In June 2011, the Basic Act on Sports was enacted following the first comprehensive revision of the Sport Promotion Act enacted in 1961. In this new Act, the right to sports is stated clearly, and support for excellent athletes and the international sports competitions is the government's duty.
There were two causes for this revision : the proposal to build a Sport Nation and Tokyo's Olympic bidding activities. The concept of a Sport Nation is not limited only to promoting sports, but also to utilizing sports to regenerate the economy, and to foster national pride and identity.
In September 2013, Tokyo succeeded in an invitation for the 2020 Olympics following its unsuccessful Olympics bid for 2016. Today, the government emphasizes support of excellent athletes to win more medals in international competitions such as the Olympics. It is the improvement of the familiar sports environments, however, that many people expect from the government.
In this study, I will overview the academic grounds regarding the right to sports and the sports policies, and I will try to clarify problems in particular, from the point of view of securing the right to sports for the general public.