Japan Looks to Sports to Bridge Cultural Gap with Foreigners

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, January 30, 2026

With more foreigners of various nationalities residing in Japan, the Japan Sport Association has been working to get Japanese and foreign residents to play sports together, hoping to foster mutual understanding and create a more inclusive society.

In its mid-term plan for the fiscal 2023 to 2027 period, the JSPO includes “respecting diversity” as one of its central goals. The association is concerned that foreign residents often lack an adequate understanding of Japanese culture and customs. Hoping to strengthen ties between foreign residents and the communities in which they reside, it has held sports events for foreign and Japanese residents to play together in places such as Tokyo.

A total of 660 foreign residents from Vietnam, Malaysia, Ukraine and elsewhere participated in the events in the three years through fiscal 2024, according to the JSPO.

In those events, participants play sports that are often seen at sports days in Japan, such as tamaire bean-bag toss, ball-rolling races and tug of war. The events also include traditional dances from the countries of foreign participants as well as gesture games, which allow people to experience different cultures while exercising.

About 70% of participants rated the events positively in a survey conducted in 2024. Comments included, “The event help us understand different cultures and customs,” and “It provides an opportunity to interact with foreign residents and helps them not be socially isolated.”

The JSPO plans to support similar events organized by other groups, leveraging its own experiences.

“Sports are universal and can transcend language barriers,” said a JSPO official. “I hope this program will develop into regular exchanges between foreign and Japanese residents.”