ESPORTS IN

JAPAN
日本における
eスポーツ
How is esports
classified in Japan?
• In Japan Esports is not considered to be
a sport, it is known as a game and
although players are seen as
professional, they will not always
receive any pay for demonstration
tournaments or matches within esports.
Esports is very popular in Japan due to it
having one of the largest video games
companies in the world. After all this
esports makes a small impact to Japan
financially in terms of all gaming
revenue.
Who is the most popular
esports team in that
country?
• One of the most popular Esports teams
in Japan currently is Crazy Raccoon, this
team has many different players and a
wide range of games they play. They
play Apex legends, Clash royale, Brawl
stars, Fortnite, VALORANT, Super Smash
Bros and Street Fighter. They also host a
tournament called the Crazy raccoon
cup, this was made to boost the
popularity of Esports, some have high
cash prizes, and some are for charity
foundations, this event had become one
of the biggest Fortnite events in Asia.
What is the most
popular esports game
in Japan?
The most popular games played competitively in Japan is
currently; League of Legends, Call of Duty and CS:GO.

League of legends has a range of skilled players from across

the world, countries such as China and South Korea have
some of the best players in the game. Japan are evolving to
become the best in the game with key players such as
these;
• Tubasa Hamagishi
• Kotoji Mugita
• Ryouta Sakura

Call of Duty is one of the most popular combat games for

Japanese gamers. The Call of Duty mobile championship
was held in Japan in 2021. If you are looking to compete in
esports in Japan, this is your best bet on being successful.

Counter-Strike is globally popular and with Japan's slow

start in the esports industry, it has become more popular
with Japanese players and viewers when watching CS:GO
tournaments and competitions.
What national bodies, companies and
organizations are there?
Japan, being like the United Kingdom, doesn't recognize the
video game competitive industry as a "sport" being known as just a "game"
and because of this, the Esports industry in Japan aren't acknowledged as
much as countries such as the United States or China. There is organization
in Japan called, JeSU which is surrounds the topic of promotingEsports, and
encouraging more people to get involved, similar to the British Esports
Association.

There are twenty-six companies that have been known as a member of the
Japanese organization, such as; Sony Interactive Entertainment, Microsoft
Japan, Sega and many more.

With an aim to expand Esports in Japan, they have engaged international

endeavors to be a representation of Japanese competitive gaming.
Does that
country host any
esports events?
• Japan hosts many esports events
some of the biggest being the
VALORANT champions tour with
13 thousand live attendees and 80
thousand online live viewers.
Another big esports event is the
Tokyo game show there is 300
thousand attendees and a one-day
ticket costed 2,300 yen which is
equivalent to $17.50, or you could
purchase an afternoon ticket
which costed 1,300 yen which is
equivalent to $9.80. Japan often
hosts many esports events like
these and a lot of them are some
of the most popular in the world.
How is the organization and
structure of esports
different to the UK?
• Esports in the UK unlike some other countries is
yet to be considered a sport. Although Esports
meets most of the requirements the DCMS are
responsible for advancement of digital
infrastructure to promote sport. The most
notable organization within the UK is called the
British Esports organization. It is a nonprofit and
its main purpose is to spread awareness about
Esports. In the UK Esports is split into leagues
and regular tournaments and the two biggest
structured leagues include ESL's nationals
championship and the United Kingdom esports
league. Unlike the UK Japan has considered
Esports to be a sport, although esports is not
included in the governments basic act on sport.
Esports has a lot of tournaments held in Japan
like the UK they have many professional Leagues
that pro player participate in.
Any
questions?