"Once a Country Known Only for Judo... How Did Japan Become Olympic No.1? [Paris Olympics]"

30 Years Ago, Japan Won Only Gold in Judo
How It Became the Top Olympic Gold Medal Country
Club Culture Called 'Bukatsu'
Population Decline Threatens Sports Power

"When I covered the Atlanta Olympics 30 years ago, I thought Japan would only be able to win gold medals in judo going forward."

On the 31st, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) expressed this view in an editorial column regarding Japan becoming the top gold medal-winning country at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Compared to 30 years ago, when all Japan’s gold medals came from just three judo events, the current results are remarkable. As of 3 p.m. that day, Japan had become the country with the most gold medals, winning 7 golds, 2 silvers, and 4 bronzes. In terms of total medals, the United States leads with 26, having won 4 golds, 11 silvers, and 11 bronzes.

Although the results can change at any time, Japan is excited about the early success. The media is offering various analyses related to this growth. Among them, the activation of clubs called 'Bukatsu (部活, club activities)' is considered a major factor. Because students had opportunities to start sports as a hobby during their school days, the production of Olympic medalists happened quickly.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the column, Nikkei analyzed the reason behind Japan’s strong Olympic performance, stating, "The biggest influence was the national support, i.e., tax investment, made three years ago to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympics." At that time, the Japanese government promised to expand training centers and increase sports participation populations, stating that they would "support athlete strengthening activities to help Japanese representatives win medals while discovering and nurturing promising future athletes."

From Clubs to the Olympics... Popularization of Recreational Sports

Active club sports activities among students also played an important role in raising Japan’s Olympic ranking. In Japan, schools commonly have specialized sports clubs such as baseball, soccer, canoeing, and gymnastics. Nikkei previously mentioned in a column that "Japan is a country where playing sports at school is natural." Yomiuri Shimbun also analyzed, "70% of junior high school students and 50% of high school students belong to sports clubs. Many Olympic athletes also have club activity experience. There is a deep connection between clubs and the Olympics." This atmosphere is quite different from that of Korea, where only a select few talented students are chosen and trained as athletes.

Japan’s club activities originated in 1886 with the establishment of the 'Imperial University Sports Association' by students at the predecessor of the University of Tokyo. Martial arts and budo, which train both mind and body, were popular sports in Japan, but with modernization and the introduction of sports by missionaries, students began embracing a variety of sports.

Even Shizo Kanakuri, who first represented Japan at the Olympics in 1912, started marathon running through club activities. Kanakuri, known as the 'Father of Japanese Marathon,' was a geography major at the predecessor of Tsukuba University, Tokyo Higher Normal School, and unrelated to sports. Tokyo Higher Normal School worked hard to expand sports participation opportunities by holding swimming and long-distance running competitions for all students, through which Kanakuri discovered his talent and earned the chance to compete in the Olympics.

Yuki Tanaka competing in canoe slalom. (Photo by NHK)

In Japan, students take their club activities seriously. Once they join, they must participate under teacher supervision after school and on holidays throughout the year. Teachers interested in the sport become the coaches. Students practice on weekends and even attend training camps and dormitory stays during vacations. Especially in baseball clubs, it is common to find teachers who were former baseball players or 'underground masters' who once dreamed of becoming players themselves.

Because teachers actively participate in club activities, sometimes these activities are seen as 'exploiting teachers.' In response, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has expressed plans to outsource club supervision to external instructors.

Despite this, the club culture continues to thrive. New Olympic sports often develop into new club activities. For example, after Japanese athletes performed well in skateboarding, which was first included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, schools eagerly adopted it as a club activity. Niigata Prefecture’s Kaishi International High School established a skateboarding club after the Tokyo Olympics, building on the strengths of its existing snowboard club.

Yoshizawa Coco (14), who won the gold medal in the women's skateboarding street category. (Photo by NHK)

With some luck, students can devote over 10 years to a single sport during their elementary, junior high, and high school years. For instance, in Gunma Prefecture, which has had an ice rink since 1949, a significant proportion of Olympic speed skating athletes were members of ice skating clubs at Gunma’s elementary, junior high, and high schools. Clubs thus become places where sports know-how is passed down to future generations. Osaka Seifu Junior and Senior High School is a 'gymnastics powerhouse' that has produced 15 Olympic gymnasts. When an alumnus becomes an Olympian, they visit the school to meet juniors, inspiring them to achieve good results.

Professor Atsushi Nakazawa of Waseda University told Yomiuri, "In countries like the United States, it is common to learn sports outside of school, which is often influenced by family economic circumstances. In Japan, entry is easy, and this is connected to how students are guided at school, making it a culture that can be called 'club culture.'"

Population Decline is a Variable... "No One to Form Baseball Teams"

However, a variable is the declining population due to low birthrates. Sankei Shimbun also reported, "It is uncertain whether Japan can continue to produce many medalists in the future."

According to statistics released by the Japan Sports Agency in March 2019, the number of junior high school students belonging to sports clubs is expected to decrease by 36.7% by around 2048 compared to the peak in 2009. The private Sasagawa Sports Foundation expressed concern that the number of teenagers playing baseball at least once a week dropped from 1.17 million in 2001 to 650,000 in 2021, a halving. Under these circumstances, it is becoming difficult to form school teams for group ball sports like baseball and soccer. Cases of competing as school combined teams are already increasing.

The summer National High School Baseball Championship (Koshien), known as the flower of Japanese high school baseball tournaments, stadium view. (Photo by NHK)

The impact is even greater on less popular sports. The Japan Junior High School Physical Education Federation, which has hosted the National Junior High School Physical Education Tournament since 1979, plans to abolish 9 of the 19 sports events after 2027. The events to be abolished are those difficult to access through club activities, such as sumo, skating, ice hockey, handball, and rhythmic gymnastics. Handball clubs account for only 7% of boys and 6% of girls in junior high school clubs nationwide. In response, the Japan Handball Federation’s secretariat appealed to the media, saying, "The status of handball can be completely changed by just one superstar."