Japan Data
Sport
Who are young Japanese’s favorite sportspeople? Here is the subject of this survey carried out every two years.
National and international athletes
In a survey conducted in June and July 2025 by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation (SSF), 1,438 men and women aged 12 to 21 living in Japan were asked about their favorite sportsman. Ohtani Shôhei, star of the Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB), comes first, followed by volleyball players Ishikawa Yûki and Takahashi Ran.
Carried out every two years, this survey is in its fourth consecutive edition placing Ohtani in first place, after those of 2019, 2021 and 2023. He received 19.9% of the votes, or 15.4 points ahead of second place.
The results likely reflect the constant media exposure Ohtani enjoys on television, in the press and on the Internet. In September 2024, he became the first player in MLB history to achieve “50 home runs and 50 stolen bases”, and this season he fully resumed his role as nitôryûtaking on both the roles of pitcher and hitter.
Ishikawa Yûki, second in the ranking, plays for the powerful Perugia club in the Italian Serie A, the most prestigious volleyball league in the world. Takahashi Ran (third place) and basketball player Kawamura Yûki (fourth) experienced notable progress, after occupying eighth and tenth places respectively in the previous survey. Footballers Mitoma Kaoru and Lionel Messi share fifth place. Already well ranked in the previous survey (second and third), they thus confirm their already solidly established popularity.
Source: table created by Nippon.com based on data from the Sasakawa Sports Foundation.
Data used
(Headline photo: Ohtani Shôhei gives a speech at Dodger Stadium, after the 2025 World Series victory parade, November 3, AFP/Jiji)
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