Japan is currently working to reform college sports and establish its own version of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), creating athletic departments at universities to help it function more efficiently.

When that's accomplished, the hope is that it will benefit universities as a whole, enhance the experience of the students and bring communities together, using athletic programs as the catalyst.

A joint research project between Japan's University of Tsukuba, the United States' Temple University and Dome Corporation (the licensed Japanese distributor for American sporting product company Under Armour) has carried out in-depth studies of the NCAA, which oversees college sports in the U.S., and athletic departments around the country, since last summer in order to provide reference points to create the best-possible environment for collegiate sports in Japan.