In February the Yomiuri Shimbun, a major newspaper, conducted a survey in which 3,000 Japanese aged 20 or older were asked which spectator sports they enjoyed watching. Japanese professional baseball was the number-one choice of fans for the eighth year in a row, with 49% of respondents indicating they liked watching it. Enjoyed by 30% each were high-school baseball, marathon, and ekiden. Sumo, which has been called Japan's national sport, came in only fifth place, watched by 24% of respondents. Ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, professional soccer was named by 20% of respondents, making it the sixth-most popular sport. Coming in seventh was volleyball with 15%, followed by Major League Baseball in eighth with 14%.

Major League Baseball Cracks Top Ten
While the ranking of the seven most-popular spectator sports remained unchanged from a year ago, the percentage of people who indicate that they enjoy watching them dropped. But Major League Baseball was up six percentage points over the previous year, and it cracked the top ten for the first time ever. Professional soccer has been chosen by over 20% of respondents for the last five years, indicating that its popularity has stabilized, but it slipped three percentage points from last year. Even though the kick off of the World Cup is approaching, the popularity of professional soccer seems to have remained unaffected. [See graph 1]

The quickly rising popularity of Major League Baseball can be attributed to the performances of Japanese players who have made the trip across the Pacific Ocean. Some 71% of respondents indicated that they were "very interested" or "somewhat interested" in the exploits of Japanese players. More than 70% of respondents between the ages of 20 and 50 answered this way, as did 80% of those in their thirties, the highest figure among the different age groups. Looking at responses by profession, 88% of managers and professionals, as well as 80% of students, expressed interest in Japanese Major League players.

A combined total of 81% of respondents said that they watch sporting events or sports programs on TV "regularly" or "occassionally." When asked why they watched sports, the number-one answer given by respondents was "because I like them," named by 58%. The next-most popular answer was "I can see spectacular play," chosen by 33%. "I can watch exciting human drama" was a reason given by 32%.

Ichiro Most Popular Athlete
Pollees were also asked about their favorite currently active athlete. Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners was the top choice this year, the third time for him to be named Japan's most-popular athlete and the first time since 1997, when he was a member of the Orix Blue Wave. Last year's number-one choice, Hideki Matsui of the Yomiuri Giants, came in second this year. Including Ichiro and Matsui, baseball players took a total of seven of the top ten spots, including Yoshinobu Takahashi, also of the Yomiuri Giants (fourth place); Tsuyoshi Shinjo of the San Francisco Giants (sixth place); Kazuhiro Kiyohara of the Yomiuri Giants (seventh place); Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers (eighth place); and Kazhuhiro Sasaki of the Seattle Mariners (ninth place).

The third-most popular athlete was Naoko Takahashi, the marathon runner who won the gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first woman to run a marathon in less than 2:20:00 in the 2001 Berlin Marathon. Coming in fifth place was soccer player Hidetoshi Nakata, who plays for Parma in the Italian Serie A. This is the fourth consecutive year that Nakata has been ranked among the top five Japanese athletes. Speedskater Hiroyasu Shimizu, who won medals in the last two Winter Olympics, finished in tenth place. While there had previously been a sumo wrestler in the top ten every year, the most popular wrestler this year - Tochiazuma, the winner of the January basho (tournament) - came in only thirteenth place. [See graph 2]

Respondents were also asked which of Japan's professional baseball teams they like best, and the Yomiuri Giants were the overwhelming choice, named by 33%. The Hanshin Tigers came in second with 10%, followed by the Chunichi Dragons (4%), Daiei Hawks (4%), Yakult Swallows (3%), Hiroshima Carp (3%), Yokohama Bay Stars (2%), and Seibu Lions (2%). With attention focused on the leadership of Hanshin's new manager Senichi Hoshino, the Tigers have recorded double-digit popularity for the first time in nine years. If they continue to play well, their popularity will likely continue to rise.

Pollees were also asked why they were fans of their favorite baseball team. The number-one answer, chosen by 39%, was "I like the players." Coming in second was "It's my hometown team" with 23%, followed by "It has a lot of history" and "I like the manager" with 19% each.