The physical fitness levels of most age groups in Japan declined in fiscal 2021 compared with two years earlier, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a recent government survey has shown.

But while the pandemic may have led to fewer opportunities for exercise, Hisashi Naito, a professor of exercise physiology at Juntendo University who assisted in the study, said the results "cannot be entirely attributed to COVID-19 as a variety of factors were involved."

The survey, conducted by the Japan Sports Agency between May and October 2021, measured the physical strength and aptitude of approximately 48,000 people between the ages of 6 and 79.