A systematic review of sports talent identification and development in Japan: Methodological characteristics, assessment practices, and institutional contexts

This systematic review synthesises research on sports talent identification and development (TID) in Japan published between 1990 and 2024, aiming to clarify the methodological characteristics, assessment practices, and institutional contexts shaping the Japanese TID system. Following PRISMA guidelines, four databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, J-STAGE, and CiNii Research) were systematically searched, yielding 42 eligible peer-reviewed studies. Study quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists, and findings were analysed using descriptive statistics and inductive categorisation. The results identify three key characteristics of Japanese TID research. First, studies predominantly emphasise conceptual frameworks and system-level design, whereas longitudinal and outcome-based empirical evidence remains limited. Second, assessment practices are largely centred on morphological and basic motor ability measures, with psychological characteristics rarely examined despite their recognised importance in international TID literature. Third, Japanese TID operates within an education-integrated and decentralised structure involving school-based extracurricular sport (bukatsudō), municipal and regional programmes, and national federation pathways. While this structure provides multiple entry points into TID pathways, it also generates coordination challenges related to standardisation, continuity, and information sharing. Overall, the findings suggest that Japanese TID has developed within a policy-driven educational context, in which talent identification functions less as a purely technical mechanism of early selection and more as an institutionalised, developmental process. By incorporating Japanese-language research that is rarely included in international reviews, this study contributes to a more geographically inclusive and context-sensitive understanding of global TID systems.