Development of a new sports culture

○ Sports facilitate the sound development of our “mind” and “body” and make our life more fulfilled.  Sports are also one of the universal human cultures that contribute to the creation of a bright, rich and vibrant society.

○ A sport, in itself, satisfies the fundamental human desire to be physically active and has intrinsic value to bring a sense of spiritual fulfillment such as excitement, sense of achievement, sense of solidarity with others, as well as joy and pleasure.  For this reason, it would be of great significance to people of a wide range of age groups to build a community where they can enjoy sports subjectively throughout their life.

○ Furthermore, sports have diversified significance in the social context, as listed below.  Japan is facing a turning point of a population decrease and a super-aged society, and hence, various challenges: in this circumstance, promotion of sports has become ever more an important area of activities for the national government, local public authorities and sports associations.

• Contribute to the sound development of body and mind of young people, through programs to nurture their communication abilities and leadership potential, teach self-control and fair play, and to promote team work and team spirit, as well as through personal development education such as nature activities.
• Sports exchange programs would foster a sense of unity and assist the creation of vitality within the local community, thereby building new networks of people and revitalizing local communities.
• Expansion of the scope of the sports industry through promotion of sports would create new demand and employment opportunities, thereby contributing to growth of Japanese economy.  The preservation of, and improvement in, people’s mental and physical wellbeing through sports will bring economic benefits in that it should reduce health care costs.
• International sports exchange programs provide an opportunity to compete against one another under the same rules while embracing differences in language and lifestyle, thereby promoting mutual understanding between peoples in the world and facilitating international friendship and goodwill.
• Outstanding performance of Japanese athletes in International sports competitions will give us a sense of pride for being Japanese, joy, fulfillment and excitement, thereby enhancing public awareness, raising the vitality of the entire society, as well as raising Japan’s profile in the international community.

○ Many people, not only those involved in sports, have pointed out the significance and value of sport, and the government has undertaken initiatives for sports promotions.  Against this background, this Strategy upholds a concept of “New Public Commons” in anticipation of next 10 years or so, and aims to create an environment in which many more people    more than those currently engaged in sports    could proactively engage in sports in various ways (participate, watch, support / educate) depending on their individual interests and aptitudes.

○ In this respect, this Strategy considers competitive sports and community sports in an integrated manner and aims to create a “virtuous cycle” whereby competitive sports and community sports support one another.

 Measures will be undertaken to give the skills and experience of top athletes and their vibrance, as well as results of sports medicine and science research back to community sports - thereby encouraging the practice of sports -, and to systematically educate and train new talent unearthed during this process by taking advantage of sports medicine and science research, so that new top class athletes may be produced in local communities.  

○ Through these initiatives, this Strategy aims to establish a “new sports culture” in which the significance and value of sport should be widely shared by the general public and which allows even more people to share the joy and excitement of sport and to support one another.