The Japanese men's national basketball team has competed in several Olympic Games and has produced several NBA players, including Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe.

Soccer, or football, is a popular sport in Japan and the country has a professional soccer league with 18 teams.

The Kamakura period, which lasted from the 12th to the 14th century, was a time of political upheaval and marked the rise of the shogunate.