Tokyo – September 25, 2026 -- LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) has secured new contracts with five Japanese municipalities to manage the regional transition of school club activities, expanding its footprint in an estimated JPY500 billion domestic market as the country's teacher work-style reform enters what officials call the "Reform Implementation Period" in fiscal 2026.
Five municipalities sign on for distinct club-activity transition models
The new contracts cover Sapporo City in Hokkaido (population 1,961,890), Adachi Ward (708,442) and Edogawa Ward (701,559) in Tokyo, Urayasu City in Chiba Prefecture (172,777), and Miyawaka City in Fukuoka Prefecture (25,302). In Sapporo, Leifras will run a pilot program including weekday operations across roughly 10 to 15 junior high schools and 50 to 60 club activities. Adachi Ward's contract covers integrated management of 30 club activities at 10 schools, including tournament coordination and parent communication via a dedicated app.
Edogawa Ward's deal extends to all 32 municipal junior high schools, with Leifras managing one weekend club activity per school under a ward-wide ICT and safety framework. Urayasu City's contract moves beyond sports into cultural clubs spanning insects, photography, Othello, cooking, arts and crafts, confectionery making and string instruments. Miyawaka City's agreement covers 11 club activities -- 10 sports and one cultural -- including insurance procedures and coordination among schools, the city and parents.
Japan's declining birthrate and teacher workload drive nationwide policy shift
Japan has approximately 9,800 junior high schools, and Leifras estimates the school club activity support market at roughly JPY500 billion. Fiscal 2026 marks the start of a formal reform period compelling municipalities to shift club oversight away from teachers amid falling student numbers and mounting demands for reduced teacher working hours.
Company scope shifts from instructor dispatch to full operational infrastructure
Beyond assigning instructors, Leifras now provides instructor training, safety management, insurance administration, ICT-based attendance tracking, and coordination with municipalities, schools and parents. The Sapporo contract's weekday component and Urayasu's cultural-club expansion illustrate the company's move beyond weekend-only sports dispatch toward broader community infrastructure.
Leifras cites No. 1 domestic track record as expansion accelerates
As of December 2025, Leifras held contracts covering 381 schools and supported 2,120 club activities, which the company states is the largest track record in Japan for regional school club activity support. The company operates across all 47 prefectures with 1,055 full-time and 3,544 part-time employees supporting instructor recruitment, training and deployment tailored to regional needs.