Is it OK to run at a school track?

Hey there!
I live close to a school that has a nice quarter mile track. I was wondering if it is acceptable for me to go run on this track. I never see anyone else out there running which made me think maybe I shouldn't, but then again I never saw people running on the tracks at the high schools back in the US. Is it alright in Japan to go run on tracks at schools? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Most likely not without permission from the school.
If it is a school track its probably only reserved for school uses.

Because of incidents in the past (including this year) with people from outside the school going in and attacking students and staff members, security at Japanese schools can often be quite tight.

It is pretty unlikely that you would be allowed onto the school grounds, and if you were able to get onto the track when no-one was there you would probably be asked to leave when somebody did see you.

As Sira mentioned, the reason people aren't allowed within the gates today is mainly for security. There often is a (Japanese) sign somewhere saying you're not allowed. About seven or eight years ago before these dangerous incidents started happening, schools welcomed neighbors with open arms and you were allowed to go in and out almost any time. So basically, schools hope to be open to public but cannnot due to security reasons.

Why not try asking them anyway by going to the teachers' office? If you can prove that you're a safe person, they might let you run. However, if they don't, you might want to try negociating by forming a groups of runners. Quite often public schools in Japan lend their premises to sport groups young and old who can take responsibility, and they would be free to use a certain space at a certain time usually after dark or on weekends.