The Japanese government's Japan Sports Agency (JSA) should adopt policies to promote safe sports in Japan by ending abuses and discrimination against athletes, 12 nongovernmental organizations and individuals said in a joint letter to Junichi Kawai, the JSA's commissioner. Kawai, the former chairman of the Japanese Paralympic Committee, was appointed commissioner effective October 1, 2025.
On November 28, the signers urged the JSA to prioritize safety in sports, calling it a critical step to protect athletes from all forms of abuse. The signers include, Athlete Save Japan, Human Rights Watch, Japan Safe Sport Project, Kantokuga Okottewa Ikenai Taikai, Sport for Creating Pathways Japan (S.C.P. Japan), Unisocc, and five athletes and experts.
"Abuse against athletes, including children, has been normalized in sports in Japan," said Hanna Yumura, Asia officer at Human Rights Watch. "We are encouraged to see some progress but expect the JSA to take further action to adopt international standards and effective safe sport policies to protect all athletes."
Human Rights Watch's 2020 report, "'I Was Hit So Many Times I Can't Count: Abuse of Child Athletes in Japan," documents the use of corporal punishment and systemic child abuse in sports training from grassroots to school to elite sports. The following year, as part of #AthletesAgainstAbuse, an international campaign to stop abuse in sports, six leading athletic and human rights organizations wrote to the JSA calling for the government to establish a Japan Center for Safe Sport.
A safe sport center would be an independent body tasked with addressing abuse in sport. Such a center would allow athletes, parents and children to report abuse in an environment that protects against retaliation. It would also enable the authorities to track how the reports are handled to ensure the effectiveness of the complaint mechanism.
The government should also pass a Safe Sport Act under articles 8 and 29(1) of the Basic Act on Sport, the organizations said. Such legislation would provide the legal basis for establishing the Japan Center for Safe Sport. It could also serve as a tool to prohibit all forms of abuse in sports by, for example, obligating sport organizations to respond to cases appropriately.
"A safe sport center and a Safe Sport Act will strengthen the protection of athletes in Japan from all forms of abuse and discrimination," said Shoichi Sugiyama, a lawyer for athletes' rights and founder of the Japan Safe Sport Project. "These institutions would enhance inclusiveness in sports, including welcoming those with disabilities and LGBTQ+ athletes."
"This is a critical time," said Katsumi Mori, professor at the Faculty of Sports Humanities and Applied Social Science of the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya. "In June, Japan revised the Basic Act on Sport, requiring the national government to adopt measures against abuse, and this can serve as a basis for introducing a Safe Sport Act in Japan."
The Japanese government should also address beating athletes in sports training and other kinds of abuse in sport that can cause lifelong trauma for children and older athletes, the organizations said.
"Every time a child steps on the field, they should feel safe and never have to worry about abuse or discrimination," said Yuiko Inoue, a former soccer player and the representative director of S.C.P. Japan. "The Japanese government has made efforts in this direction, but it is vital for this message to reach athletes, coaches, parents and officials across Japan: whether in school sports or elite sports."
