ABSTRACT
In this chapter my aim is to highlight the key changes that have occurred in Japanese sport under the influence of current globalization processes. Particular attention will be paid to the decision-making processes of Japanese capitalists and how these decisions have affected the development of sport in Japan. A British sociologist, Joseph Maguire (1999), argues that sport is undergoing major changes under globalization. With regard to nation states, within which many influencing factors are apparent, a better understanding of recent fundamental changes can thus be gained if reference is made to these globalization processes. Moreover, if we limit our observation to the nation state level, this impact appears as an unresolved complex and interwoven configuration. Maguire (1999) uses the term ‘The global sports figuration’ to emphasize the increasing pressures now being put on sport on a global scale, rather than using a term which places the emphasis on the more traditional model of the nation state.
