Japan is a sports-mad nation, make no doubt about that. Although competitive sports may not be the first thing that springs to mind when thinking about the country, rest assured that the Japanese take sporting endeavours seriously. Fans are among the most passionate in the world, and Japan has hosted some of the biggest sporting occasions in the 21st century (2020 Olympics, 2019 Rugby World Cup, and 2002 Football World Cup with South Korea).
Japan has embraced global sports as well as developing its own sports. But which are the most popular nationwide? Here’s a quick rundown.
Baseball
Perhaps surprisingly, baseball (yakyu) has long been Japan’s most popular sport, both participatory (link in Japanese) and spectator. Although widely known as an American sport, it was actually an Englishman – Horace Wilson – who first introduced it to Japan in the late 19th century. The first professional league was established in 1936. Today, there are two Nippon Professional Baseball leagues – the Central and Pacific leagues, each one consisting of six teams. Current overall champions are the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Japanese baseball differs slightly from American baseball as it uses a smaller playing field, strike zone, and ball.
Football
There are not too many countries across the world where football (or soccer) doesn’t feature among the most popular sports. Japan has a long footballing history, and the sport sits behind only baseball in terms of popularity for both playing and watching. However, it wasn’t until 1998 that Japan reached the final stages of the men’s World Cup. The women’s national team has enjoyed more global success, winning the World Cup in 2011 and reaching the final four years later. However, the men’s team notoriously beat both Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Today, the Japan Football Association (JFA) governs the sport and the national J League boasts 56 teams overall.
Basketball
While not as popular in Japan as either baseball or football, basketball sits as the fourth most popular sport in Japan overall, with 15.2% of the country expressing an interest in it. The sport is regularly practised in high schools, having been popularised in Manga animation and by stars such as Yuta Tabuse and Takuya Kawamura. The Japan Basketball Association was formed back in 1930, but the professional B League wasn’t started until 2016. Today, it has 47 teams spread across three divisions.
Golf
Golf is the most popular individual sport in Japan. Although starting off as a pastime almost exclusively practised by expats in the country, it became more popularized among nationals after World War II. There are more than 2,500 golf courses across Japan today. The Japan Golf Tour was founded in 1973. Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese golfer to win a major championship when he scooped the 2021 US Masters. He has reached a career high world ranking of number two.
Tennis
Another western import, tennis has been played in Japan since the late 19th century. It received a boost in popularity when Naomi Osaka ascended to the World No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis in 2019 following wins at the US Open and Australian Open. Many sports centers across Japan have full-size tennis courts to rent out.
Japanese Martial Arts
Martial arts have long been one of Japan’s most famous exports, so they merit a mention here. Sumo wrestling in particular – although not always viewed as a martial art – is the third most popular sport in Japan (after baseball and football), although participation rates don’t extend too much beyond Japanese nationals. It’s definitely one of the most popular spectator sports and is considered by some as Japan’s national sport (baseball aficionados will disagree!). Other popular Japanese martial arts include:
- Karate
- Judo
- Jujutsu
- Kendo
- Aikido
