My name is Takashi Ito, and I was elected President at the General Meeting held in December 2025. I will do my utmost during my three-year term, and I look forward to your continued support.
I have 37 years of practical experience as a lawyer, but I certainly do not have a track record of academic research. When my name was put forward as a candidate, I questioned whether I was truly suitable to serve as the representative of an academic society—an organization dedicated to research. However, once it was officially decided at the General Assembly that I would assume the role of President, I resolved to accept the challenge.
In high school, I was a member of the baseball team and aspired to play at Koshien Stadium. Of course, that dream was short-lived, but unfortunately, “harsh coaching” was the norm in high school baseball at that time. About 30 years later, my son began aiming for the national level in a certain sport, and I was stunned to discover that “harsh coaching” was still rampant in the sports world. When I mentioned this to a lawyer I knew, it caught the attention of some senior colleagues, and that’s how I ended up entering the field of sports law.
Given that this was my starting point, the 2011 Sakuramiya High School incident came as a tremendous shock to me. I even wondered if that captain might not have lost his life had I been more committed to eradicating violence. Afterward, I served for many years as the chief attorney for the third-party consultation desk established at the Japan Sports Agency, but violence in sports coaching has still not been completely eradicated.
Furthermore, while governance and compliance in the sports world have become increasingly demanded following various incidents, there are still many instances where these measures fall short. In particular, the reality is that safeguards for children are not yet fully in place. We should continue to examine issues related to the prevention of sports accidents and compensation, and approaches to dispute resolution and doping in sports will need to evolve further to keep pace with the changing times. In addition, new problems such as the secret filming of athletes and defamation via social media have emerged, and it seems the challenges facing sports law will never cease.
The Japan Sports Law Association has held repeated discussions on these issues through collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Moving forward, we intend to continue our active efforts with the cooperation of our members to attract the interest of an even wider audience, and we appreciate your continued support.
February 12, 2026
Takashi Ito, President, Japan Sports Law Association