At the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games, the athletics events were held in Tokyo, Japan in May. A total of eighteen events were contested in the men-only competition. The javelin throw was contested for the first time and a was included for the first and only time as the sole long-distance running event (replacing the 8-mile race held in 1915). Japan won most of the individual track medals, while China and the Philippines were the most successful in the field events section.