Which game is officially recognised as the national sport of Japan?

Introduction / Context:
Many countries have a game that is traditionally regarded as their national sport. This question asks about Japan and tests whether you can correctly match the country with the sport that is culturally and historically most representative, which is a frequent topic in static GK.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The country mentioned is Japan.
• We must identify the national game associated with Japan.
• The options are tennis, karate, ice hockey and sumo wrestling.
• We assume the question follows conventional exam GK sources that treat sumo wrestling as the national game of Japan.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is to use fundamental knowledge of world sports culture. Although Japan participates in many sports, sumo wrestling is deeply rooted in Japanese tradition and has strong cultural and religious connections. Static GK books therefore consistently list sumo wrestling as the national game of Japan, and this pairing is widely tested.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the question asks specifically about the national sport of Japan. Step 2: Recall from GK notes that sumo wrestling is the sport most symbolically associated with Japan. Step 3: Review the four options and check which one matches that cultural association. Step 4: Note that tennis, karate and ice hockey, while played in Japan, do not have the same historical status as sumo. Step 5: Select sumo wrestling as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by checking multiple exam oriented GK compilations and educational websites. They typically mention sumo wrestling when listing national games of major countries. Looking at Japanese cultural descriptions also reinforces this, as sumo tournaments are treated as important national events.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Tennis: Tennis is popular in many countries but is not regarded as the national game of Japan in exam GK.
Karate: Karate originated in Japan and is significant, but standard MCQ references still list sumo wrestling as the national game rather than karate.
Ice hockey: Ice hockey is more strongly associated with countries such as Canada and Russia, not with Japan as its national sport.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes choose karate because it is a martial art originating in Japan and is very famous globally. This is a common trap option. Another pitfall is to overthink the idea of official government recognition when most exam questions rely on widely accepted cultural associations instead. To avoid confusion, memorise a simple link Japan national game sumo wrestling as a fixed pair.

Final Answer:
The national game of Japan is conventionally recognised as Sumo wrestling.