Japan Data
Sports
Nov 27, 2025
Young Japanese picked Major League Baseball star Ohtani Shōhei as their favorite athlete for the fourth consecutive time in a biyearly poll about top sports figures.
Athletes to Look Up To
What sports figures do young people in Japan look up to most? In a biyearly poll of Japanese aged 12 to 21, the hands down favorite was Major League Baseball star Ohtani Shōhei. The two-way player for the championship Los Angeles Dodgers and National League most valuable player finished far ahead of other standout athletes like volleyball players Ishikawa Yūki and Takahashi Ran.
The sports-related survey of young people is conducted every other year by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation. Ohtani has topped the survey four times in a row since 2019, and his 19.9% total of votes was 15.4 points ahead of Ishikawa in second place. The survey, conducted in June and July, targeted 3,000 young people and received 1,438 responses.
Since the previous survey, Ohtani joined the Dodgers from the Los Angeles Angels, and has won back-to-back World Series titles and MVP honors. In September 2024, he became the first major leaguer ever to achieve 50 stolen bases and 50 home runs in one season, while the 2025 season saw his return to the mound after elbow surgery. Extensive coverage of his exploits in the Japanese media seems to have contributed to his popularity among young people.
Ishikawa Yūki, in second, plays for powerhouse Sir Safety Perugia in Italy’s professional volleyball league. Takahashi Ran, the third favorite, rose from eighth in the last survey, while basketball player Kawamura Yūki climbed from tenth to fourth. The next ranking athletes, soccer stars Mitoma Kaoru and Lionel Messi, finished second and third, respectively, in the previous poll.
Created by Nippon.com based on a survey by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation.
Data Sources
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Ohtani Shōhei gives a speech at Dodger Stadium following the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series victory parade on November 3, 2025. © AFP/Jiji.)
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youth
Ohtani Shōhei
AloJapan.com