in Japan was 4.2%, down 1.1
percentage points from 5.3% in 2020 (Figure 2-7). It was the lowest ratesince the first survey in 1994 at 6.1%. It is assumed that the decrease inopportunities for sport volunteer activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic
has brought about a decline in the volunteering participation rate. Based on
the rate of 4.2% in 2022, the total number of sport volunteers can be estimatedat about 4.4 million people. Regarding gender, the rate for men (5.5%) was
2.6 percentage points higher than the rate for women (2.9%). In terms ofage, the 70 and over age group had the highest rate at 5.5%, followed by the
30-39 and 40-49 age groups at 4.1%, the 60-69 age group at 3.9%, the 20-29
age group at 3.5% and the 50-59 age group at 3.4% (Figure 2-8).
The results regarding the types of volunteering in sport indicatethat “Running or helping sport clubs” in day-to-day activities was thehighest ranked activity at 40.2%, followed by “Coaching” in day-to-day
activities at 38.6% and “Running or helping sport events” at local sport
events at 33.1% (Table 2-12). The average number of times dedicated tovolunteering in sport per year was 51.5 times for “Refereeing” at national
and international sport events, followed by 33.8 times for “Coaching” inday-to-day activities and 29.8 times for “Running or helping sport clubs”.
(%)
14

Men

12 11.6
10
8
6
4

11.4
10.1

8.3

7.9
7.0

5.1
4.1

11.0
9.9

4.5

10.3

8.4
7.3 7.5
5.0

7.7

6.7
5.8

5.9
5.1

Women

Overall

9.6
7.7
5.8

8.2

8.1
6.7

6.7 6.7

5.4

5.3

5.3 5.5
3.9

4.2
2.9

2
0

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
(Year)
SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2000-2022)

Figure 2-7 Rates of Volunteering in Sport among Adults (By Gender)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

(%)
16

4.9

7.6

5.5

6.8

2000

9.3

13.6

2002

5.7

5.2

2004

7.2

9.3

4.5

5.2

5.5

2.2

6.2

2006

10.2

4.2

5.3

6.6

2008

6.6

12.7

4.0

5.8

7.2
6.6

7.9

2010

10.1

12.0

5.2

6.9
6.6

8.4

2012

6.4

11.9

5.9
5.7
4.4

7.5

2014

8.1

13.6

5.1
3.9

6.36.1

2016

8.2

9.3

6.3

2020

4.0

3.5

2022 (Year)4.14.1 3.9
3.4

5.5

70 and overIn the 40s

SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2000-2022)

4.3

4.6

6.4
5.7 5.8

In the 60s

In the 30s

5.3

2018

7.3 7.17.3
6.9

In the 50s

In the 20s

Figure 2-8 Rates of Volunteering in Sport among Adults (By Age)

4.8

6.86.9 6.86.8

9.6

14.6

15.4

Sport Participation 49

50 Sport Participation
Table 2-12 Types of Volunteering in Sport among Adults (Multiple
Answers)
Participation
rate (%)

Frequency(times per year)

Coaching

38.6

33.8

Refereeing

25.2

10.4

Running or helping sport clubs

40.2

29.8

Helping to manage sport facilities

9.4

12.7

Refereeing

13.4

8.5

Running or helping sport events

33.1

6.9

Refereeing

1.6

51.5

Running or helping sport events

6.3

6.0

Types of sport volunteer

Day-to-day
activities

Local sport
eventsNational andinternational sport
eventsSSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

2. Rates and Types of Volunteering in Sport among Young People
Aged 12-21 Years

According to the “The 2021 SSF National Sports-Life Survey ofChildren and Young People”, the rate of volunteering in sport among
young people 12-21 years was 9.9% (Figure 2-9). Based on this rate, it
can be estimated that the total number of sport volunteers among young
people 12-21 years was at about 1.1 million people in 2021. Annual trends
show a downward trend after peaking at 16.6% in 2015. The volunteering
participation rate in 2021 decreased by 2.6 percentage points from 12.5%
in 2019, the lowest rate since the first survey in 2005 at 14.3%. It is
assumed that the decrease in opportunities for sport volunteer activities
due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline in the volunteering
rate. Regarding gender, the rate for boys (12.9%) was 6.1 percentage
points higher than the rate for girls (6.8%). By school year, high school
years had the highest rate at 11.6%, followed by junior high school years
at 11.1%, college years at 9.0% and young workers at 6.1%.
The results regarding the types of volunteering in sport show that
“Judging or helping judges” was the highest ranked activity at 48.8%,
followed by “Coaching or helping coaches” at 47.0% and “Helping out
at sport events” at 26.2% (Table 2-13). By gender, “Coaching or helping
coaches” and “Judging or helping judges” were higher for boys (50.0%,
54.6%) than girls (41.1%, 37.5%), while “Helping out at sport events” washigher for girls (32.1%) than boys (23.1%).

Sport Participation 51
(%)
25

20

15

Boys

14.3

16.0
14.2
12.3

10

Overall

19.9

19.9

19.3

Girls

15.6

15.2 14.2
13.2

16.6 15.7
13.2

11.3

13.5

14.0

11.1

9.5

12.5

12.9

10.9

9.9
6.8

5

0

2005

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021
(Year)

Note: From 2005 to 2015, young people aged 12-19 years from the "SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Young People" were analyzed.
SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2005-2021)

Figure 2-9 R ates of Volunteering in Sport among Young People
Aged 12-21 years (By Gender)

Table 2-13 Types of Volunteering in Sport by Young People Aged
12-21 years (Multiple Answers)
(%)
Types of sport voluneer

Overall

Boys

Girls

Juniorhigh

HighCollege

Coaching or helping coaches

47.0

50.0

41.1

32.1

46.7

66.7

Judging or helping judges

48.8

54.6

37.5

64.3

58.3

22.2

26.2

23.1

32.1

26.8

20.0

30.6

Helping out at sport events

SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

52 Disability Sport

Chapter 3
Disability Sport
I. Participation in Sport and Recreation by People
with Disabilities
1. Participation in Sport and Recreation by People with Disabilities

Figure 3-1 displays the number of days people participated in sportand recreation in the past year, with the results for adults with disabilities
on top and those for adults without disabilities at the bottom, respectively.
The upper results are based on the report titled “Disability Sport Promotion
Three or more days per week (at least 151 days per year)
One to two days per week (51–150 days per year)
One to three days per month (12–50 days per year)
One to two days every three months (4–11 days per year)
One to three days per year
Didn’t participate
Don’t know
0%

Disabled
Adults[n=6,168]

Nondisabled
Adults[n=20,000]

10%

20%

16.5

14.6

30.4

30%

40%

50%

2.7
9.9 3.2

26.0

60%

70%

80%

41.3

12.1

90%

100%

11.8

19.9

11.5

Note: Data for nondisabled adults is based on "Public Poll on Sports Participation" (2021) conducted by JSA.
Disability Sport Promotion Project (National Sport Life Survey for People with Disabilities) (JSA, 2022)

Figure 3-1 Number of Days that Adults Participated in Sport andRecreation in the past year

Disability Sport 53

Project (National Sport Life Survey for People with Disabilities)” (2022)
while the lower results are based on “Public Poll on Sports Participation”(2021), both conducted by the Japan Sports Agency (JSA).
The data indicates that 16.5% of adults with disabilities participatedthree or more days per week compared to 30.4% of nondisabled adults,
while 14.6% of adults with disabilities participated one to two days per
week compared to 26.0% of nondisabled adults. Using these two levelsof participation as a standard for representing individuals who regularly
engaged in sport and physical activities at least once a week, the total
level of participation for adults with disabilities came to 31.1%, which
is limited to about half of that for nondisabled adults of 56.4%. Even
more striking is the fact that the percentage of individuals who did notparticipate in sport and physical activities was at least two times higher
for adults with disabilities (41.3%) than nondisabled adults (19.9%).
Regarding the results by types of disability for adults who participatedin sport and physical activities at least one day a week, the percentage
was approximately 30% for most types of disability (limb impairment (notrequiring wheelchair), visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual
disability, developmental disability, mental disorder and voice/language/
masticatory dysfunction), while it was about 25% for limb impairment(requiring wheelchair).
Participation in Sport and Recreation by People with Disabilities
by Types of Sport

Table 3-1 displays the types of sport and recreational activities
performed by adults with disabilities in the past year, sorted by eight typesof disability. “Walking” had the highest participation rate for all disability
types, followed by “Strolling”. “Calisthenics and light exercises”, “Stairclimbing/descending” and “Jogging/Running” were the top choices. In
the category of “Limb impairment (requiring wheelchair)”, it should bepointed out that “Rehabilitation involving physical activities”, which is
conducted as part of rehabilitation, ranked third.
Purposes of Participating in Sport and Physical Activities for People
with Disabilities

Figure 3-2 shows the purposes of participating in sport andphysical activities for people with disabilities based on one main purposethat respondents chose among the nine options. The two purposes ofparticipating, “To maintain or promote health” (48.9%) and “To change
the mood or relieve stress” (17.6%) together accounted for about 70%,

10.2

5

4

3
14.8
10.9

Calisthenics and light exercises

16.9

Jogging/Running

Stair climbing/descending

Jogging/Running

Calisthenics and light exercises

Stair climbing/descending

11.2

12.1

16.7

5

4

3

%
53.1
48.4

Calisthenics and light exercises
Weight training(dumbbell/bodyweight)

8.0

14.5

Stair climbing/descending 23.1

Internal Disability% Rankn=386
56.6
1
Walking41.2
2Strolling

Note 1: Use of a wheelchair is determined by whether one is required for daily life.
Note 2: SSF National Sports-Life Survey is a national survey of individuals who aged 18 and over.
Disability Sport Promotion Project (National Sport Life Survey for People with Disabilities) (JSA, 2022)

5

4

3

Mental Disorder% Rankn=878
50.8
1Walking40.42Strolling

Reference: SSF National Sports-Life Survey 2020 Reference:Public Poll on Sports Participation 2022
Rank
n=3,000% Rankn=20,000%
1Strolling
32.9
1
Walking
64.1
2
Walking28.3
2
Calisthenics and light exercises 15.2
3
Calisthenics and light exercises 19.4
3
Training
14.4
4
Weight training
18.0
4
Stair climbing/descending 13.7
5
Jogging/Running
10.6
5
Running/Marathon/Ekiden road relay 12.8

5

Stair climbing/descending
Swimming (including walking and running in water)

4

12.3

Calisthenics and light exercises 17.5

Developmental Disability% Rankn=366
45.6
1
Walking41.1
2
Strolling

3Intellectual Disability
Rank
n=285
1
Walking2Strolling

Limb Impairment [Requiring Wheelchair] Limb Impairment [Not Requiring Wheelchair]
Visual Impairment
Hearing Impairment
Rank
n=348
% Rankn=952% Rankn=314% Rankn=382%
1
Walking
29.6
1
Walking
48.6
1
Walking50.3
1
Walking50.02Strolling
17.5
2Strolling
39.0
2Strolling
34.4
2
Strolling
32.7
Rehabilitation involving
3
16.4
3
Stair climbing/descending 18.2
3
Jogging/Running
14.0
3
Stair climbing/descending 18.3
physical activities
Calisthenics and light exercises
9.0
4
Stair climbing/descending 13.7
4
Jogging/Running
12.3
4
Jump rope
12.6
4
5
Stair climbing/descending
9.8
5
Jogging/Running
6.2
5
Jump rope
11.8
5
Calisthenics and light exercises 10.2

Table 3-1 Participation in Sport and Recreation for the past year by Disability Types (n=3,620)

54 Disability SportDisability Sport 55
To maintain or promote health
To change the mood or relieve stress
For funTo interact with friends or family
To interact with nondisabled persons
To stay in shape or enhance
As part of rehabilitation
To take on a challenge toward a goal or record
Others0%

n=1,668

20%

48.9

40%

60%

17.6

80%
1.3
7.1 4.0 9.3

100%

6.8

3.8
1.3

Disability Sport Promotion Project (National Sport Life Survey for People with Disabilities) (JSA, 2022)

Figure 3-2 Main Purpose of Participating in Sport and Physical
Activities

followed by “For fun” (7.1%) and “To interact with friends or family”(4.0%). The JSA’s survey “Public Poll on Sports Participation” showeda similar trend, with many respondents answering that participation in
sport and physical activities was for their health, for the promotion andmaintenance of physical fitness, for eliminating a lack of exercise, or forpleasure and fun.
Interest in and Satisfaction with Sport and Physical Activities for
People with Disabilities

Figure 3-3 displays the current level of interest in and satisfaction
with sport and physical activities among people with disabilities. “I am
not particularly interested in sport and physical activities” received thehighest number of response (42.1%), followed by “I participate in sportand physical activities and am satisfied” (21.1%) and “I want to participate
in sport and physical activities, but cannot” (19.5%). Compared withresults of the SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2012) of adults without
disabilities, the percentage of individuals who reported “I am notparticularly interested in sport and physical activities” was high among
those with disabilities. In terms of whether or not individuals participatedin sport and physical activities in the past year, 73.7% of those who did

56 Disability SportI participate in sport and physical activities and am satisfied
I participate in sport and physical activities, but want to do more
I want to participate in sport and physical activities, but cannot
I am not particularly interested in sport and physical activities
0%

20%

40%

National Sport Life Survey for People
with Disabilities (n=2,559)

21.1

17.4

SSF National Sports-Life Survey 2012

20.8

22.1

60%

19.5

80%

100%

42.1

41.2

15.3

Disability Sport Promotion Project (National Sport Life Survey for People with Disabilities) (JSA, 2022)

Figure 3-3 Current Participation in Sport and Physical Activities

not participate responded that they were “not particularly interested in
sport and physical activities”, which was about three times the percentage
among those who participated.
Participation in Sport and Physical Activities by Children andYoung People with Disabilities

According to the “Disability Sport Promotion Project (NationalSport Life Survey for Children and Adults with Disabilities)” (2022)
conducted by the JSA, among children and young people with disabilities
aged between 7 and 19 who participated in sport and physical activities in
the past year, 18.9% of those participated in sport and physical activities
three or more days per week while 22.8% participated one or two days
per week. The percentage of those with disabilities in this age group who
participated in sport and physical activities at least one day per week cameto 41.7%, compared to 26.9% who responded that they did not participate
at all. Regarding the types of sport and physical activities conducted in
the past year, “Walking” was the most popular at 36.6%, followed by“Strolling” (31.9%) and “Jump rope” (30.5%). “Walking,” “Strolling,”“Jump rope” and “Calisthenics and light exercises” had high participation
rates for all disability types.

Disability Sport 57
2. Current Status and Issues of Inclusive Physical Education
Current Status and Issues of Children and Young People with
Disabilities in School Physical Education

The above survey also asked students about the types of schools
and the status of school physical education, and the school types werecategorized into “Enrolled in regular classes only”, “Assisted by special
needs classes”, “Enrolled in special needs classes” and “Enrolled in a
special needs school (including a school for the blind, a school for thedeaf)” by educational stage of elementary, junior high and high schools.
Results by school types show that between 40 and 50% of respondents
were “Enrolled in regular classes only” for all educational stages (Figure3-4). Regarding participation in school physical education, the highest
percentage of students “participated almost every time” for any educational
stages.
Reasons for Not Participating in Physical Education

The common reasons given by students who answered that they
“did not participate at all”, “could not participate most of the time” andEnrolled in regular classes only
Assisted by special needs classes
Enrolled in special needs classes
Enrolled in special needs school (including a school for the blind, school for the deaf)
No answer0%

Elementary school stage(n=473)Junior high school stage(n=228)High school stage(n=207)

20%

40%

60%

80%

46.7

13.1

46.1

11.4

25.0

14.5 3.1

5.8

28.5

6.8 7.2

51.7

29.6

100%

10.6

Disability Sport Promotion Project (National Sport Life Survey for People with Disabilities) (JSA, 2022)

Figure 3-4 Types of Schools in which Students Enrolled

58 Disability Sport“participated for about half of the time” in school physical education
were: “Because the type of activity was difficult for me to participatein”, “Because I thought I would cause trouble to other students” and“Because my supervising teacher did not ask me to participate” rather than
medical reasons of “Because my doctor advised me not to”. These results
reflected the lack of acknowledgement for the concept of adapted sportsof considering having children and young people participate in physicaleducation even when challenged with disabilities in the field. Thesefindings suggest that not only physical education teachers at special needs
schools but also those at elementary, junior high and high schools needbasic knowledge and practical skills in physical education instruction for
those with disabilities.

Disability Sport 59

II. Sport Facilities for People with Disabilities
1. Sport Centers for People with Disabilities

Sport centers for people with disabilities allow people withdisabilities to have exclusive or priority access. These centers areequipped with a range of facilities, such as gymnasiums, swimming pools,
playgrounds and training rooms, which have been designed to be moreeasily used by people with disabilities. The SSF “Research on Sports
Facilities for People with Disabilities” (2022) reported that there were 150
such facilities in Japan in 2021. Of these, 85.5% of facilities are equippedwith gymnasiums, 45.5% with training rooms, 41.8% with swimming
pools, 27.3% with multi-purpose rooms, 26.4% with sound table-tennis
rooms and 18.2% with archery ranges.
Along with universal design features, such as the eliminationof steps, the installation of braille blocks and barrier-free restrooms, toaccommodate the needs of people with disabilities, these facilities alsooffer a variety of information resources to assist people with disabilities.
Such resources include the use of visual displays for people with intellectual
disabilities and an electronic bulletin board to assist people with hearing
impairments. Moreover, tools and equipment that allow people withdisabilities to participate in sport, as well as full-time disability sport
instructors are available in most of the centers, which often serve as acommunity hub for disability sport activities.
Based on the background purposes for their establishment, sport
centers for people with disabilities can be divided into the following
seven types (Figure 3-5). By March 2006, all type 2 and type 3 facilities
were transferred to municipalities and they are currently being managed
by the Council of Social Welfare and social welfare corporations andorganizations.
1. Welfare Centers for Persons with Physical Disabilities (Type A)
Facilities specified in the Act for the Welfare of Physically Disabled
Persons, aimed at supporting social participation of persons withphysical disabilities.
2. Gymnasiums for Workers with Physical Disabilities
Facilities formerly known as “Gymnasiums for Workers with Physical
Disabilities” were established in 1961 by the Employment Promotion
Corporation, with the aim of improving welfare and more stable
employment of workers with physical disabilities.
3. Education, Culture and Sports Centers for Workers with Physical
Disabilities (The Sun Centers)

60 Disability Sport

Facilities formerly known as “Education, Culture and Sports Centers
for Workers with Physical Disabilities (The Sun Centers)” were alsoestablished by the Employment Promotion Corporation, with the aimof making use of available facilities to improve the physical functions,
physical fitness, communication, education and cultural welfare ofworkers with physical disabilities.
4. Welfare Centers for Persons with Physical Disabilities (Type B)
Welfare centers as defined by the Act on Welfare of Physically Disabled
Persons that are at least 424 square meters in size and offer creative
activities, opportunities to be productive, encouragement to interact
with the world, volunteer training and other services that will help
people with physical disabilities participate in society.

Welfare Centers for Persons with
Physical Disabilities (Type A)

38

Education, Culture and Sports Centers forWorkers with Physical Disabilities(The Sun Centers)

29

Gymnasiums for Workers with
Physical Disabilities

28

Welfare Centers for Persons with
Physical Disabilities (Type B)

19

5

Rehabilitation Centers

38

Others

0

10

20

30

40

SSF Research on Sports Facilities for People with Disabilities (2022)

Figure 3-5 Number of Sport Facilities with Exclusive or Priority
Access for People with Disabilities by Categories

Disability Sport 61

5. Rehabilitation Centers
Facilities that offer complete support services to people with disabilities,
from functional recovery training to reentry into society.
6. Recovery Centers for Persons with Disabilities
These welfare centers are designed for people with physical disabilities
in order to improve their health and social participation by providing
a place where they or family members can freely lodge, rest or engage
in recreation at.
7. Others
Facilities that have been established by prefectures or ordinancedesignated cities for purposes other than those listed above (1 to 6).
2. Usage of Sport Facilities with Exclusive or Priority Access for
People with Disabilities

The method each sport facility with exclusive or priority accessfor disabled people uses to calculate visitor numbers varies; 47.2% of
these facilities determine it by totaling the number of individuals whocomplete the sign-up process at the reception desk, while 44.4% countfor the number of users of each section of the facility. All of the facilities
that had over 100,000 total visitors (including people with disabilities)
in 2019 are located in major cities and are ranked as follows, frommost visitors to least (Table 3-2): Osaka City NAGAI Sports Center for
Persons with Disabilities; Yokohama Rapport Sports & Cultural Center
for Disabled; Osaka City MAISHIMA Sports Center for Persons with
Disabilities (Amity Maishima); Tokyo Metropolitan Sports Center for the
Disabled; and Saitama Social Activities Center for the Disabled. All the
Table 3-2 Sport Facilities with Exclusive or Priority Access for
Disabled People with more than 100,000 users
(2018 - 2020)
Name of facilities

2018

2019

2020

Osaka City NAGAI Sports Center for Persons with Disabilities

232,786

210,727

29,055

Yokohama Rapport Sports & Cultural Center for Disabled

211,658 188,003

64,758Osaka City MAISHIMA Sports Center for Persons with Disabilities
162,144(Amity Maishima)

140,617

25,221

Tokyo Metropolitan Sports Center for the Disabled

108,920 126,026

5,681

Saitama Social Activities Center for the Disabled

136,812 123,659

24,877

Note: The facilities were listed according to the ranking of the number of users (more than 100,000) in2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
SSF Research on Sports Facilities for People with Disabilities (2022)

62 Disability Sport

top ten facilities with the highest number of users with disabilities in 2019
experienced a significant decrease in the number of them in 2020.
3. Sport Facilities with Exclusive or Priority Access for People with
Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

While the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as
the declaration of the state of emergency and priority measures to preventthe spread of the COVID-19 infections, varied by region and time, thetemporary closures of facilities and restrictions on their use affected thenumber of users. Since 2012, the total number of facility users had hoveredaround 7 to 8 million persons and the number of users with disabilities
around 2.5 million. However, both dropped by half in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of decline in usage from 2019 to 2020
was down 54.1% in the total number of users, down 59.2% in the numberof users with disabilities and down 80.3% in the number of users withmultiple disabilities. Tokyo Metropolitan Sports Center for Persons with
Disabilities and Tokyo Tama Sports Center for Persons with Disabilities
both saw declines of more than 90%. Four of the top five facilities in termsof the rate of decline were in Tokyo and Osaka, and the decline rate washigher for larger cities with a larger number of COVID-19 cases, due tomore closures of facilities and restrictions on their use. Furthermore, it canbe inferred that people with disabilities with a higher risk of facing severe
illness were more likely to avoid using facilities, resulting in that people
with multiple disabilities refrained from using the facilities.

Disability Sport 63

III. High Performance Measures for Paralympic SportThe Japanese Para Sports Association (JPSA) listed “Strengthen
the system for promoting a virtuous cycle that disseminate para sports
and improving their competitive strength” as an issue in the JPSA’s 2030
Vision: For the achievement of vigorous, inclusive society (2022). The
Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) formulated the JPC Strategic Plan
(2022) to promote integrated activities for improving athletic performanceand the Paralympic Movement and to clarify its mission.
1. Review of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games

Under the policy to support the enhancement of high performancesport announced in October 2016, a joint team was established based ona decision by the Strategic Headquarters of the High Performance Sport
Center of the Japan Sport Council (JSC). The JPC has been conducting
collaborative consultation on the medium- to long-term strategic
reinforcement plans formulated by each national federation and has been
providing advice and verification on their planning and implementation. In
collaboration with the JSC and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC),
the JPC has provided advice and cooperation on the management of the
National Training Center (NTC), including the NTC East which began
operation in September 2019, and has also worked to put in place thefoundation from intangible aspects, such as the appointment of nationalteam staff, arranging athlete subsidies and employment of athletes. The
JPC concludes that increasing the budget for reinforcement initiatives has
led to the improvement of athletic performance, and that enhancing thegovernment’s reinforcement support program has led to positive results.
Future challenges are to maintain the budget for reinforcement initiatives,
further improve the environment for athletes and coaches and identify anddevelop athletes, including women, to further enhance high performancesport and strengthen the governance of sports organizations.
2. Mission of the Japanese Paralympic Committee

The missions of the JPC are as follows: (1) identify, develop
and strengthen para-athletes who can demonstrate world-class athletic
performance and resourcefulness, including from the perspective ofsetting dual and second career paths; (2) send the Japanese national teamto the Paralympic Games and other events to help the Japanese nationalteam athletes demonstrate top performance; (3) publicize images of paraathletes who excel in the world to society to increase para-sports fansand encourage people to change their perceptions of disability; and (4)64 Disability Sport

instill in the country the appeal of para-athletes and the value of parasports, which can make people realize that everyone can be on the samestarting line if they recognize diversity and use ingenuity. To achieve thesemissions, measures will be implemented in collaboration and cooperation
with national federations, the government, businesses, welfare andmedical institutions, research institutions, educational institutions, media
organizations and others.
(1) Strengthening top athletes
The goal is to maximize the number of gold medals, total medals andmedal-winning sports at the 2028 Summer Paralympic Games andthe 2030 Winter Paralympic Games. Steps will be taken to maximize
outcome by setting the following initiatives as pillars of the strategy:
provide support for sending athletes to international competitions,strengthen medal winning in high-priority sports, and strengthen medal
potential athletes (MPAs).
(2) Identifying and developing athletes
In order for Paralympic sports-related organizations to identify andnurture athletes based on pathways and numerical targets, the goal
is to have at least 70% of Paralympic sports organizations engage inthis effort by 2025 and all Paralympic sports organizations to do so by2030. Athletes will be identified and developed through constructing
JPC athlete development pathways and national federation athlete
development pathways, developing female athletes, and examining
measures for growth in MPAs.
(3) Strengthening the organizational strength of JPC-member national
federations
In order for JPC-member national federations to achieve themanagement indicator targets newly set, efforts will be made tostrengthen organizational capabilities so that 70% of JPC-member
national federations can achieve the targets by 2025 and all JPCmember national federations can achieve them by 2030.
3. Assignment of Coaches and Staff to Supervise Reinforcement
Activities

Coaches and staff who are able to supervise the overall reinforcement
activities based on the medium- and long-term strategic reinforcement
plans of national federations are assigned to the national federations for the
Paralympic Games and the JPC to effectively promote the development
and strengthening of athletes. Positions such as high-performance director,
national head coach, national team coach and national team staff were

Disability Sport 65

established based on the policies to enhance international competitiveness,
the annual business plan and individual annual achievement goals(quantitative and qualitative) formulated by national federations. The
high-performance director is responsible for overall athlete development
activities, including planning, drafting and formulating medium- tolong-term strategic reinforcement plans, and serves as the chairpersonof the reinforcement committee, general manager of the reinforcement
department or such like as the person in charge of reinforcement. The
high-performance manager, who is in charge of athlete enhancement at
the JPC, will share information and collaborate with the high-performance
directors of the member national federations to effectively promote thereinforcement initiatives and carry out activities aimed at improving
international competitiveness.
4. J-STAR Project

The J-STAR project was launched in 2017 as a way to identify
and develop the top athletes of the future who will excel in worldclass competitions such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the
beginning of the project, only five Paralympic sports were covered, butsince 2020, the Japanese Para Sports Association (JPSA) has coordinatedthe project to cover all 28 sports that are part of the Summer and WinterParalympic Games. After applying for entry, potential athletes take part ina basic measurement session held in each region and are checked for basic
athletic skills as well as the type and degree of disability. In Paralympic
sports, athletes are allowed to participate in different sports and classes
depending on the type and degree of disability, but during the basic
measurement session, they will be able to discuss which sports they canparticipate in with the expert members of the JPSA Medical Committee’s
Classification Committee and will also be given the opportunity to consult
with the National Governing Bodies of Sport. Persons selected throughthe subsequent process will be able to participate in a verification program
run by instructors of the National Governing Bodies of Sport. Athletes
who are deemed promising in the program will have the opportunity tocontinue their training in each national federation’s reinforcement anddevelopment courses. Over the past five years (2017 to 2021), the total
number of entries in the Paralympic sports came to 889. The results of the
J-STAR project are steadily showing, with four participants in the Tokyo
2020 and nine participants in the Bahrain 2021 Asian Youth Para Games,
winning nine medals including four gold medals.

66 Disability Sport

IV. 
The Nippon Foundation Parasports Support
Center
1. Overview

Following the decision to host the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,
the Nippon Foundation established the Nippon Foundation Paralympic
Study Group in June 2014 with the aim of broadly considering how tohandle the Paralympics. One of the issues raised was the management
structure of national federations. Established by the Nippon Foundationin May 2015, the Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Center(“Parasapo”) aims to strengthen the foundation of national federations
for Paralympic sports by providing various types of support. Parasapo
provides a co-working office with Paralympic national federations in the
Nippon Foundation Building, grants for administrative staff costs andfunding for increasing public engagement in sports as well as a promotion
and marketing budget. It also provides shared back-office services, suchas accounting and administrative processing, to strengthen organizational
management. It was renamed as “The Nippon Foundation Parasports
Support Center” in January 2022.
Furthermore, under the slogan of “SOCIAL CHANGE with
SPORTS”, an education program “Asu-Challe! (Challenge for Tomorrow)”with para-athletes serving as instructors is held across the country in an aim
to realize a diversity and inclusion society. This “Asu-Challe!” programis designed to target students in primary, secondary and special-needs
schools as well as provide training seminars for businesses, organizations,communities and universities, in both cases with para-athletes or persons
with disabilities serving as lecturers. By 2022, more than 3,800 programs
had been hosted, with over 400,000 children and adults having participatedin Japan and abroad.
2. Operation of the Nippon Foundation Para Arena

The Nippon Foundation Para Arena, which opened in June 2018as a dedicated gymnasium for para-athletes to improve their training
environment, is used for training by club teams and individuals belonging
to the Japanese national Paralympic team and para-sports national
federations. In April 2020, the arena was offered as part of the Nippon
Foundation Disaster Crisis Support Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It resumed operation in April 2021. With input from para-athletes, theentire facilities were universally designed for use by everyone and the total
number of users has exceeded 40,000 to date.

Disability Sport 67
3. “I’mPOSSIBLE” (Japanese version)

In collaboration with the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC)of the Japanese Para Sports Association, Parasapo produced a Japaneseversion of “I’mPOSSIBLE,” a global Paralympic education program
developed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) anddistributed it to schools throughout the country as part of its promotion
activities in Japan. Parasapo also contributed funds to support the IPC inestablishing the “I’mPOSSIBLE Award”, which is presented to schools
and Paralympians who have made significant contributions to achieving an
inclusive world through the Paralympic Movement. The award ceremony
was held at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 in September 2021.
The promotion activities of these materials by Parasapo were completed
in December 2021, and the JPC is currently in charge of the promotion
activities for teaching materials.
4. Dissemination and Awareness of the Paralympics and Academic
Research

With the aims of expanding interest in Paralympics and para-sports
and increasing the number of para-sports fans, the attractive features ofsports and athletes, and information about competitions and events are
disseminated through the website media “Parasapo WEB” and official
SNS.
Parasapo also conducts academic research and social surveys on
Paralympics and para-sports, publishes a journal to announce the resultsof such research, and holds symposiums in collaboration with universities
and research institutes on a regular basis.

68 Human Resources for Sport

Chapter 4
Human Resources for Sport
I. Professions in Sport
1. Human Resources in Local Sport Administration

Sport administration in prefectures and municipalities has mainly
been governed by the local Boards of Education, pursuant to Article
23 and 24-2 of the “Act on the Organization and Operation of Local
Educational Administration” enacted in 1956. However, after the revisionof the Act in 2007, many local governments transferred the responsibilitiesof sport administration to their own jurisdiction. According to the “SSF
All Municipalities Survey on Sports Promotion” (2016), as of 2015 thesport administration department was located within the governor’s officefor 44.7% of the 47 prefectures and within the mayor’s office for 15.2%of the 1,188 municipalities that responded to that survey. In the 2010
survey, these numbers were 17.0% for the 47 prefectures and 8.3% for
the 1,236 municipalities. Sport administration offices governed by local
governments are often referred to as Sports Promotion Division or Healthand Physical Education Division, depending on the municipality.
The survey revealed that 24.8 people on average were employed
fulltime in the sport administration departments in prefectures, with 6.5
people assigned to “lifelong sports”, 7.3 people to “high performancesports” and 1.9 to “para-sports”. The average for the 1,188 municipalities
was 4.6 people, of which 3.4 people were assigned to “lifelong sports”,
2.8 people to “high performance sports” and 1.6 to “para-sports”. Thatmakeup differs from prefectures as the number of people for “lifelong
sports” exceeds that for “high performance sports”. Although the total
number of employees expands as the population size of a municipality
increases, “lifelong sports” always has most employees, followed by “highperformance sports” then “para-sports”. For municipalities with small
populations, it is possible that a small number of employees are working
in multiple areas simultaneously.
In addition to staff members who are in charge of sport administration
in local governments, employees in affiliated organizations (such as Sports
Promotion Foundations and Sports Associations) of other prefectures ormunicipalities engage in a variety of sports promotion activities within theHuman Resources for Sport 69

local government.
2. Human Resources in Sport Organizations

There are various sport organizations across Japan. With a few
exceptions, the national governing bodies of sport (NGBs) serve as themain administering body of each sport, and have a number of affiliatedorganizations including prefectural associations. To understand the current
number of staff members in NGBs who are engaged in the promotionof each sport, the results of the “SSF Survey of the National Governing
Bodies of Sport” (2022) were examined. The subjects of the survey were
93 sports organizations that were affiliated organizations of either JapanSport Association (JSPO), Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) or Japan
World Games Association (JWGA).
Staff members in National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs)

NGBs were asked for the number of staff members in each of
the following positions: directors (full-time and part-time), auditors,
councilors, regular employees, contract/commissioned workers, seconded
employee (from sponsor companies, etc.), temporary workers, part-timeworkers, interns and others. The total number of staff members in the
77 organizations that responded to the survey was 4,308 people. Of thisnumber, 1,679 were directors (including auditors), 1,439 were councilors
Table 4-1 Number of Staff Members in National Governing Bodies
of Sport
Type

Men

Women

Total

Director (full- time)

101

39

140

Director (part-time)

1,044

332

1,376

Auditor

134

29

163

Councilor

1,262

177

1,439

Full-time employee

440

303

743

Contract/commissioned worker

91

78

169

Seconded employee

41

14

55

Temporary worker

3

57

60

Part-time worker

23

68

91

Intern2

2

4Others

38

30

68

Total

3,179

1,129

4,308

Note: The results show the total number of staff members are in 77 affiliated organizations of JASA,JOC or JWGA that responded to the survey.
SSF Survey of the National Governing Bodies of Sport (2022)

70 Human Resources for Sportand 1,190 were operating staff members (Table 4-1).
The average number of operating staff members (excluding directors
and councilors) was 15.5 persons per organization. However, this number
varied depending on the organization. For example, some organizations had
no operating staff members, while another had 272. With regard to thoseorganizations that had no operating staff members (six organizations), it isassumed that the directors worked in various positions.
By gender, the proportion of men working as operating staff
members was slightly higher, accounting for 53.6% of the total while
women made up the remaining 46.4%. Looking at the employment statusof those operating staff, excluding directors and councilors, 62.4% wereregular employees, 32.9% were non-regular employees (such as contract/commissioned workers, temporary workers and part-time workers) and4.6% were temporarily seconded employees from other companies
including sponsors and suppliers.
The average number of directors was 21.8 persons per organization,and 8.3% of these were full-time directors. By gender, male directors
accounted for 76.2% of the total and female directors accounted for
23.8%, showing that female directors remained around 20%. Among the
respondents, three organizations (3.9%) did not have any female directors
present, and those that had two or fewer female directors accounted for
20.8% of the total respondents.

Human Resources for Sport 71

II. Sport Instructors
1. Sport Instructor Qualification Scheme

Japan’s Sport Instructor Qualification Scheme was developed
from the qualification system established by the Minister of Educationin 1987 (“Assessment Project of Knowledge and Skills of Social Sports
Instructors”). This was an instructor development project implemented
by sport organizations. Instructors who satisfied the standards determinedby the Ministry of Education (currently MEXT) received a so-called“stamp of approval”, indicating that their level of knowledge and skills
was officially recognized. Previously, the Japan Sport Association (JSPO)
had launched the Instructor Qualification Scheme for each sport in 1977
(which was somewhat similar to the current scheme) with the cooperationof NGBs. There were only about 32,000 people registered for certification
till 1988. In 1989, the scheme was revised, and was incorporated into theproject authorized by the Minister of Education. As a result, more people
were interested in obtaining an instructor qualification and the number ofregistered instructors exceeded 50,000 in 1994.
With the trends of administrative reforms, since 1996 ministry
approval towards any qualification scheme operated by a public interest
corporation is required to be in accordance with the Act. This came tobe recognized as the “Regulations relating to Assessment Project ofKnowledge and Skills of Social Sports Instructors” of the Ministerial
Ordinance, specified based on Article 11 (Improvement of Instructors) of
the “Sports Promotion Act”. All organizations operating the qualification
scheme (including JSPO, NGBs and National Recreation Associationof Japan) became the government-authorized qualification providers.
However, in 2002 the Cabinet office approved the “Implementation Planfor the Reform of Modalities in the Administration of Public Service
Corporations” and abolished the Minister’s responsibility to ensure thelegality of examinations conducted by public service corporations at theend of 2005.
After this abolition, the JSPO reshaped their qualification scheme,
and has been operating their officially authorized “Sports Instructor
Qualification Scheme” ever since. In response to Article 11 (Trainingof Instructors) of the “Basic Act on Sport”, the Sport Basic Plan (2012)
has set the following new policy goals: promoting the training of sports
instructors, taking into account the needs of local residents and sports
organizations; effectively utilizing qualified sports instructors; training
sports instructors that can contribute to the success of high performancesports; and enriching the career paths of top-level athletes and sports

72 Human Resources for Sport

instructors.
2. JSPO Sport Instructor Qualification Scheme

Table 4-2 shows the five categories and 18 different types ofqualifications, except for “Former Qualifications”, that are offered by
JSPO. With the cooperation of NGBs, JSPO provides “Qualifications ofInstructors for each Competition” which are intended to train instructors
Table 4-2 Number of Registered JSPO Certified Sports Instructors
Category

Title

Number of Registered Instructors
2019

2022

JSPO Sports Basic Leader

394,006

428,912JSPO Coaching Assistant-

15,695JSPO Start Coach-11,749JSPO Coach I

117,371

119,500

JSPO Coach II

11,66910,583

JSPO Coach III

21,172

24,832JSPO Coach IV

6,410

6,977

JSPO Instructor I

3,124

2,730

JSPO Instructor II

1,130

982

JSPO Sports Programmer

3,307

3,137

JSPO Fitness Trainer

439

418

JSPO Junior Instructor

4,352

4,453

JSPO Athletic Trainer

4,139

5,002

JSPO Sports Doctor

6,209

6,309

JSPO Sports Dentist

476

667

JSPO Sports Dietician

374

464

5,466

5,695

JSPO Club Manager

382

376

Sports Trainer I

21

17

Sports Trainer II

49

39

Total (excluding sports basic leaders)

186,090219,625

Total (including sports basic leaders)

580,096648,537

Basic Qualifications ofSports Instructors

Qualifications ofInstructors for each
Competitions

Fitness Regime
Qualifications

Medical Conditioning
Qualifications

Sports Management
Qualifications

Former Qualifications

JSPO Assistant Club Manager

As of October 1, 2022
JSPO (2019 and 2022)
Note: JSPO Coaching Assistant and JSPO Start Coach were officially recognised from April 2020.

Human Resources for Sport 73

of each sport and are composed of six types of qualifications according totheir age and level of skills. To date, JSPO has trained instructors in over
50 different types of sport.
The “Fitness Regime Qualifications” include: “JSPO Sports
Programmer” which is a qualification to offer guidance for the maintenanceand improvement of fitness to adults; “JSPO Fitness Trainer” which isfor professional fitness instructors to provide various basic fitness training
at commercial sport facilities; and “JSPO Junior Instructor” which is aqualification to teach children about physical fitness and motion facilitation
through play at local sport clubs.
The “Medical Conditioning Qualifications” include the following
four qualifications: “JSPO Athletic Trainer” which is a qualification toprovide instruction in sports injury prevention and rehabilitation; “JSPOSports Doctor” to undertake the health care, injury prevention, diagnosis
and treatment of athletes; “JSPO Sports Dietitian” to provide nutritional
guidance to athletes and enhance their athletic performance; and “JSPO
Dentist” has been added since 2015 to diagnose, treat, prevent and research
impairment or injury in dental and oral area caused by sporting activities.
The “Sports Management Qualifications” are targeted at individuals
who are involved in the management of comprehensive community sports
clubs. The “JSPO Assistant Club Manager” is designed to develop staff
members who possess the basic knowledge necessary for the managementof comprehensive sports clubs, and qualified individuals who are expected
to support activities related to club management. The “JSPO ClubManager” is targeting the individuals to improve their management skills
including securing and enhancing the effective use of financial resources
to ensure the sound management of sport clubs.
In addition to JSPO Sports Doctor qualification mentioned
previously, other sport-related qualifications are offered to physicians by
Japan Medical Association Certificate of Accreditation for Sports Health
Physicians and Japanese Orthopedic Association Certificate for Sports
Physicians.
Number of Registered Instructors

As of October 2022, there were 648,537 qualified instructors
registered with JSPO (Table 4-2). The number of those registered as“JSPO Sports Basic Leaders” has significantly increased, primarily
because of a change in the calculation method. Excluding those Sports
Basic Leaders, the total number of certified instructors in 2022 increased
by about 33,000 people, when compared to that number in 2019. This was

74 Human Resources for Sport
Table 4-3 Number of Registered JSPO Certified Sports Instructors
per Sport
Number of Registered Instructors

Sport

2019

2022

Football38,683

41,129Volleyball17,773

19,749Swimming

16,837

15,591

Softball

12,535

13,095

Basketball11,26912,698

Kyudo (Japanese Archery)

6,358

6,311

Track and Field

4,756

5,559

Karate

5,035

4,614

Tennis

4,545

3,920

3,176

3,244

Table tennis~
Total
As of October 1, 2022

160,876

167,910JSPO (2019 and 2022)

due to recognition of two new categories, “JSPO Coaching Assistant” and“JSPO Start Coach”, since 2020.
By sport, the number of registered instructors was highest for“Football” (41,129), followed by “Volleyball” (19,749), “Swimming”(15,591) and “Softball” (13,095) (Table 4-3).
3. Disability Sport Instructor Qualification Scheme

The Japanese Para-Sports Association (JPSA) has established the“Para-Sports Instructor Qualification Scheme” to train and certify six
types of instructors in order to accommodate the participation of people
with disabilities in various sport activities. The “Beginner’s Para-Sports
Instructor” is to help people with disabilities within the community tointegrate sport into their daily lives; “Intermediate Para-Sports Instructor”
can provide sport instruction to people with disabilities at a prefecturallevel; “Advanced Para-Sports Instructor” provides advanced sport
instruction to people including people with disabilities and other instructors
at a prefecture or region level by utilizing their specialized knowledge andskills as well as advanced teaching techniques; “Sports Coach” is to train
and develop specific skills of para-athletes and organizations in certain
sport. JPSA also offers qualifications such as “Para-Sports Physician”,
who is qualified to work for the improvement of the physical health andperformance level of para-athletes from the medical point of view, and“Para-Sports Trainer” to support the safety management and improve theHuman Resources for Sport 75

performance level of para-athletes (Table 4-4).
Table 4-4 JPSA Certified Sports Instructor Qualifications
Category

Number of Registered Instructors
2019

2022

Beginner's Para-Sports Instructor

22,025

21,450Intermediate Para-Sports Instructor

3,992

4,209

Advanced Para-Sports Instructor

861

888

Sports Coach

182

211

Para-Sports Physician

568

616

Para-Sports Trainer

207

233

As of March 31, 2023
JPSA (2019 and 2022)
Note: Sports coaches include those certified as Advanced and Intermediate Para-Sports Instructors.

76 Sport Clubs

Chapter 5
Sport Clubs
I. Sport Club Memberships for Adults
1. Membership Trends and Types of Sport Clubs
Membership Trends

According to “The 2022 SSF National Sports-Life Survey”, thepercentage of adults who were enrolled in a sport club, team or group(hereinafter collectively referred to as a “sport club”) at the time of thesurvey, was only 16.6% (Figure 5-1). In 1992 when the survey began, themembership rate was 19.7%, declining to 16.9% in 1994 before continuing
to rise to 22.0% in 2000. It then declined again to 18.4% in 2006, but hasremained flat overall. Starting at 20.0% in 2014, it has been a declining
again to 18.1% in 2016, 18.5% in 2018 and 17.3% in 2020, then reaching
16.6% in 2022, the lowest rate since the first survey.
With regard to gender, the proportion of men who were enrolled
in a sport club at the time of the survey was 16.9% and the proportionof women was 16.2%, showing little difference by gender (Figure 5-2).
Conversely, in terms of those who had never enrolled in any sport clubs,
the proportion of women was 3.9 percentage points higher (61.4%) thanthe proportion of men (57.5%).
(%)
30

All Adults

Men

Women

25.6
25

24.2
22.3

20

19.7

22.0

18.4

18.5

23.2

22.7
21.2

20.7

20.4

16.9

22.1

19.0

19.2

18.4

17.5

22.3

22.3

18.0

19.7

20.0

18.8
17.1

16.1

15.6

21.6
20.6

16.1

15.9

17.7

18.1
16.4

16.1

15.9

19.7

20.0
18.5
17.0

17.8
17.3
16.9

15
13.4

10

1992

1994

16.9
16.6
16.2

13.0

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

Figure 5-1 Trends in the Rate of Sport Club Memberships

Sport Clubs 77

By age groups, the 18-19 age group showed the highest membershiprate of 29.3%, followed by the 70 and over age group with 23.8%, the 60-69
age group with 19.1%, the 50-59 age group with 15.4%, the 20-29 age
group with 15.3%, the 40-49 age group with 13.4% and the 30-39 age
group with 9.9%. In terms of those who had never enrolled in any sport
clubs, the 30-39 age group had the highest non-membership rate of 65.5%.
Membership Status by Types of Sport Clubs

Regarding the types of sport clubs that adults participated in, themost popular clubs were “Local community clubs (mostly managed by
local residents)” at 30.8%, followed by “Friends and acquaintances’
clubs”, “Private sport clubs and fitness clubs”, “Workplace clubs” and“Alumni clubs”.
By gender, the proportion of women who were members of “Privatesport clubs and fitness clubs” was 19.0 percentage points higher (34.0%)
than men (15.0%). The same trend was observed in “Local community

All Adults

16.6

24.0

59.4

Men

16.9

25.6

57.5

Women

16.2

22.4

61.4

29.3

18-19

29.3

41.3

20-29

15.3

30-39

9.9

40-49

13.4

25.4

61.2

50-59

15.4

24.3

60.3

60-69

19.1

24.1
24.6

65.5

0

57.4

23.5

23.8

70 and over

60.6

55.1

21.1
20

Currently member

40

60
Formerly member

80

100 (%)

Never joined
SSF National Sports-Life Survey (2022)

Figure 5-2 Membership of Sport Clubs

78 Sport Clubs

clubs”, with women (32.8%) leading men (28.9%) by 3.9 percentage
points. By age, the proportion of “Local community clubs” was higher
among the 60-69 age group (39.8%) and among the 70 and over age group(39.2%). In contrast, the proportion of “Workplace clubs” was higher
among the 20-29 age group (21.1%) and among the 30-39 age group(23.3%). In addition, the proportions of the 50-59 and 60-69 age groups
who were members of “Private sport clubs and fitness clubs” were higher
than those of other age groups, at 32.1% and 32.3%, respectively.
Among respondents who were not currently enrolled in any sport
clubs, the proportion of those who would like to become a sport clubmember was 15.2%. This figure has decreased by 4.3 percentage points
from 19.5% in 2016, but increased by 1.3 percentage points from 13.9%
in 2020. By gender, the proportion wanting to enroll in a sport club was
higher in women with 16.7% than men with 13.8%. Compared to 2020, it
increased by 1.8 percentage points for men and 1.0 percentage points for
women.

Sport Clubs 79

II. Participation in Sport Clubs and School Sport
Clubs by Children and Young People
1. Sport Club Memberships for Children Aged 4-11 Years

In “The 2021 SSF National Sports-Life Survey for Children andYoung People, children aged 4-11 years were asked about their enrollment
in school sport clubs, private sport clubs (such as swimming and gymnastic
clubs) and community sport clubs (junior sport clubs, sport classes, etc.).
The enrollment rate for children aged 4-11 was 58.3%, as indicatedin Figure 5-3. Regarding gender, 61.8% of boys were enrolled compared to54.9% of girls, a difference of 6.9 percentage points. Although this genderdisparity in enrollment rates was nonexistent among preschool children,
it was significant for elementary school students. In terms of school year,
43.0% of preschool children, 53.8% of first and second grades, 66.2% ofthird and fourth grades and 65.8% of fifth and sixth grades were enrolled,
peaking in the third and fourth grades and increasing as the grades
increased. Over half of elementary school students were enrolled in sport
clubs.
Regarding the results by types of sport club, “Private sport clubs(swimming clubs, gymnastic clubs, etc.)” showed the highest rate with61.7%, followed by “Community sport clubs (junior sport clubs, sport

58.3

All

61.8

Boys

54.9

Girls

43.0

Preschool children

53.8

First and second grades

Third and fourth grades

66.2

Fifth and sixth grades

65.8
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100
(%)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

Figure 5-3 Membership in Sport Clubs among Children Aged 4-11
years

80 Sport Clubs

61.7

Private sport clubs (swimmingclubs, gymnastic clubs, etc.)

Community sport clubs (junior sport
clubs, sport classes, dojo, etc.)

32.3

24.7

Sport clubs at schools

2.4

Others

0

20

40

60

80

100
(%)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

Figure 5-4 Types of Sport Clubs for Children Aged 4-11 years(Multiple Answers)

classes, dojo, etc.) with 32.3% and “Sport clubs at schools” with 24.7%(Figure 5-4). The data suggests that private sport clubs are an important
activity location for children in this age group.
2. Sport Club Memberships for Young People Aged 12-21 Years

According to “The 2021 SSF National Sports-Life Survey forChildren and Young People”, 44.6% of young people aged 12-21 years
were members of sport clubs (in school sport clubs, local community clubs
such as junior sport clubs, and private sport clubs such as swimming andgymnastic clubs) in 2021 (Figure 5-5).
By gender, boys accounted for 52.5% of sport club members, while
girls accounted for 36.6%, showing a difference of 15.9 percentage points,
which is bigger than a difference among children aged 4-11 years. By
school year, the highest membership rate was found in junior high school
years at 71.0%. The membership rate decreased to 49.6% in high school
years and then 25.8% in college years. It can be said that high school
years are a turning point for young people in terms of joining sport clubs.
Moreover, the membership rate in young workers was significantly low,
at 9.8%.
Regarding types of sport clubs, “Sport clubs at schools” ranked thehighest at 78.7%, followed by “Community sport clubs (junior sport clubs,
sport classes, dojo, etc.)” at 11.3% and “Private sport clubs (swimmingclubs, gymnastic clubs, etc.)” at 8.3% (Figure 5-6).

Sport Clubs 81

44.6

All

52.5

Boys

36.6

Girls

71.0

Junior high

49.6

High

25.8

College

9.8

Worker

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100
(%)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

Figure 5-5 Membership in Sport Clubs among Young People Aged
12-21 years

78.7

Sport clubs at schools

Community sport clubs (junior sport
clubs, sport classes, dojo, etc.)

11.3

Private sport clubs (swimmingclubs, gymnastic clubs, etc.)

8.3Sport circles at schools

8.0

2.2

Others

0

20

40

60

80

100
(%)

SSF National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young People (2021)

Figure 5-6 Types of Sport Clubs for Young People Aged 12-21 years(Multiple Answers)

82 Sport Clubs
3. School Sport Clubs in Junior High School

When focused on the changes in the total number of junior highschool students and their membership rate in school sport clubs, the total
number of students has decreased in the past five years, with the declining
birthrate (Figure 5-7). The membership rate in school sport clubs also
shows a gradual downward trend from 65.5% in 2016 to 61.4% in 2021.
By gender, the membership rates of boys and girls both have dropped from
75.4% in 2016 to 69.5% in 2021 for boys, from 55.1% in 2016 to 52.9%
in 2021 for girls.
Regarding the number of students registered by types of sport
in 2021, “Football” had the largest number with 167,256 students (aregistration rate of 14.6%) for boys, followed by “Basketball” with
164,005 students (14.3%), “Rubber baseball” with 149,485 students(13.0%), “Table Tennis” with 146,937 students (12.8%), “Soft Tennis”
with 138,335 students (12.1%) and “Track and Field” with 123,916
students (10.8%) (Table 5-1). In terms of trends over the past five years,
the registration rate for “Football” was 17.3% in 2016, but decreased by
2.7 percentage points to 14.6% in 2021. On the other hand, the registration
rate for “Table Tennis”, “Badminton” and “Track and Field” increased by
1.5 percentage points, 1.3 percentage points and 1.2 percentage points,(in 10,000s)
380

(％)
80
75.4

370

65.5

360
55.1

74.9

65.3

55.4

73.7

64.4

72.7

63.9

70.5

69.5

62.0

61.4

53.1

52.9

70

60
54.7

54.7

50

350
340.6

40

340
333.3

30

330
325.2
321.8

321.1

323.0
20

320

Number of students

310

Membership rates in boys
300

2016

2017

2018

2019

Membership rates in total

10

Membership rates in girls

2020

2021

(Year)

0Note : Membership rates are calculated by adding the number of students in the reference sports.
Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association (2021), MEXT (2021)

Figure 5-7 Number of Junior High School Students and Membership
Rates in School Sport Clubs

Sport Clubs 83
Table 5-1 Number of Students Registered in Junior High School
Sport Clubs (Top 10)【Boys】
2016
Rank

2021

Sport
Number of students(%)

Number of students(%)

1

Football227,73517.3

167,256

14.6

2

Basketball175,98713.4

164,005

14.3

3

Rubber Baseball185,31414.1

149,485

13.0

4Table Tennis

148,160

11.3

146,937

12.8

5Soft Tennis

171,39713.0

138,335

12.1

6Track and Field

126,1119.6

123,91610.8

7Volleyball56,782

4.3

56,8895.0

8Badminton

46,671

3.6

55,827

4.9

9

Kendo

54,1774.1

42,307

3.7

10

Swimming

31,923

2.4

27,001

2.4【Girls】
2016
Rank

Sport

Number of students

2021
(%)

Number of students(%)

1

Soft Tennis

186,93120.4

160,64419.2

2

Volleyball158,07317.2

151,277

18.1

3

Basketball135,500

14.8

126,121

15.1

4

Table Tennis

95,21910.4

88,720

10.6

5Track and Field

95,062

10.4

88,563

10.6

6

Badminton

87,1009.5

84,322

10.1

7Softball41,847

4.6

30,190

3.6

8

Kendo

34,692

3.8

29,782

3.6

9

Swimming

16,782

1.8

14,837

1.8

10

Handball

11,336

1.2

9,940

1.2

Note: The ranks are the results from 2021 survey.
Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association (2016, 2021)

84 Sport Clubs

respectively.
For girls, “Soft Tennis” had the largest number registered with
160,644 students (a registration rate of 19.2%), followed by “Volleyball”
with 151,277 students (18.1%), “Basketball” with 126,121 students(15.1%), “Table Tennis” with 88,720 students (10.6%) and “Track and
Field” with 88,563 students (10.6%). Compared to the registration rate in
2016, the above all sports showed a flat trend.
4. School Sport Clubs in High School

The changes in the numbers of high school students, students
registered with the All Japan High School Athletic Federation (JHAF) andthe Japan High School Baseball Federation (JHBF), as well as students
enrolled in school sport clubs were analyzed. The results showed thatthe total number of students has decreased by about 10.2% in the last ten
years. On the other hand, the enrollment rate in school sport clubs has
increased by 1.6 percentage points, from 41.0% in 2011 to 42.6% in 2021.
Table 5-2 shows the number of students registered with JHAF
in 2016 and 2021 by types of sport. In 2021, “Football” had the largest
number with 149,637 registered students (a registration rate of 20.7%)
for boys. This was followed by “Basketball” with 85,368 students(11.8%), “Badminton” with 68,681 students (9.5%), “Track and Field”
with 62,804 students (8.7%) and “Table Tennis” with 50,266 students(7.0%). Regarding trends over the past five years, the registration rate for“Badminton” and “Volleyball” increased by 2.4 percentage points and1.2 percentage points, respectively. For girls, “Volleyball” had the largest
number with 57,264 registered students (13.8%), followed by “Badminton”
with 56,759 students (13.6%), “Basketball” with 54,849 students (13.2%),“Kyudo (Japanese archery)” with 35,883 students (8.6%) and “Track and
Field” with 35,470 students (8.5%). Compared to the registration rate in
2016, there was an increase of 1.4 percentage points in “Kyudo (Japanesearchery)” and a decrease of 1.4 percentage points in “Tennis”, but theoverall trend remained flat.

Sport Clubs 85
Table 5-2 Number of Students Registered in High School Sport
Clubs (Top 10)【Boys】
2016
Rank

2021

Sport
Number of students(%)

Number of students(%)

1

Football169,855

20.9

149,637

20.7

2

Basketball95,68111.8

85,36811.8

3

Badminton

57,8307.1

68,681

9.5

4Track and Field

70,276

8.6

62,804

8.7

5

Table Tennis

50,147

6.2

50,2667.0

6Volleyball45,211

5.6

49,462

6.8

7

Tennis

68,752

8.5

45,486

6.3

8Soft Tennis

48,669

6.0

41,626

5.8

9

Kyudo (Japanese archery)

34,254

4.2

29,282

4.1

10

Handball29,273

3.6

27,142

3.8【Girls】
2016
Rank

2021

Sport
Number of students(%)

Number of students(%)

1Volleyball60,941

13.5

57,26413.8

2

Badminton

56,36912.5

56,759

13.6

3

Basketball61,17513.5

54,84913.2

4

Kyudo (Japanese archery)

32,6587.2

35,883

8.6

5Track and Field

39,6138.8

35,470

8.5

6Soft Tennis

36,0628.0

30,316

7.3

7

Tennis38,588

8.5

29,6887.1

8Table Tennis

20,872

4.6

22,046

5.3

9Softball

22,0474.9

17,408

4.2

10

Handball

16,428

3.6

15,607

3.8

Note: The ranks are the results from 2021 survey.
All Japan High School Athletic Federation (2016, 2021)

86 Sport Clubs

III. Private Fitness Clubs
1. Trends in Private Fitness Clubs
Market Size

The market size of private fitness clubs in Japan has been growing
continuously since 2012, reaching an all-time industry high in 2019with a market size (sales) of 493.9 billion yen, close to 500 billion yen(Table 5-3). However, under the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, thenPrime Minister’s request to avoid the risk of infection in enclosed spaces
and his identification of fitness clubs as high-risk locations for infection
forced the fitness industry to close many clubs or shorten their hoursof operation due to a half-imposed request for voluntary restraint. As
a result, the market size in 2020 declined significantly to 319.6 billion
yen, down approximately 35% from the previous year, making businessconditions extremely difficult for fitness operators. Eleven of the top 15
fitness industry companies in the financial results for the fiscal year ending
March 2021 were in the red, with a total deficit of 60 billion yen. This isactually equivalent to 23% of the total sales of the same 11 companies in
the previous year. These operating companies were able to continue theirbusiness with financial support from their parent companies and capitalalliance partners, but would have gone bankrupt without such support. In
fact, others that did not receive support went bankrupt or closed, leading
the highest number of fitness business bankruptcies in 2020 in the past ten
years.
Although the market size in 2021 was affected somewhat by the
Omicron variant (a mutant strain of the COVID-19), it recovered with theconvergence and reached 411.3 billion yen, but not as large as the size in
2019. Of note is the change in the composition ratio of the market size.
While all fitness club memberships declined significantly in the general
Table 5-3 M arket Trend of Private Fitness Club Industry
2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Sales (in billions of yen)

460.2

478.6

493.9

319.6

411.3

Growth rate* (%)

2.9

4.0

3.2

-35.3

29.0

*Changes in sales compared to the previous year. The growth rate in 2017 is based on the sales
reached in 2016 (447.3 billion yen).
Note 1: E stimated by the editorial departments of “Fitness Business” and from the METI “Current
Survey on Selected Service Industries”
Note 2: The above sales do not include facilities with only swimming pools (about 60 billion yen) but do
include sales from swimming lessons (for adults and children) offered within sport clubs. The
amount is very low, but sales from boxing gyms are also included.
Note 3: “Other income” related to fitness club management is included.
Note 4: S mall-scale businesses such as “Curves”are included.
Fitness Business (2021)

Sport Clubs 87

business category, which used to account for the majority of sales, thesales composition of 24-hour self-service gyms, personal gyms, swimming
schools and online and merchandise sales, which have been increasingly
opened in recent years, increased significantly.
Number of Fitness Clubs

Changes in the number of private fitness club facilities and thenumber of new private fitness club facilities opened in the last five years
are shown in Table 5-4. As of the end of December 2021, the total numberof private fitness clubs was 6,757. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there
were 400 to 500 new store openings per year, but in 2021, it dropped
to 258. The breakdown by business type showed a large number ofgym-type facilities: 2 small circuit-type facilities, 232 gym-type facilities,
8 studio-type facilities, 11 gym/studio-type facilities and 5 general-type
facilities. Many of the gym-type facilities are 24-hour self-service gyms
and personal training gyms that have been opening in recent years. There
was a trend among members in their 20s and 30s who had joined thegeneral business type, to shift to the gym type. Adult-oriented generalbusiness types, women-only facilities and boutique-type studios in urban
areas were among the business types that had been most affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic, and some of these facilities had quickly withdrawn.
Membership

The total number of private fitness club members increased 1.7%
from approximately 4.25 million in 2020 to 4.33 million in 2021, but
has not recovered, down 22% from the peak year of 2019 (Table 5-5).
Although some private fitness clubs were treated as temporarily free andsuspended, the progressive withdrawal of members due to a return toTable 5-4 Number of Private Fitness Club Facilities
2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Number of facilities

5,299

5,821

6,188

6,564

6,757

Growth rate* (%)

6.9

9.9

6.3

6.1

2.9

Number of new facilities opened

378

536

379

406

258

*Changes in facilities compared to the previous year. The growth rate in 2017 is based on the numberof facilities in 2016.
Note 1: The above numbers excluded business conversions, inherited facilities and relocated andnewly established facilities.
Note 2: The number of new facilities opened in 2021 consists of 2 small-scale track types, 232 gym
types, 8 studio types, 11 gym/studio hybrid types and 5 general facility types.
Fitness Business (2021)

88 Sport Clubs
Table 5-5 Membership and Number of Users in Private Fitness Clubs
2017
Membership
Membership penetration rate (%)

4,627,730

2018

2019

2020

2021

5,136,780 5,552,860 4,253,491 4,325,678

3.65

4.07

4.40

3.38

3.45

Total number of users(in ten thousand)

34,93939,09142,36827,13733,264

Number of users per facilities

65,936

67,19068,46941,34349,230Frequency of use per year

76.5

76.1

76.3

63.8

76.9

Fitness Business (2021)

fee-based membership is thought to be one of the reasons why the numberof the members did not increase significantly. The number of new private
fitness club members per month in 2020 and 2021, which was still under the
COVID-19 pandemic situation, also remained low and was characterized
by no months in which new memberships increased.
The membership penetration rate reached 4.07% in 2018 and 4.4%
in 2019, and was expected to grow thereafter, but dropped significantly
to 3.38% in 2020. In 2021, it increased slightly, but only to 3.45%. It is
assumed that the large increase in the frequency of use per year from
63.8 times in 2020 to 76.9 times in 2021 is affected by these heavy users
remaining in the club.
Profitability

Regarding changes in the revenue of major private fitness clubs, thenumber of school members has been recovering steadily, but the returnof private fitness club members has been slower than expected, and as ofDecember 2022, it remains 20-30% below the peak period in 2019. To
compensate for the reduced revenue, each company has been working to
reduce costs, raise membership fees, strengthen sales of ancillary services,
introduce swimming schools and utilize the designated manager system.

Sport Clubs 89

IV. Comprehensive Community Sports Clubs
1. Establishment and Development of Comprehensive Community
Sports Clubs

A comprehensive community sports club (hereinafter referred to asa “Comprehensive Club”) is a sport club that is independently run by local
residents, usually at a public facility or a school facility that is open to the
public. A comprehensive club has the following features: (a) multi-category(multiple categories of sport are offered so that local residents can choose
the activities they prefer); (b) multi-generation (all age groups canparticipate in a variety of sports); (c) multi-purpose (people can participate
in an activity that is well-suited to their level of skills and purpose). Since
1995, MEXT has been promoting the development of comprehensive
clubs and the Japan Sports Agency (JSA) has succeeded the measure.
According to the JSA’s “Survey on the Development ofComprehensive Community Sports Clubs” (2022), the number ofcomprehensive clubs had increased by six times over the 10 years since
the beginning of the survey in 2002 (Figure 5-8). The increase observedin 2005 was particularly significant, when the number of clubs almost
doubled from 1,117 clubs in 2004, to 2,155 clubs in 2005. After 2006, theincrease rate remained at around 3-8% when compared to the previous
year. However, in 2013, the increase rate was even lower, growing by only
1% from the previous year. After 2013, the total number of comprehensive
clubs remained flat and was 3,584, of which 3,450 clubs were operationaland 133 clubs were in the process of establishment in 2022.
The Sport Basic Plan sets out policy goal that aims to continuously
develop at least one comprehensive club in each municipality. Excluding
the local communities with depopulation, 80% of the municipalities acrossthe country now has established comprehensive clubs and it could be said
that they were successful in achieving their goal.
2. Management of Comprehensive Community Sports Clubs

The management of comprehensive clubs, such as the numberof members, the financial conditions and the employment rate ofclub managers and staff members, can be assessed by “Survey on theDevelopment of Comprehensive Community Sports Clubs”, which has
been conducted by MEXT since 2003 and transferred to the JSA in 2015.
Number of Members

Regarding the number of the comprehensive club members
and the changes observed over the years, the most prevalent size for a

541

424

409

17.4

635

482

1,412

22.5

2,004

42.6

1,758

33.0

743

2,233

2,425

2,664

2,851

390

3,048

348

78.2

3,396
253

80.1
222

80.8

(%)

201

80.8

80.8
154
80.5
143

80.6
148

144

80.9

80.5
133

3,406 3,445 3,461 3,446 3,439 3,450

174

80.9

Figure 5-8 Changes in the Number of Comprehensive Community Sports Clubs and the Development Rate

MEXT (2002 – 2014)
Japan Sports Agency (2015 – 2022)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

3,586 3,580 3,599 3,604 3,594 3,583 3,584 90

3,237 3,259 3,328 3,385

256

79.0

3,493 3,512 3,550

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

236

305

13.1

833

1,117

2,905

450
2,555
64.9
2,416
480
57.8
2,155
535
551
48.9
658

2,768

71.4

3,114 75.4

3,241

■Number of clubs developing: The total number of those established and under preparation for development.
Development rate: The proportion of municipalities developing Comprehensive Clubs to the total municipalities.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Established
Under preparation for establishment
Development rates(Number of Clubs)
4,000

90 Sport Clubs

Sport Clubs 91

comprehensive club was 101 to 300 members, accounting for almost
40% of the total since 2005 (41.7% in 2022). Those with 300 or fewer
members have shown a levelling off trend. Clubs with over 1,000 members
accounted for less than 10% of the total (5.7% in 2022).
Budget Size and Internal Revenue Rate

In terms of the budget sizes of each comprehensive club, those that
had a budget of 1.01 million to 4 million yen accounted for around 50%of the total since 2005. However, this group decreased to around 30% in
2022, and clubs with a budget of 10 million or more increased instead. The
survey in 2022 showed that the clubs with a budget of 1.01 million to 4
million yen consisted of 28.7 %.
Furthermore, regarding the internal revenue rate (based on the ratioof membership fees, operating costs and consignment costs compared torevenue), less than half of the comprehensive clubs (33.4%) had a 50%
or lower internal revenue rate in 2022, and in fact this trend has improved
since 2013 (53.6%). In most cases, other income came from government
subsidies or grants. To ensure their sustainable operation, it is necessary thatcomprehensive clubs become more independent in their club management
without the government subsidies or grants.

Figures
1-1
1-2
1-3
2-1
2-2
2-3
2-4
2-5
2-6
2-7
2-8
2-9
3-1
3-2
3-3
3-4
3-5
5-1
5-2
5-3
5-4
5-5
5-6
5-7
5-8

Sport Administration Structure in Japan
Organization Chart of Japan Sports Agency
Trends in the National Sport Budget
Rates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
Frequency Levels of Participation for Children Aged 4-11 years(By Gender and By School Year)
Rates of Sport Participation for Young People Aged 12-21 years(By Gender and By School Year)
Number of Public and Private Sport Facilities in Japan
Rates of Adult Spectating Live Sport Events
Rates of Adult Spectating Live Sport Events(By Gender and By Age)
Rates of Volunteering in Sport among Adults (By Gender)
Rates of Volunteering in Sport among Adults (By Age)
Rates of Volunteering in Sport among Young People Aged
12-21 years (By Gender)
Number of Days that Adults Participated in Sport andRecreation in the past year
Main Purpose of Participating in Sport and Physical Activities
Current Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
Types of Schools in which Students Enrolled
Number of Sport Facilities with Exclusive or
Priority Access for People with Disabilities by Categories
Trends in the Rate of Sport Club Memberships
Membership of Sport Clubs
Membership in Sport Clubs among Children Aged 4-11 years
Types of Sport Clubs for Children Aged 4-11 years(Multiple Answers)
Membership in Sport Clubs among Young People Aged
12-21 years
Types of Sport Clubs for Young People Aged 12-21 years(Multiple Answers)
Number of Junior High School Students and Membership
Rates in School Sport Clubs
Changes in the Number of Comprehensive Community
Sports Clubs and the Development Rate

6
8
25
29
37
40
44
46
47
48
49
51
52
55
56
57
60
76
77
79
80
81
81
82
90

Tables
2-1
2-2
2-3
2-4
2-5
2-6
2-7

2-8
2-9

2-10
2-11
2-12
2-13
3-1
3-2
4-1
4-2
4-3
4-4
5-1
5-2

Levels of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
Rates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities(By Gender)
Rates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities(By Types of Sport)
Rates of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
during the COVID-19 Pandemic (By Types of Sport)
Number of Registered Players and Estimated Participants
Categories of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
for Children Aged 4-11 years
Ranking of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
by Children Aged 4-11 years(Those Who “ Often Participated in ” By Gender)
Levels of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
by Young People Aged 12-21 years
Ranking of Participation in Sport and Physical Activities
by Young People Aged 12-21 years(Those Who “ Often Participated in ” By Gender)
Utilization Rates of Facilities and Places for Sport andPhysical Activities
Popular Spectator Sport (Multiple Answers)
Types of Volunteering in Sport among Adults(Multiple Answers)
Types of Volunteering in Sport by Young People Aged
12-21 years (Multiple Answers)
Participation in Sport and Recreation for the past year
by Disability Types (n=3,620)
Sport Facilities with Exclusive or Priority Access for Disabled
People with more than 100,000 users (2018 - 2020)
Number of Staff Members in National Governing Bodies
of Sport
Number of Registered JSPO Certified Sports Instructors
Number of Registered JSPO Certified Sports Instructors
per Sport
JPSA Certified Sports Instructor Qualifications
Number of Students Registered in
Junior High School Sport Clubs (Top 10)
Number of Students Registered in
High School Sport Clubs (Top 10)

28
31
32
33
35
36

38
39

42
45
47
50
51
54
61
69
72
74
75
83
85

5-3
5-4
5-5

Market Trend of Private Fitness Club Industry
Number of Private Fitness Club Facilities
Membership and Number of Users in Private Fitness Clubs

86
87
88

Picture Credits
Page 22: SSF World Sports Photo Contest 2002
Page 58: SSF World Sports Photo Contest 1998
Page 75: SSF World Sports Photo Contest 1995
Page 78: SSF World Sports Photo Contest 2001

White Paper on Sport in Japan 2023

White Paper on Sport in Japan

2023

White Paper on Sportin Japan
2023

Sasakawa Sports Foundation