Wednesday, January 30th, 2019
Sport
France’s Minister of Youth and Sports Roxana Mărăcineanu paid a courtesy visit to MEXT Minister Masahiko Shibayama on January 30th. The ministers signed a declaration to advance cooperation between MEXT and France’s Sport Ministry in the field of sport.
Japan and France are both scheduled to successively host two major international sport events- the Rugby World Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan will be passed over to France scheduled to host the next world cup in 2023, and Paris to host the next Olympic Games in 2024.
Given this rare opportunity, the new declaration has expanded the framework of the previous declaration signed in 2015 by strengthening closer collaboration towards both events.
Following the signing ceremony, the French minister said she looks forward to further active bilateral exchange through sport. The heads then exchanged views on the social legacies and governance of major international competitions.
Minister Shibayama introduced Japan’s physical education as the French minister expressed interest in Japan’s compulsory education physed classes. Minister Mărăcineanu said she is very keen to see how hosting successive major sport competitions will impact those who either did not have the opportunity to watch sport, and those uninterested in sport. Minister Shibayama said he would like to utilize these high-visibility events to increase people’s participation in sport, strengthen sport governance, and help solve the various problems raised in the SDGs.
