Shiseido to Suspend Its Women's Athletics Team Next Spring

The cosmetics company said shifts since the team's 1979 founding prompted the pause, prioritizing support for affected athletes and staff.

Overview

Shiseido announced on Wednesday, October 14 that it will suspend activities of its corporate women's athletics team at the end of March 2027.
The company framed the move as an 'activity suspension' and cited changes in the environment since the team was founded in 1979 as its reason for the decision.
The team is a corporate (実業団) long-distance and marathon program that has produced Olympic runners such as Harumi Hiroyama and Mao Ichiyama and currently includes athletes like Rino Goshima.
Shiseido said it will put athletes' and staff members' wishes first and provide support, but the company gave few operational details and fuller reporting is blocked by paywalls.
The pause could shrink a key employment and coaching pipeline in Japan's distance-running system and may affect athletes preparing for selection events, including next October's marathon trial.