Chapter 15: The Health and Fitness Club Industry in Japan

Japan currently faces an unprecedented aging trend, possessing the world’s oldest population as well as a historically low birth rate that has caused many social, political and economic issues (Cabinet Office, 2018). One way to alleviate these issues is to improve the quality of life through sport participation in physical activities and exercise. Sport participation, including fitness clubs, may have a positive effect not only on physical well-being but also on social and community well-being. According to the Japan Sports Agency (2020), the rate of sport participation is 53.6% for adults involved in sports more than once a week, and 27.0% for those involved in sports more than three times a week. Regarding the primary motivation for doing exercise/sport, 73.9% of adults emphasised health maintenance, 53.9% cited improving and maintaining physical fitness, while 51.5% was due to a lack of exercise. On the contrary, 15.2% (14.8% last year) fall into the uninterested group (‘never did exercise/sport during the last year’ or ‘neither engage nor intend to engage in exercise/sport future’) who are not involved in sport/exercise. Reasons given for why the frequency of participation in sports has decreased or cannot be increased include ‘I’m busy with work and housework (43.7%)’, ‘troublesome (27.5%)’ and ‘old age (24.6%)’. Therefore, there is a possibility for a further boost among those conscious of about healthcare and exercise habits among consumers in Japan given the successful bid for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The nation and its citizens may pay increased attention to improve their health through sporting habits at fitness clubs.