This study examined the psychometric properties of career engagement among professional female football players in Japan. First, the Japanese version of the Career Engagement Scale (J-CES) was developed using the forward-back translation methods based on the original version. This study allowed the measurement of career engagement in Japanese. Second, one hundred and forty-six professional female football players responded to an online survey of the J-CES. The study examined the reliability and validity of the scale using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, McDonald’s omega coefficient, and confirmatory factor analysis. The classical test theory analyses indicated that the J-CES had a high internal consistency (α=0.88, ω=0.85) and was not adequately validated. Third, the factor structure of J-CES was re-examined using the methods of determining the number of factors. As a result, one- and two-factor structures were proposed. Fourth, item analysis using a unidimensional graded response model was conducted to obtain findings on more valid items for the J-CES of the one-factor structure. The item response theory analyses revealed that the J-CES had good discrimination for Items 1–4 (a>1.35). Items 1–4 are statements concerning future career-related abstract behaviors. Furthermore, we also confirmed that the simple structure with the two-factor model could be obtained using exploratory factor analysis (principal factor method with promax rotation). J-CES may be useful for investigating career engagement in light of cultural, social, and athletic differences in the future.

Although the Japan Sports Agency has actively promoted sport tourism, few studies have directly compared the impacts of sport tourism on life satisfaction across non-sport tourists, participation-based sport tourists, and spectator-based sport tourists. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of sport tourism on life satisfaction and compare its impact among non-sport tourists, participation-based sport tourists, and spectator-based sport tourists. Utilizing a two-wave prospective longitudinal design, usable data were collected from 419 tourists through online surveys administered before and after travel, categorizing participants based on their engagement in sport activities at destinations. Our sample consisted of 331 non-sport tourists, 67 participation-based sport tourists, and 21 spectator-based sport tourists. Our analysis revealed significant increases in life satisfaction across all groups. The impact was comparable across the groups, indicating the importance of overall, rather than specific, tourism experiences on life satisfaction. However, the different effect sizes suggests that the casual nature of spectator-based sport tourism might provide greater benefits to life satisfaction than the more demanding participation-based sport tourism. This study confirmed the positive impact of sport tourism on life satisfaction among Japanese adults, in line with the Japan Sports Agency’s initiatives aimed at enhancing well-being through sports, highlighting the need for further research to support the ongoing development of sport tourism in Japan.