No.3719
Sports Apparel Market in Japan: Key Research Findings 2025
Sports Apparel Market in Japan for 2024 Projected to Reach 102.7% of Preceding Year to 625,590 Million Yen
Yano Research Institute (the President, Takashi Mizukoshi) carried out a survey on the domestic sports apparel market, and found out the market size by sports category, the trend of brands and suppliers, and future perspectives.

Market Overview
The domestic sports apparel market size for 2024, based on the domestic shipment value at manufacturers, is projected to reach 625,590 million yen, 102.7% of the previous year.
As COVID-19 was reclassified as a Class 5 disease under the Infectious Disease Act in 2023, social activities returned to normal, stabilizing the demand for sports apparel in competitive sports. Additionally, demand remains strong for sportswear as lifestyle wear, replica uniforms for fans to support their favorite teams, and various products catering to inbound tourists visiting Japan. Given these conditions, the market is expected to experience positive growth.
However, the warmer-than-usual climate extending into autumn led to sluggish sales for fall/winter clothing. As indicated by the forecasted decline in training and golf wear, the market remains highly sensitive to seasonal factors.
Noteworthy Topics
Outdoor Apparel Continue to Drive Entire Sports Apparel Market in 2024
Strong sales from the previous year continue for outdoor apparel. The outdoor apparel market in 2024 is projected to achieve 188,000 million yen, 110.6% of the preceding year.
By combining fashion and function, and with availability through various suppliers, major outdoor brands like The North Face (TNF) and Patagonia are performing exceptionally well, driving overall market growth.
Their core items are so popular that they often sell out each year. The cycle works like this: Consumers who missed out on purchases in the previous season tend to buy early during the pre-season period. As a result, this year’s stock often sells out before the season even begins.
Due to this cycle, outdoor apparel is less impacted by the 'warmer-than-usual climate extending into autumn,' which typically results in sluggish sales for fall/winter clothing. This is another factor contributing to the strong sales of outdoor apparel.
Future Outlook
The domestic sports apparel market in 2025 is projected to reach 647,090 million yen, 103.4% of the previous year’s market size. Generally, the market is expected to follow this growth trajectory, as there are no significant factors likely to disrupt the trend between 2024 and 2025.
Looking at the market by category, the outdoor apparel segment is expected to maintain strong growth, reaching 109.0% of the previous year’s performance. In fact, outdoor apparel is the only category projected to experience an annual growth rate higher than 5%.
Other categories are expected to show slower growth. While demand for competitive sports remains robust, overall growth will depend heavily on other influencing factors.
Research Outline
2.Research Object: Sports related enterprises (manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers)
3.Research Methogology: Face-to-face interviews (including online interviews) by our expert researchers, survey via telephone and email, and mailed questionnaire
The Sports Apparel Market
The sports apparel market in this research refers to the market of clothing for the following 12 categories: training, lifestyle, golf, outdoor, soccer (football) & futsal, baseball & softball, tennis, track & field and running, swimming, basketball, ski & snowboard, and others. The “others” include clothing for volleyball, Judo, Kendo, Karate, rugby, table tennis, etc.
<Products and Services in the Market>
Products (Clothing for training, lifestyle, golf, outdoor, soccer & futsal, baseball & softball, tennis, track & field and running, swimming, basketball, ski & snowboard, and others), sports apparel brand ranking, shipment value by retailer (large sporting goods stores, sports specialty stores, the shops directly operated by manufacturers, department stores, ecommerce, outlet stores directly owned by brands, casual clothing stores, shops within commercial facilities)
Published Report
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