Policy Goals The goal is to foster a closer link between lifelong sports and competitive sports on the one hand and school education and school sports on the other in order to bring about a fulfilled lifelong sports life and upgrade international competitiveness.

A. Essential Policies Required for Achieving the Policy Targets

 It will be important to establish a closer link between the schools and the local communities and sports clubs in order to respond to the diverse sports needs of our children and with the view to bringing about a fulfilled lifelong sports life and to developing top-level athletes.

（1） Fostering a Closer Link between the Schools and our Local Ccommunities in order to Help our Children Achieve a Fulfilled Sports Life

1. Achievement Targets

 The goal is to enrich our children's sports activities both in and out of school by creating a regional sports environment marked by a closer bond between the schools and the local community.

2. Present Situation and Problems

 In anticipation of full introduction of the five-day school week children will grow up together with the people surrounding them in their families and local communities. In view of this, some efforts will be required to improve the way schools are run in general, including efforts to make schools more open. By working towards the nationwide deployment of comprehensive community sports clubs which will be the main foundation for the promotion of lifelong sports it is believed that children will find their local sports environment much enriched.

 Under these circumstances, the following problems will arise on the premise that the schools, the families and the local communities will all exercise an educational function in their own right and also affect the sports activities of our children in the future: First, it will be necessary to enable children to receive diverse instruction at school while making use of the human resources from the local sports clubs. Second, it will be essential to enrich the sports activities of our children both in and out of school by actively providing fuller opportunities to children for sports activities outside school on the basis of a closer linkage between the schools and the regional sports clubs.

 As part of this effort to open up the schools, it will be most significant to use the schools' sports facilities more effectively as a sports environment of great importance to the local community. Widening the platform on which local communities, including the children, can engage in sports activities is an important issue, and the way this can be done is to promote the shared used of the schools' sports facilities.

3. Deployment of Specific Policy Measures over the Next Ten Years

 It will be important to encourage the efforts of the schools towards closer links with the regional sports clubs, including the comprehensive community sports clubs, and promote the shared used of the schools' sports facilities with the local public by taking the following considerations into account. Encouragement should be given to the organizations concerned in their efforts to upgrade the insurance （compensation） system to cover for accidents sustained in the course of sports activities by the pupils in the local sports clubs. The school sports clubs also need to cooperate toward the development of the comprehensive community sports clubs with a view to upgrading the sports activities of children both in and out of school.

a. Efforts should be made to devise a system of mutual cooperation that affords an opportunity for collaboration between the teaching staff of schools and the local communities so that children will be able to engage in their school sports club activities in conjunction with the community sports activities in the event that sports activities are taking place quite extensively in the local community and that the school has no sports instructor.

b. A flexible attitude should emerge to allow children to belong both to a school sports club and a local community sports club at the same time.

c. As part of the efforts to open up the schools, efforts should be made to use local sports instructors in school education and to arrive at a common understanding among the teaching staff regarding the significance of the volunteer activities of the teaching staff as members of the local community.

d. Efforts should be made toward the deployment of sports activities in concert with the local public, including cooperation toward the development of the comprehensive community sports clubs, in response to the current situation of the regional sports environment and of our schools.

（2） Promoting a Closer Link between the Schools and the Sports Associations with a View to Upgrading International Competitiveness

1. Achievement Targets

 The goal is to raise the level of competitiveness particularly of outstandingly talented pupils by fostering an environment conducive to boosting international competitiveness, with optimal training programs for upgrading competitiveness closely coupled with school education and sports.

2. Present Situation and Problems

 In order to achieve a fuller system of "instruction adapted to personal needs" in terms of the pupils' ability, aptitude, and interest it will be essential to give the maximum possible room for the development of a rich personality to give children an opportunity to lead an active and dynamic life with a richly developed personality and a sense of fulfillment in life. Outstandingly talented pupils with a keenness to hone their athletic abilities, in particular, should be developed in an organized and planned manner to reach the status of top-level athletes by receiving the optimum instruction to suit their developmental stage and their personal characteristics.

 The problem, however, is that every time these pupils advance to the next higher grade at school their instructors will change so that they cannot enjoy a consistency of instruction throughout their school career. This may prevent them from fully unfolding their potential and is one of the impediments to boosting Japan's international competitiveness in sports.

 A close link will therefore be required between the optimal training programs established by the sports clubs and the sports activities in school education.

3. Deployment of Specific Policy Measures over the Next Ten Years

 Consideration should be given to measures permitting the development of the pupils' talents and abilities by sending pupils to regional reinforcement centers in accordance with the state of development of the system for upgrading competitiveness in the regions, and by making use of Program for the Development of Athletes established by the Athletics Association.

 Efforts will also be required to establish a system under which the instructors of the local National Federations and the local sports clubs can give regular instructions at the school sports clubs in accordance with the prevailing needs and on the basis of requests made by the schools. Encouragement should also be given to the efforts of the Athletics Association in providing, to the schools, information on the Program for the Development of Athletes prepared by the Central Athletics Association and on instructors so as to foster closer cooperation among the schools, local Athletics Association and local sports clubs.

B. Fundamental Policy Measures Required for Achieving the Policy Targets

 Efforts to develop the pupils' talents and abilities to enjoy and engage in exercise and to enhance their competitiveness are the fundamental approach for the effective promotion of greater overall competitiveness in international sports and for achieving a rich and fulfilled sports life. It is equally important to foster and further the activities of the school sports clubs and expands the instructor staff in school education and the schools' facilities.

（1） Enhancing School Education to Let Pupils Enjoy Exercise and Cultivate their Talents, Abilities and Stamina

1. Achievement Targets

• Efforts are required to develop the talents and abilities of pupils to enjoy exercise and lead a rich and fulfilled sports life throughout their lives.
• Efforts are required to enable pupils to engage in exercise as they progress at school and in life so as to improve stamina for a strong and healthy life and to reverse the decline in children's stamina to an increasing trend.

2. Present Situation and Problems

 Whether people will lead a rich sports life or not is, reportedly, decided by how the came in contact with sports when they were young. School education and sports lay the basis for a rich and fulfilled lifelong sports life Giving children an opportunity to come in contact with sports and enjoy the pleasure and fun of doing sports is of the greatest importance from the viewpoint of Japan's sports promotion endeavors.

 Under the 1998 amendment of the school education guidelines, the details of physical education and health preservation have been improved from the viewpoint of laying a sound basis for a fulfilled sports life throughout life and the maintenance and improvement of health on the principle of "mens sana in corpore sano."

 In recent years, however, children tend to show a decreasing level of basic stamina and exercise ability. This trend is the results of a changing lifestyle pattern that gives children less opportunity and fewer occasions to engage in physical exercise in their ordinary lives. There is also a polarization of interest between children showing an interest in exercise and sports and being fully active on the one hand and children not doing so on the other. Our present time is also characterized by a growing irregularity in lifestyle habits, increasing mental stress and a growing anxiety.

 As our lives become more comfortable it can be anticipated that there will be fewer opportunities or occasions for physical movement in the conduct of our ordinary lives. This underscores the increasing importance of school education in providing regular opportunities for doing physical exercise and enjoying sports lifelong.

 It is being contended, in particular, that the way to improve stamina in school children is not only through physical education but also through the school education process in general, including certain special activities, general learning, and school sports club activities as well as local community sports activities. It is also important to promote cooperation and exchange between the elementary and junior high schools and between the junior and senior high schools, with efforts to improve our education activities from a broad perspective and with a commitment to upgrade physical education at our schools, including stamina-building.

3. Deployment of Specific Policy Measures over the Next Ten Years

 Efforts should be made to upgrade physical education at our schools through a resolute endeavor to implement the spirit of the new guidelines envisaging programs to foster the talents and abilities of school children and increase their stamina for a more active enjoyment of exercise by deepening their understanding of physical exercise and through effective practice on the principle of "mens sana in corpore sano."

 It is equally important to encourage schools in their efforts to lay a sound foundation for a rich sports life and increase stamina not only through the PE curriculum but through the educational process in general, including general subjects and activities at the school sports clubs.

 Further, it is important to enrich and improve physical education in the school curriculum by providing information by holding seminars and offering instruction materials so that children will learn how to exercise and build stamina in accordance with their level of development in a way that leads them to do physical exercise in their ordinary lives. These efforts should be coordinated with the community and between the schools.

（2） Increasing PE Instructor Staff at the Schools and Upgrading the School Facilities

1. Achievement Targets

• The goal is to upgrade the instructing ability of the teaching staff and to develop and secure superior instructors.
• The goal is to enhance the school children's motivation for lifelong physical activity and develop and upgrade school facilities capable of being shared with the community.

2. Present Situation and Problems

 In order to upgrade PE at schools, it is important to secure superior instructors. At the elementary schools there are many teachers experiencing difficulty in conducting PE instructions in practical PE classes in a way that arouses interest and motivation among the children and complies with their level of ability since the nature of the instructions becomes progressively more advanced with school age. Similarly, there is a need for instruction catering to the individual abilities of the pupils also at the junior and senior high schools. This goal requires the appointment of teachers with practical instructing capabilities and the upgrading of PE instruction in an imaginative and creative manner that may involve instruction by a number of teachers. It is also important to teach the martial arts to bring children in contact with the Japanese cultural heritage.

 In order to upgrade PE at schools it would be desirable to use local instructors in addition to the school teachers. Yet, the present situation shows that the local public entities have not developed an adequate system allowing for the use of local instructors to meet the needs of the schools.

 It will be important to upgrade the schools' PE facilities and equipment in order to arouse greater interest and motivation for physical activity in the children. In the context of ensuring the needs for effective instruction and encouraging the shared use of school facilities with the local community, consideration should therefore be given to the "universal availability of sports facilities" and their spread.

 Given, in particular, that the present situation indicates a long-term downward or leveling-off trend in the stamina of our children it is important for school children to be able, both at school and in the community, to engage in sports activities of their own volition with a feeling of safety in a rich green environment. Since children at elementary and junior high school can improve stamina by practicing a variety of exercise and physical movement in their ordinary lives, it would be most effective for stamina-building to turf the outdoor exercise grounds of schools to allow children to enjoy various sports activities close to their homes. This would brighten their school life considerably. Efforts should also be made to provide training rooms using spare classrooms for voluntary stamina-building exercise.

3. Deployment of Specific Policy Measures over the Next Ten Years

1） Improvement in the instructing capabilities of teaching staff

 In order to assist schools in an appropriate commitment to improve basic stamina and to let children relish the pleasure and enjoyment of physical exercise in accordance with their level of development, efforts are needed to upgrade the instructing ability of teaching staff by holding seminars, including practical study sessions and inter-school cooperation effort, and by sending teachers to university graduate schools on release courses under the fellowship system.

 Furthermore, support should be given to efforts designed to upgrade the instructing capabilities of teaching staff through measures such as the regular provision of information on sports instruction, including specific examples of instruction and practical research results, and the creation of a system for providing accurate and relevant information to teacher on instruction methods to meet the diverse needs of pupils.

2） Securing superior instructors

 At the elementary schools, especially the higher grades requiring more advanced instruction, it is essential to provide instruction in accordance with the pupils' individual characteristics and improve basic stamina. In view of this, it is important tot upgrade instruction by using, inter alia, specialist PE teachers. At junior and senior high schools, pupils develop a greater diversity of abilities, aptitudes and interests. In view of this there is a need for greater efforts to upgrade instruction in an imaginative and creative manner that may involve instruction by a number of teachers.

 In PE classes, the use of instructors from local communities or National Federations as ancillary or special non-permanent staff should be actively promoted and supported. To secure the needed staff resources, efforts should be made to use and upgrade the Sports Leader Bank of the local public entities in cooperation with JASA.

3） Expanding the schools' PE facilities

 Efforts should be made to encourage the turfing of the schools' outdoor exercise grounds in accordance with the school conditions so as to create an environment in which pupils can relish the fun and enjoyment of playing sports safely on rich green grounds.

 Efforts should be made by those responsible for installing PE facilities at schools to examine and specify effective measures for improving and upgrading the schools' PE facilities by giving due consideration to the following items.

a. Efforts will be needed to encourage the shared use of the existing school PE facilities with the local community. In future it will also be necessary to create and upgrade the facilities in order to meet the diverse needs of school children and of the members of the local public. This may involve the creation of club houses equipped with hot water showers and change rooms.

b. It will be necessary to equip school PE facilities due to be built in the future from the viewpoint of sharing them with the local community.

c. Efforts should be made to utilize spare classrooms in public schools in order to encourage the establishment of "training rooms" that are provided with training machines and equipment available for shared used by the public.

d. It will be important to develop and upgrade in the future martial arts grounds to give school children an opportunity to come in contact with and enjoy the martial arts that are part of Japan's unique cultural heritage.

（3） Improvement and Upgrading of the School Sports Clubs

1. Achievement Targets

 In order to meet the diverse needs of school children for sports, efforts should be made to upgrade the instructors of the school sports clubs activities and to implement the school sports club activities with greater flexibility by several schools joining together in accordance with the existing school conditions.

2. Present Situation and Problems

 The activities of the school sports clubs are organized by friends sharing the same interest in sports under the instruction of the school and the club members vie with each other in honing their abilities and challenging the existing records in a bid for achieving the highest level of performance according to ability. Amidst this friendly peer rivalry, the school children experience the pleasure and fun of sports and enjoy a rich school life. In this sense, the activities of the school sports club are part of school education, and the teachers play an important role in them as advisers and supervisors.

 However, the number of school children has recently decreased because of the contraction of family size. There has also been a decline in the number of children participating in school sports club activities because there is stronger interest in non-sports activities. Furthermore, the instructors are aging and lack performance. Because of these trends, it is, in some sports disciplines, not possible to put teams together or ensure proper instruction.

 In order to make up for the increasing age of the instructors and the lack of sports performance, consideration is being given to the use of instructors from the community. For the following three reasons, however, the present situation can hardly be described as offering a satisfactory level of cooperation from the local instructors: （1） The school authorities do not show a full understanding in accepting the local instructors in their school, （2） in some communities there is no system under which local instructors can be dispatched to the schools; （3） the conditions for local instructors to be able to cooperate with an easy mind are not met. On the other hand, however, the local instructors do similarly not have a proper understanding of the significance of the schools' sports clubs and of the way in which they should be run.

 Because of the decline in the number of school children it is difficult for some schools to continue their sports club activities on their own. In order to meet the interest and enthusiasm of children wanting to do sports it will therefore be necessary to create an atmosphere that encourages the smooth functioning of the school sports clubs of a number of schools joining together and opens up prospects for participation in national competitive events. It has also been pointed that that some of the schools' sports club activities have little to do with the sports activities of the community. Those concerned therefore need to make an effort to bring the activities of the school sports clubs and those of the reasons more closely together to make the sports activities of the school children more rewarding.

 Support should also be given to the PE Meets of the schools at which the results of the pupils' activities at the school sports clubs are announced, however, when these PE Meets become excessively large in scale they will strain the financial resources of the organizers. It will therefore be necessary to improve the organization of such event by keeping them at the appropriate scale and holding them at the appropriate intervals.

 Efforts should be made to open the PE Meets to the participation of local sports clubs to allow for the sports activities that are taking place outside the schools. Consideration should also be given to the organization of competitive events allowing pupils with different levels of sports ability to enjoy as many matches and bouts as possible.

3. Deployment of Specific Policy Measures over the Next Ten Years

1） Expanding cooperation with the regional instructors

 A system should be established that encourages the use of local or regional instructors for the activities of the school sports clubs. Greater opportunities for training should be provided not only for the advisers of the school sports clubs but also for the benefit of the local instructors.

 Efforts should also be made to create an environment in which local instructors can cooperate without risk. This may involve the promotion of efforts among the local public entities to upgrade the insurance （compensation） benefits in case of accidents.

 In order to promote the active use of local instructors, efforts should also be made to reach a deeper understanding among the school authorities regarding the activities of local instructors in school education. It is also important to utilize and upgrade the Sports Leader Bank compiled by the local public entities to make it easier for the schools to obtain local instructors.

2） Promoting joint school sports club activities by several schools

 School sports clubs should be organized jointly by neighboring schools in accordance with the conditions of the schools and efforts should be encourage by the schools to engage in joint school sports club activities. Support should also be given to the efforts of those concerned, especially the school PE associations, concerning the participation of the joint school sports clubs of several schools in competitive events held on a nationwide scale.

3） Improving the running of the activities of the School Sports Clubs

 Efforts should be made to review the way in which the activities of the school sports clubs are run by taking the following considerations into account. Support should be given to efforts at the schools trying to improve those activities as part of the schools' educational activities.

a. In view of the fundamental significance of the activities of the school sports clubs in the process of character growth in an atmosphere allowing school children to lead a rich school life, efforts should be made to run the club activities in such a manner as to respect the children's personal independence of choice. This may involve, for example, a review of the partially observable victory-centered way in which the activities of the school sports clubs are run.

b. In order to meet the diversity of needs toward sports, greater flexibility should be shown in the conduct of school sports club activities. An example of this greater flexibility may be seen in the possibility of a school child's belonging to several school sports clubs simultaneously to meet such different needs as, for example, an athletics-oriented drive or a fun-oriented drive associated with the different orientation of different clubs.

c. In order to ensure a balanced life and prevent sports disablement it will be necessary to fix a suitable number of training days per year and a suitable number of suitable training hours per day, in accordance with the level of the school.

d. Allowing for the advent of the five-day school week efforts should be made to run the school sports clubs in an appropriate manner. Thus, for example, the clubs might be closed on Saturdays and Sundays according to the conditions of the schools and communities, except in the tournament season when the nationwide school sports contests and the prefectural school competitions take place.

e. Efforts should be made to intensify the activities of the school sports clubs. This may include efforts to bring about fuller cooperation between schools, cooperation between different kinds of schools, at joint training events or regular exchange meetings between schools.

4） Upgrading the School PE Events

 As part of the schools' educational activities, school athletics competitions such as the nationwide junior high school athletics contests and the All-Japan General Senior High School Athletics Contests are held In view of the considerable educational effect of these meets as well as the manifestation of the results of the school sports club activities and the mutual exchange among pupils from different schools, greater support should be given to them in the future.

 In view of the significance of school athletics contests efforts should be made to increase the allowances paid for instructions in the event that the club activities are conducted under instructions on holidays to take the pupils to the school athletics event or in preparation for the school athletics competition.

 The schools' PE clubs need to make efforts in constant cooperation with national government and with the local public entities to adjust the scale of the competitive events they organize, the schedule and frequency of such events and to find measures to ease the burden they impose on the locality in which they are held.