Transforming sport into infrastructure for everyday life and economic growth.
We visualize the social and economic value of sport and contribute to a better society through research, publishing, and co-creation.
From Japan to Asia and the world, we explore new relationships between sport and society.
About Us →
Exploring the relationship between sport and society from multiple perspectives.
Learn more →Publishing reports, proposals, interviews, and research findings.
Learn more →Introducing collaborative research, studies, events, and implementation projects.
Learn more →Featuring interviews, contributed articles, and related coverage.
Learn more →Introducing members with diverse expertise across sport and society.
Learn more →For inquiries, questions, and collaboration opportunities.
Learn more →Founding Purpose
Around the world, sport has already moved beyond the boundaries of competition and spectatorship. It is expanding its role as social infrastructure that supports education, health, communities, cities, the economy, and international exchange. Its power to move people emotionally, create empathy, and inspire action is becoming an essential foundation for society and the economy.
Japan also has a sporting culture it can proudly share with the world: competitive excellence, deep ties with local communities, the challenges taken on by sports organizations and companies, and the passion of the many people who make sport possible.
At the same time, that value has not yet been fully communicated to people outside sport, including society at large, companies, government, education, and investors. The essential value generated by sport must be translated into language that society can understand, visualized, and connected to implementation.
Through research, publishing, dialogue, and co-creation, the Institute reexamines the social and economic value of sport and creates a place where diverse stakeholders can connect, including companies, local governments, educational institutions, sports organizations, researchers, media, and communities.
Our aim is to create a positive cycle in which people, society, and the economy grow together through sport.
Transforming sport into infrastructure for everyday life and economic growth.
From Japan to Asia and the world.
Creating new value for sport together with society.
Why we exist and the future we seek to create
To harness the essential value of sport to move hearts, change behavior, and co-create a better future. Through the positive power of sport, we aim to contribute to a sustainable and inclusive society.
To practice communication design that connects social issues with the growth of people, companies, and communities through sport. We work to transform awareness and behavior, promote co-creation, and generate cross-sector value.
A world where the connections and empathy created by sport become a force that moves society forward. We connect people across borders, generations, and positions, inspire action, and open new possibilities.
Making the value of sport visible and meaningful to society
A proposal for the Experience Impact Index (EII), designed to promote investment in sport in the age of AI. We aim to develop new evaluation indicators for decision-making by reexamining the value of sports sponsorships, partnerships, and investment not only through exposure, but also through experience value, emotional change, behavioral change, revisit intention, and recommendation intention.
EII — Experience Impact IndexConnecting solutions to social issues with business growth through sport
Positioning sport as a new industrial engine and maximizing its economic ripple effects. We propose circular growth models in which government and business collaborate.
As part of global brand strategies for companies and organizations, we help realize value co-creation that crosses national borders.
Contributing to environmentally conscious event operations and the circular economy. We make ESG management and social responsibility tangible through sport.
Sport can help lead the creation of a society that is accessible to everyone across disability, gender, nationality, and generation.
Viewing sport as social capital and an educational resource for communities, we build sustainable local models through collaboration with municipalities.
We verbalize and visualize value in connection with public relations, and promote the evolution and social implementation of sport through data, XR, and AI.
Research, papers, and findings to date and forthcoming
Interviews, contributed articles, and related coverage
The Institute for Sports Communication Design is built on a network of experts across academia, sports organizations, business, media, and related fields. Sports communication is not sustained by a single area of expertise. The Institute connects diverse knowledge and practical experience to pursue research, dialogue, and implementation that create better relationships between sport and society.
Founding Director / Representative Director / Founder, Splat Inc.
With more than 25 years of experience in communications, Erina Saito began her career in marketing communications at Apple Computer and later worked in brand management for luxury brands. She joined FleishmanHillard Japan in 2009, supporting government agencies, local governments, and domestic and global companies and brands in enhancing value and driving business growth, while establishing the Sports & Entertainment division. For major international events including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, she has provided strategic communications for organizing committees and companies in Japan and abroad, including strategy development and implementation in partnership and sponsorship fields. She founded Splat Inc. in March 2023, earned a Ph.D. in Sport Sciences from Waseda University in 2021, and established the Institute for Sports Communication Design in June 2026.
Board Member / Senior Managing Director, Japan Triathlon Union / Vice President, World Triathlon
Since the establishment of the Japan Triathlon Union (JTU) in 1994, he has been involved in organizational management and currently serves as Senior Managing Director. He was re-elected in 2024 to a third term as Vice President of World Triathlon (formerly ITU), and has also served as Vice President of Asia Triathlon and as a Director of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC). He supports the Institute with deep expertise in the management and governance of national and international sports governing bodies.
Board Member / Director and Executive Officer, PIA Corporation
He joined PIA Corporation in 1997 and has worked in IT for more than 20 years, including the web shift of ticketing, provision of IT solutions for international events, and oversight of new development projects. He became an Executive Officer in 2019 and a Director in June 2022, leading systems and digital transformation. In February 2023, he became President and Representative Director of PIA DAIMANI Hospitality Experience Inc. He supports the Institute from a practical business perspective, drawing on expertise in digital transformation and the creation of experience value in the entertainment industry.
Board Member / Associate Professor, School of Health and Sport Sciences, Chukyo University
His areas of expertise include sport management, sustainability management, and sport sociology. His research focuses on sustainability management in professional sports clubs, social impact evaluation including SROI, and visualization of the social and economic value of sport. He has served as a technical review expert for the Japan Sports Agency and as a member of social impact research projects for J.League clubs. He supports the Institute from an academic and research perspective.
Professor, Waseda University / Attorney at Law
A scholar specializing in sports law and sports governance, and an attorney at law admitted to the Daini Tokyo Bar Association and affiliated with Field-R Law Offices. He is a professor at the Waseda University Graduate School of Sport Sciences and Director of the Research Institute for Sport Business (RISB). He has held roles with the Japan Sports Agency, the Japan Sports Arbitration Agency, and various sports federations, and is the author of numerous works including Sports Business Law. He supports the Institute from legal and governance perspectives.
LUNEX University / Warsaw University of Technology
A researcher specializing in sport finance and management (Ph.D. in Finance). He serves as an assistant professor at LUNEX University in Luxembourg and is affiliated with Warsaw University of Technology. His research covers sports club management and valuation, intangible asset valuation, and sustainability, and he teaches in programs including the Erasmus Mundus Master in Sport Management. He supports the Institute from finance and sustainability perspectives.
Professor, iU Information Management Innovation Professional University
He earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. His career includes roles at Itochu Corporation, Coca-Cola Japan as Marketing VP, Microsoft Japan as General Manager of Central Marketing, IMJ as Executive Officer and CMO, and DeNA as Executive Officer. He is currently a professor at iU Information Management Innovation Professional University and Representative of Hiroto Ebata Office, working on corporate DX, AI utilization, and next-generation digital talent development. He supports the Institute from the perspective of marketing and technology.
Professor, Springfield College (Massachusetts, USA)
Professor of Sport Management and Undergraduate Program Director at Springfield College in the United States. Originally from Niigata Prefecture, he earned his Ph.D. from Florida State University. He has worked in facility and event operations in U.S. college and professional sports, including with the Carolina Panthers, and has teaching experience at the University of Tsukuba. He supports the Institute from sport management and global education perspectives.
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Tsukuba. His research focuses on university sport, including UNIVAS and the NCAA, the social effects of participatory sporting events, student-athlete well-being, and inclusive sporting environments that embrace diversity. He supports the Institute from the perspectives of well-being and community sport.
Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, PGA TOUR
He oversees PGA TOUR business operations across the Asia-Pacific region, leading a broad range of global sports business areas including sponsorship, media, licensing, and business development. Before joining the PGA TOUR, he was responsible for business development and marketing in Asian markets at Manchester United F.C. and NBA Asia. He has extensive experience in international business, brand strategy, and fan engagement through sport.
Country Head, NBA Japan
Country Head of NBA Japan, with approximately 30 years of experience in sports marketing. His career includes roles at Hakuhodo, FIFA, Coca-Cola Japan, and IMG, spanning sponsorship, brand marketing, international sporting events, and business development. As Country Head of NBA Japan, he promotes the growth and development of basketball in the Japanese market and advances the creation of social value through sport.
Organization profile
| Legal Name | General Incorporated Association Institute for Sports Communication Design |
|---|---|
| English Name | Institute for Sports Communication Design |
| Common Name | SCD Lab. |
| Established | June 15, 2026 (planned) |
| Officers | Director and Representative Director: Erina Saito / Directors: Shinichiro Otsuka, Toshihiro Kawabata, Takuya Tsukamoto |
| Purpose | To visualize the social and economic value of sport and contribute to the development of society and the economy, as well as better lives for people, through research, publishing, education, talent development, and co-creation projects. |
| Main Activities | Research and visualization of insights / publishing, proposals, and content creation / co-creation projects with companies, organizations, and educational institutions / lectures, seminars, and dialogue programs / talent development and learning opportunities |