At Japan’s all-women powerlifting contest, strength is beautiful

Thin is commonly considered beautiful in Japan, but the members of the Strongirls powerlifting group have different ideas on the ideal body type. | JOHAN BROOKS

Aug 15, 2026

Yokosuka, Kanagawa Pref. – At 8:30 a.m. on July 12, doors opened at a gym in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and a crowd of 40 powerlifters entered to weigh in for the day’s competition of squats, bench presses and deadlifts.

It might have been an otherwise common scene at any gym across Japan if not for the fact that, at this tournament, all of the powerlifters were women.

Founded in 2020 by gym manager Kanan Kasai, 30, Strongirls Japan is an all-women powerlifting group that seeks to “inspire women to reclaim their power and discover the true beauty of what (their) bodies are really capable of.” Inspired by a similar movement in South Korea, the Japan chapter reaches its high point at its annual Strongirls Strength Festival, which held its sixth iteration last month as competitors pumped iron across three lifts..

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