Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION,SCIENCE AND CULTURE1991 > PART PARTA Chapter2 �5

PART SPORTS AND HEALTH

PART A Promotion of Physical Education and Sports

Youth sports, in addition to furthering the healthy physical and mental development of young students, plays a vital role in fostering youthful abilities, positive attitudes and enjoyment of sports throughout the course of a lifetime. Youth sports are also very significant in that they serve as a foundation for lifelong and competitive sports.

Youth sports are wide ranging, encompassing a variety of physical education activities at schools and social-physical activities such as youth sports clubs, etc. From now on, with the actualization of the five-day school week, the expansion and improvement of social-physical education activities for youth can be considered as an especially important task.

In order to better grasp the actual situation of sports activities among lower and upper secondary school students, in 1991, as part of the previously mentioned "Sports Survey" in addition to the general working public, a separate survey was also administered to a nationwide sample of youth ranging from 1st year lower secondary school students to 3rd year upper secondary school students (the number of usable questionnaires returned was 2,251). From the results of this survey the following facts about the situation of sports activities among lower and upper secondary school students were revealed.

When students were queried as to the extent of their participation in sports activities outside of physical education classes, required clubs or school sports events during the year, approximately 90% answered that they did participate and furthermore 46.2% of the total sample answered that they engaged in sports activities 3 or more days a week. It was found that the lower and upper secondary students had a higher rate of participation in sports when compared to approximately 70% for the general working population

(See Chart 8)

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Chart 8 Frequency of Participating in Sports in a One-Year Period

When students were asked about what their reasons were for engaging in sports during the year, the reason most frequently given was "because I like to (as a hobby)" at 65.1% followed by "for health and physical strength" at 45.0%. The rank order of these results was opposite of those for the general working population

(See Chart 9)

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(3) Demand for Various Sports

When students were asked what sports they wanted to participate in from now (including the ones they were already participating in), skiing was at the top with 54.8% followed in order by: basketball, volleyball, ice skating, tennis, swimming, soccer and badminton; all of which were rated above 25%. From this data it can be inferred that the demand for sports is diversifying. Also, for sports actually engaged in during the year, basketball was 63.7%, volleyball 63.5%, swimming 59.3% and track and field 56.3%. This indicates that the percentage of students attempting more highly competitive sports has become greater than that for the general working population.

Chart 9 Reasons for Participating in Sports (Lower and Upper Secondary School Students)

Those students who were not participating in sports activities outside of physical education classes, required clubs or school sports events were asked the reasons why. Results showed that: 51.3% answered "no particular reason," 20.6% answered "because I don't like sports" and l5.6% answered that they were "busy with studies and don't have time." Also, students not participating in sports were asked if they would like to in the future. Of those, 2O.1% answered, "I definitely would like to" and 51.3% said, "I would if I could." Grouping those responses together shows that around 7O% of students not participating in sports answered that they would like to do so in the future.

When asked about viewing sports events, 44% of students answered that they "actually attend sports events," 50.9% answered that they "don't actually attend but watch them on television or listen to them on the radio." Putting these figures together it can be shown that over 90% of the students surveyed, watched or listened to sports events. Next, when asked which spectator sports they were especially interested in, volleyball was 29%, professional baseball 26.7%, high school/college baseball 18.5%, Sumo and basketball both 17% and soccer l6.6%. This indicates that interest in sports among lower and upper secondary school students is diversifying.

Also, when queried about their interest as to Japan's athletes' performance at international sports events such as the Olympic Games, 39.5% responded that they were "very interested" and 44.4% "somewhat interested," with a total of 84.0% for both figures.

From these results it can be seen that lower and upper secondary school students nowadays, in addition to participating in sports themselves, also have a strong interest in watching or listening to sports events.

It follows that lower and upper secondary school students have more opportunities to enjoy sports than the general working public and that there is an increasing interest in sports among youth. Considering this situation it is necessary to further enrich physical education at school so that young people can acquire both the positive attitude and the skill necessary for enjoying sports throughout their entire lives.

While youth sports activities are mainly centered around the school environment (not only classes like "physical education" and "health and physical education" but also including overall school education functions such as special activities and extracurricular club activities), there are also community sports activities such as those carried out through youth sports associations.

The revised Courses of Study for elementary, lower and upper secondary schools were made public in 1989. Revisions in course content etc. for physical and health education were made throughout all levels from the standpoint of boosting physical strength and promoting "sports-for-all". The goals of the revisions were to enable children to participate in athletic activities in a voluntary and independent manner and to help them acquire the attitudes and abilities necessary for enjoying exercise and sports.

The major reform issues for elementary schools were to re-group the goals and course content for physical education into 3 separate levels: lower (grades 1-2), middle (grades 3-4) and upper (grades 5-6) and to more flexibly deal with the goals and course content of physical education according to the special characteristics of individual children, thus making more diverse kinds of instruction possible.

For lower secondary schools, in order to improve instruction making it more appropriate to pupils' aptitudes and abilities, reorganization of various athletic areas was made as was allowing students to choose from among a wider range of required classes. Furthermore, with a view towards strengthening the development of a respectful attitude toward Japanese culture and tradition, the name "kakugi" or "fighting arts" was changed to "budo" or "traditional martial arts" also traditional martial arts and dance class offerings became open to both boys and girls. In another reform, more flexibility was allowed in setting down the annual class time for "health and physical education" for third year students (between 105 hours and 140 hours) in accordance with the actual conditions at each school.

At the upper secondary school level, structural reform in the various athletic areas and allowing students to choose from among a wider range of required classes is being carried out on the same lines as that for the lower secondary school level. At the same time, from the standpoint of forming a sexually unbiased curriculum, reforms were carried out to do away with gender differences in the number of required credits, etc.

The revised Courses of Study are being put into affect by grade level beginning with elementary schools where it has been fully enforced since 1992, at the lower secondary level it will take full effect in 1993, and it will be progressively enforced at the upper secondary level beginning with the 10th grade in 1994. During the interim period the revised Courses of Study can be partially or fully enforced at individual lower and upper secondary schools as a transitional measure.

In 1991 revisions were also made regarding the Cumulative Records on Pupils for Elementary and for Lower Secondary Schools in line with enforcement of the revised Courses of Study. The revisions were made to help realize the goals of the revised Courses of Study, that is, an education based on a new concept of scholastic ability emphasizing the fostering of internal motivation for study and abilities such as thinking, decision making and self-expression; to positively evaluate each individual child's potential and to help children actualize their self-potential. In order to make the aims of the revised Course of Study fully understood, training seminars on curriculum reform management for elementary schools were held at three locales nationwide in 1992. Similarly, curriculum training seminars for upper and lower secondary schools have been held at 5 locales across the country since 1991.

Moreover, as a means to assist the development of school instruction in line with the goals of the revised Course of Study, the Ministry has prepared guidance materials in the field of "physical education" and "health and physical education" aimed at the directors of prefectural and other education boards as well as physical education teachers at the elementary, lower secondary and upper secondary school level all across the nation.

As discussed in the 2nd Section, in order to promote the development and enrichment of school sports facilities i.e. martial arts dojo, swimming pools, gymnasiums and outdoor sports grounds, the Ministry is endeavoring to make planned improvements in such facilities through providing financial assistance to prefectures, municipalities and school corporations for constructing gymnasiums, swimming pools, lower and upper secondary school martial arts dojo and other such facilities. As of 1991, 95% of elementary schools, 96% of lower secondary schools, and 97% of upper secondary schools had gymnasiums. In the case of swimming pools 81% of elementary schools, 70% of lower secondary schools and 63% of upper secondary schools were equipped with them. Taking into consideration the growing public demand for improvements in physical education facilities, appropriations in the national budget for new construction of indoor swimming pools etc. amounted to approximately 35.8 billion yen.

In order to improve physical education in schools, along with upgrading facilities it is important to raise the quality of coaches and sports instructors in addition to improving studies on the methodology and content etc. of coaching and instruction.

For this purpose, the Ministry organized a wide range of training seminars for school physical training instructors, elementary school teachers, martial arts coaches, skiing coaches etc., in order to raise the quality of physical training instructors in schools. It also designates certain schools as "physical fitness pilot schools" or "traditional martial arts pilot schools" in order to promote basic physical fitness, upgrade traditional martial arts coaching and carry out practical research activities. Furthermore, the Ministry is giving financial support to prefectures for holding training programs, targeting traditional martial arts instructors who need more experience and for holding physical training (traditional martial arts) qualifying lecture courses, etc., to help physical education teachers acquire rank in the martial arts. In another attempt to upgrade physical training instruction in schools the Ministry is also drawing up training manuals for swimming, Judo, Kendo, Sumo and group activities.

Prefectural boards of education are holding various types of courses and training seminars for raising the quality of teachers and producing training materials for improving instruction. In order to promote the physical fitness of younger school children they also sponsor a wide range of athletic meets for children, work to improve teaching materials and foster school athletic associations. Through these and other means, prefectural boards of education are striving to upgrade physical education instruction in the schools.

Moreover, from the viewpoint of securing excellent coaches and leaders in 1988, partial amendments were made in the Education Personnel Certification Law making it possible to hire experienced persons from various sectors of society as school physical education instructors. In an effort to enrich instruction, persons with long term work experience and expertise are being hired as physical education instructors through the establishment of a special certification system and a special system for part-time instructors. Also through the aforementioned amendments, in an effort to raise the quality of teachers, the number of required credits for obtaining a regular teaching certificate has been increased at colleges and universities. "Physical education" is now required for elementary school teachers and the number of required credits in specialized courses on "health and physical education" has been raised for lower and upper secondary school teachers. These measures have been enforced for incoming college students since 1990.

Extracurricular athletic club activities play an important role as school physical education activities along with regular "health and physical education" instruction. Extracurricular clubs are places where the lines between classes or grades are removed and people of common interests gather. They are both constructive and significant in promoting the healthy physical and mental development of children through: developing individuality, teaching cooperation and sharing of responsibility in a group, and teaching children how to work together cooperatively towards a common goal. These extracurricular athletic club activities also have a vital role in the spread and promotion of sports throughout the nation.

Although no provisions were made as to extracurricular athletic club activities within the Courses of Study in terms of curriculum standards, they must be appropriately dealt with as educational activities which are planned and carried out under the administrative control of schools. Moreover, with the recent revisions in the Courses of Study, at lower and upper secondary schools participation in extracurricular athletic activities can be taken in place of some or all required club activities (which are a part of "special activities" as prescribed in the Courses of Study). Along with these changes, proper appreciation of extracurricular athletic club activities should be heightened with due attention given to curtailing excessive activities. Arrangements for required and extracurricular athletic activities and the instruction and coaching methods of clubs should be carefully examined. It is important for both types of clubs to increase their educational effectiveness while maintaining a working relationship.

The Ministry has been promoting extracurricular athletic club activities through improvement of facilities and enrichment of personnel since 1988. For example, to assure proper instruction and coaching, the Ministry started a project to dispatch experts to assist clubs at lower and upper secondary schools. At elementary and lower secondary schools the Ministry also conducted construction and improvement of club rooms, (changing rooms, meeting rooms, equipment storage rooms, toilets and showers, etc.).

Furthermore, since 1990 projects for training sports club coaches and leaders have been carried out, which provide special training to improve the quality of inexperienced sports club leaders. A system of "extracurricular athletic club pilot schools" was designated to promote practical studies on improving the methods for carrying out sports club activities.

Amidst the progress however, problems have arisen regarding sports activities for elementary school children. Some kinds of training and athletic meets are carried out which require a particular level of physical strength and skill, thereby disregarding the proper growth and development stages of young children, with some cases of actual abuse being noted. The 1989 Report from the Health and Physical Education Council stipulated the importance of measures to prevent abuses in the early training of elementary school children. For this purpose a study committee on sports activities of elementary school children was established in 1991 to look into the ways and means of providing sports activities for young children that are appropriate to their mental and physical growth and development stages. This study committee carries out surveys on the actual state of sports related disorders among elementary school children, does research on prefectural sports events for elementary school children, and does development research on sports rules and athletic training methods for elementary school children.

Furthermore, school physical education events which children can participate in presently include the National Lower Secondary School Athletic Meet with 17 sport events and the National Upper Secondary School General Athletic Meet with 29 sports events. At the upper secondary school level there are also National Athletic Festivals for individual sports.

Also from the view of improving students' individuality, developing their ability and raising their competitiveness, since 1988, for a 3-5 year trial period 9th grade students are being allowed to participate in a limited number of events in the National Athletic Festival on an experimental basis. This includes 4 events only: swimming, track and field, gymnastics and figure skating. After the results of this trial period have been thoroughly examined, future strategies will then be determined.

Furthermore, in the case of students' participation in athletic meets, the Ministry has created "Standards for Students' Participation in Athletic Meets" which regulate the frequency and geographical range of participation for national and prefectural athletic meets. It is expected that these standards of activity will be properly enforced.

College and Junior College level courses on health and physical education stimulate the harmonious development of students' minds and bodies as one facet of "sports-for-all", and have considerable impact in increasing scientific understanding about health and sports. With the provisions of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities and other regulations having become more flexible, from now on all institutions of higher education are expected to work towards constructive research and reform in both instructional methods as well as in educational content for health and physical education.

As for extracurricular sports, so far competitive sports clubs have been the dominant clubs on campus but with the growth of a recent trend towards recreation, the spread of circles, hobby groups and other groups has become notable. It is expected that circle activities will find an appropriate niche as a part of lifelong sports activities and that sports clubs will take an even more active role in supporting competitive sports.

Specialized education in sports at the college level plays a vital role in the training of both health and physical education teachers as well as social-physical education leaders and coaches. Moreover, higher education institutions help to raise Japan's level of international competitiveness and contribute to the promotion of sports science research as well.

Research is being carried out in various fields related to sports science including sports related psychology, physiology, medicine and kinesiology in the future an increase in basic research as well as practical studies directly linked to raising competitiveness is requested.

In order to encourage a higher level of education and research on sports, since 1989 the Ministry has provided "Grants for Studies on the Methods of Practical Instruction for Physical Education and Sports." Through this funding, Hokkaido University of Education is conducting investigations into education and research systems for training leaders and coaches with expertise in winter sports competition and promoting scientific research related to winter sports. At the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, studies are being conducted regarding education and research systems on practical instructional methods in physical education and sports for children according to their developmental stages, environment and other factors. Research on instruction for enhancing competitiveness from the junior level upwards is also being carried out.

Furthermore, in line with the more flexible and broader Standards for the Establishment of Universities, (which were based on a report by the University Council) reforms and increased research have also been requested in the area of instruction and coaching methodology and content of instruction for health and physical education.

As for extracurricular sports, an increase in the recent recreation trend has been reflected in the wide spread popularity of circles and similar recreational clubs and consequently a decrease in the popularity of competitive athletic clubs. The Ministry is starting up a "Survey Research Project on University Physical Education and Sports" from 1992 in order to contribute towards improvements in university physical education and sports (which hold an important dual function in foundation building for lifelong sports and for raising the country's competitive level).

Also, institutions of higher education hold public lectures in order to share the results of education and research with the public. In 1989 national, municipal and private universities and junior colleges held 178 such courses related to sports. Higher educational institutions have also opened their physical education facilities to the public. During 1987 about two million persons made use of these facilities at 381 colleges and universities. Because public lectures and open facilities contribute to the furtherance of "sports-for-all", it is expected that these activities should be upgraded and further promoted.

Children's sports associations play a major role in providing out-of-school sports activities for children and youth. These organizations, established for the purpose of promoting sports for young people and contributing to their healthy mental and physical development, have spread out all over the country. As of March 31, 1992, there were about 30,000 such organizations targeting primarily 5th and 6th grade elementary students with a membership of around one million. The Japan Amateur Sports Association hosts the headquarters of children's sports associations, provides training for the leaders of these groups through seminars and organizes nationwide friendship and exchange meets, etc.

The Ministry has been supporting national sports meets and other children's sports association related activities through the Sports Promotion Fund. Also since 1992, training of leaders and coaches for children's sports associations has been added as one of the Ministry's accredited programs for training and qualification of social-physical education leaders thus furthering the development of training for sports leaders for children.

It is expected that with the coming of the five-day school week, that the activities of children's sports associations will serve an even more important function in the future promotion of "sports-for-all".