Abstract des Autors

This chapter has described the current state of youth sport in Japan as well as two controversial issues that exist with it today. First, we examined general quantitative trends in youth sport using nation wide statistical data, which showed that Japanese youth play a variety of sports actively, especially as members of extracurricular clubs affiliated with their schools. Second, we described the current state of affairs of Japanese school sport as a centre of Japanese youth sport, demonstrating that there is a large system of extracurricular sport activities sanctioned by the state. These sports are coached by volunteer teachers, but both these teachers and the students they guide have their own particular worries. Third, we delineated a brief history of youth sport in Japan by focusing on the postwar history of school sport, showing how this large system of extracurricular sport activities became a centre of youth sports in Japan. Finally, we considered two serious issues, judo accidents and corporal punishment, as a way to better understand the current challenges facing youth sport in Japan. We must address such problems so as to save and safeguard youth lives, and to make sure that in the future all Japanese youth can truly enjoy their sporting experiences. (Zusammenfassung)