The 7 Most Popular Sports in Japan
The 7 Most Popular Sports in Japan
Sport is a big part of Japan’s vibrant history and culture.
But what are the most popular sports in Japan?
Read on to find out - including all the latest stats on viewership, players and big moments in Japanese sporting history!
Japanese baseball players
Japan and sports go hand in hand!
Despite Japan's historical isolation, the country has managed to popularise their own traditional sports such as judo, sumo and yukigassen - and also grow their sporting spirit as the country opened up.
Since then, Japanese people have quickly embraced sports introduced to them by other countries, such as baseball and football - and these sports have become hugely popular among the masses.
Japanese people love both watching and playing a wide range of sports - and Japan has several sports that enjoy year-round popularity among the Japanese public.
This is reflected in their sports facilities and infrastructure. The 2020 Olympics has shown us that the country has some of the best state-of-the-art facilities that can easily host major sporting events.
Let's take a look at the top 7 most popular sports in Japan.
1. Baseball
Baseball is the most popular modern sport in Japan
The Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants are big Japanese baseball teams
There are 21 million baseball fans in Japan
Even though traditional Japanese sports like judo or sumo may come to mind when talking about the Japanese sports scene, a study from September 2021 showed surprising results.
Around 21% of respondents in Japan chose baseball (or Yakyu in Japanese) as the sport they enjoy watching the most.
Other surveys have confirmed this statistic, showing that baseball is not only dominating in viewership but also in terms of live attendance at sports events.
Two of Japan’s leading professional baseball teams, the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants, are among the most supported sports teams in Japan.
Their fan bases are estimated at approximately four million and 3.7 million fans respectively.
This study further showcased that the total number of baseball fans in Japan is around 21 million people, which is why the sport secures the top spot on our list.
Read more baseball posts on our MLB blog
2. Football
Kunishige Kamamoto is a famous Japanese football player
More than 41 million people watched the 2022 World Cup group stages
The Japanese national team is called the Samurai Blue
Football, also known as soccer or Futtobōru/sakkā in Japan, is another hugely popular sport in this country.
Even long before football was a thing, the land of the Rising Sun had its own version of soccer named Kemari or kickball, which eventually evolved into the modern-day version of football.
There are many great football players from Japan, including Yasuhito Endo, Kazuyoshi Miura and Kunishige Kamamoto.
A survey from December 2022 showed that close to 50% of the respondents in Japan have watched the Japan national football team on TV or the Internet in the past year.
Each year, the number of people watching football increases.
The 2022 World Cup viewership further confirmed this claim, as it showed historic growth in football popularity.
As Asia Nikkei reports, the streaming platform Abema has shown a record-high football viewership in Japan.
More than 41 million people tuned in across the three days of group stage games to watch the Samurai Blue. The day of the Japan-Spain match logged a record viewership of 17 million daily viewers.
Japan also has an intense football rivalry with South Korea.
Read more on our football blog
3. Sumo
Sumo is the national sport of Japan
In 2015, 776.7 thousand people watched professional sumo wrestling
There are six major tournaments in Japan every year
Sumo was once the most popular sport in Japan, but now it is considered the most popular traditional sport - and it is still the national sport of Japan.
Sumo has deep roots in Japanese history, and there are six major tournaments that are held across the country each year.
Three of these tournaments are held in Tokyo, one in Aichi, one in Osaka and one in Fukuoka, each spanning 15 days.
Even though other sports have surpassed sumo in popularity in Japan, still Sumo wrestling events remain popular, and viewership continues to increase.
Statistics show that in 2015, a record-high number of 776.7 thousand people watched professional sumo wrestling, which is more than double the annual number of 308.6 thousand just four years prior, in 2011.
Sumo tournaments are held in big stadiums and tickets easily sell out, especially the expensive ringside seats, called tamari.
4. Tennis
Japan won its first-ever Olympic medal in tennis
Kei Nishikori is a famous Japanese tennis player
Naomi Osaka is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles
Even though historically and statistically speaking Japanese players have not really made a huge impact in the world of tennis, it is still one of the most popular sports in Japan.
Fun fact: Japan actually won its very first medal at the Olympic games in tennis, at the Summer Olympics back in the 1920s.
Tennis remains a popular recreational sport, even though it may not be as popular to watch as football or baseball.
The recent success of professional Japanese tennis players has contributed to the popularity of tennis in Japan.
Kei Nishikori was the second male Japanese player to be ranked in the top five singles, and the only one to do so in the Open Era.
Naomi Osaka became a four-time Grand Slam singles champion and was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association. Osaka is also the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles.
Head to our tennis blog for more
5. Figure Skating
24% of Japanese people aged 18-79 enjoy watching ice sports
Japan won three out of the four disciplines at the 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championship
The 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championship saw packed arenas across Japan
Figure skating is one of the most popular sports on ice in Japan, and its popularity keeps increasing, especially among younger audiences.
In 2021, around 24% of Japanese people aged between 18 and 79 stated that they enjoy watching ice sports on TV or via the Internet, including figure skating.
What keeps this sport so popular is the athletes who practice it! The remarkable success of Japanese skaters on the international scene has significantly contributed to the sport’s increase in popularity.
The ISU World Figure Skating Championship 2023 confirmed that Japan takes figure skating very seriously, as they won three out of the four disciplines. This was the first time they achieved this major step.
In terms of viewership, competitive figure skating may no longer be quite as popular as other sports, but among Japanese fans, interest still remains strong.
Even though the crowd failed to fill the 16,000-capacity arena in 2023, especially compared to the 2019 packed arenas, the cheers and enthusiasm of the fans were enough to encourage participants to make history.
6. Marathon
There are over 30 major marathons in Japan every year
Japanese marathons have a lottery-entry system because they’re so popular
There is a long history of athletics in Japan
Marathons may not be breaking any viewership records in Japan, but they are still extremely popular recreational sports among the Japanese population.
Japan has surpassed the US as the World’s Largest Amateur Marathon Market, with the US previously leading this market for over 50 years.
The Tokyo Marathon in 2007 had a surprising effect as it sparked “an incredible amateur running boom in Japan.”
More so, in Japan, there are currently over 30 popular major marathons planned throughout the year with the largest one being held in Tokyo. This event is considered one of the World Marathon Majors.
The increased interest in marathons in Japan is so big that major Japanese marathons like the ones in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and Nara all had to introduce lottery entry systems.
These entries start six months before the event, and many have multiple failed entry attempts.
Out of 300,000 people who applied in 2019 for the Tokyo Marathon Lottery, only 30,000 were able to participate - giving potential participants only a 1 in 10 chance of joining.
Japan has a long history of interest in athletics. They even have versions of marathon-like sports, such as Hakone Ekiden, which is a traditional Japanese practice involving a long-running relay.
In this competition, runners don’t compete with one another individually, but as a team to finish a distance.
Once one runner passes a certain distance (typically from five to 20 km) they have to give the “task” or “sash” to their team player, who then continues to run.
Japanese people just love long-distance sports!
7. Rugby Union
122,598 registered Rugby Union players in Japan
425 million people tuned into the Rugby World Championship in 2019
The Japanese national team is ranked 10th place in the world
Japan has the fourth largest population of Rugby Union players in the world (122,598 registered players), and so this sport is considered one of the most popular in the country.
The Japanese national team is ranked at 10th place in the world and the sport has been played in the country for over a century.
Even though Japan is one of the first countries to have practised rugby, the sport originally failed to catch on to Japanese audiences, compared to baseball or football (soccer).
Nonetheless, in recent years, things have started to change. Since the nation hosted the 2019 Rugby Union World Cup - and won it - the popularity of the sport exploded and interest increased.
Asian Rugby reported that the Rugby World Cup in Japan alone had a total cumulative audience of 425 million.
This is more than five times the Japanese viewership for the previous Rugby World Cup in 2015.
Once considered an ‘expat’s sport’, Rugby Union is quickly gaining more popularity and interest in Japan.
What Are the Most Popular Sports in Japan?
These top sports truly dominate the sports scene in Japan, capturing the hearts of both fans and players.
It's worth mentioning that there are other beloved sports in Japan too, such as traditional favourites like judo and imported games like golf, basketball and volleyball.
Their popularity may vary over time, but they still have a special place in the hearts of sports enthusiasts.
Sports like swimming, athletics and motorsports are also popular choices for recreational activities in Japan. All of this goes to show that Japanese people truly have a passion for playing sports and staying active.
Do you play any of these sports? Let us know in the comments!
