Industry and Sports

Abstract

The sports policy in Japan has been changing rapidly since the beginning of the 21st century. Especially after establishing the Japan Sports Agency in 2015, the relationship between industries and sports has changed. The Japan Sports Agency (JSA) set up the ‘Meeting for the Future Development of Sport’ with several experts and sports-related persons. In this meeting, there were discussions about revitalization of regional communities and the economy through sport. The JSA set economic development goals for the sports industry. Sports policies and industries will have closer relationships in the near future. This study tries to describe the historical relationship between sport-related policies and industries, triggered by the professional baseball league business reopening just after World War II ended. Economic development, technological innovations and socio-cultural changes affected policies for sports and industries in Japan. The final section of this study discusses future issues, such as globalization, digitalization, industrialization and sport integrity, and sports-related policies for industries.