Toward a Society Where Everyone Can Live Authentically Through Sport

Happy New Year.

Three months have already passed since I took over as the third Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency (JSA) from former Commissioner MUROFUSHI Koji in October 2025. As the JSA aims to realize a society where everyone can live authentically through sport, I will work to clearly convey the joy, allure, and value of sport so that Japanese citizens will fully realize the power of sport.

It has been 14 years since the Basic Act on Sport was enacted, and a decade since the Japan Sports Agency was established. During this time, the social environment surrounding sport has changed significantly. Against this backdrop, building on the revised Basic Act on Sport enacted last year, we will work to realize the fundamental principles of this law, which is to help create a society where diverse people-regardless of race, gender, age, or disability-can enjoy and feel enriched by participating in sport.

Last year, Japan hosted the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships and the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics. Many people were inspired and encouraged by the sight of athletes challenging their limits. The World Athletics was an opportunity for people to reaffirm the excitement of spectator sports, which was evident in the large crowds cheering in stadium, along with the significant impact brought on by the live broadcast television. The Deaflympics held in Japan for the first time, served as a catalyst for people of all ages to learn about sign language and deaf sports. It was a significant event in helping accelerate the creation of an inclusive society through sport.

There are several major international sporting events scheduled this year including Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, followed by the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. The JSA will strive to further enhance international athletic competitiveness by building support systems to assist athletes and coaches right up to the competitions. This includes utilizing expertise in sports medicine, science, and information to ensure all athletes can maximize their potential at these events. The JSA will also dedicate its full effort to build momentum to successfully hosting upcoming events in Japan including 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, and World Masters Games 2027 KANSAI.

As Japan's birthrate continues to rapidly decline, an increasing number of regional communities face the challenges of school sports clubs struggling to form teams, or students being unable to participate in a sport they like due to the few clubs available at their school. It's imperative for schools to ensure and enrich opportunities for children to continuously engage in sports. While the JSA has been working to reform school club activities up until now, it will continue to provide support to local governments. Based on the “Comprehensive Guidelines for Promoting School Club Activity Reform and Community Club Activities” formulated in December 2025, we have allocated 8.2 billion yen in the FY2025 supplementary budget, and 5.7 billion yen in the FY2026 budget (proposal) to advance nationwide implementation of developing community club activities during the “Reform Implementation Period” from FY2026 to FY2031. The School Club Activity Reform initiative takes on the challenge of enhancing children's sports activities towards the future. To ensure that the next generation can engage in diverse sport activities in a sustainable manner, the JSA will work to build systems that enable stable and continuous community club activities that are tailored to local circumstances, while carefully listening to the community's needs.

Sport also contributes not only to physical fitness and maintaining mental and physical health-it also enhances the public's well-being. As such, the JSA, in collaboration with relevant organizations, will work to advance improving sporting environments including, promoting evidence-based effective sport and creating opportunities for participation, so that all citizens can continue to be engaged in sport throughout their lives. Furthermore, it is crucial to harness the significant potential of sport bringing enjoyment and connection to communities. The JSA will further promote sports tourism, sports complexes and expanding the base of the sports industry to drive economic revitalization, regional development, and growth of the sports sector.

Strengthening sports integrity is also important to spread the value of sport throughout society. The JSA, along with all stakeholders and relevant organizations involved in sport, will consciously and responsibly tackle measures against defamation and abuse directed at athletes, strengthen and enforce governance and compliance within sports organizations based on the “Code for Sports Governance,” and strive to eradicate issues threatening the value of sport such as violence, harassment, and doping.

Finally, this year marks the full-scale commencement of deliberations towards formulating the Fourth Sport Basic Plan which will outline the direction of sport policies for the five-year period starting FY2027. We will thoroughly review the current Basic Plan, engage in robust discussions with all stakeholders and relevant organizations, and formulate the next Basic Plan with a clear vision of sport in Japan over the next five to ten years.

Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency
KAWAI Junichi