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Fears for judo’s future in Japan as bullied, burnt-out children quit in droves

  • The number of people taking part in judo in Japan has plummeted in recent years, with children accounting for the steepest decline in numbers
  • Insiders worry young children are being pushed too hard. Dozens of judo-related deaths have been reported in Japanese schools over the decades

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A child is seen with their judo instructor during a training session in Fukuroi, Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture. Photo: AFP
Agence France-Presse
Japan is the home of judo but a brutal win-at-all-costs mentality, corporal punishment and pressure to lose weight are driving large numbers of children to quit, raising fears for the sport’s future in its traditional powerhouse.

Underlining the scale of the problem, the All Japan Judo Federation cancelled a prestigious nationwide tournament for children as young as 10, warning they were being pushed too hard.

A pressure group dedicated to those injured or killed while practising the martial art says that 121 judo-related deaths were reported in Japanese schools between 1983 and 2016.

Japan regularly dominates the Olympics judo medal table but federation president Yasuhiro Yamashita said that the values of the sport are being lost as parents and coaches chase short-term glory.

“Judo is a sport that emphasises humanity,” said Yamashita, who is also the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee and won gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

“If you see no worth in anything but winning, and the result is all that matters, that gets distorted.”

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