If you were asked to associate a particular nation with rugby union, you’ll more than likely think of New Zealand, South Africa, England or Australia, as these countries are historically the biggest and most successful within the game. However, given the almost meteoric rise in popularity the sport has seen in recent years, we may soon start to also associate Japan in the same regard.
This is due to a number of factors ranging from big investment, to a simply love of the game across Japanese society, but if we dig into the specifics, we can see there’s more to it than just that.
Here we take a close look at this rise in popularity and some of the key reasons for this, as well as speculating on what else the future might hold for Japanese rugby union.
A well-established history
You’d be mistaken in thinking rugby union is relatively new to Japan, it has in fact been around for centuries, it has thousands of clubs and has the largest take up of the sport in all the Asian nations.
Although not as popular as football, it is still the preferred sport for many citizens, but it properly came to the forefront in the last few decades, when more money was pumped into the grassroots development of the sport and its leagues.
Significant investment
Thanks to financial support from the likes of Nippon, Mitsubishi and Panasonic, Japanese rugby was made all the more appealing with everything from new leagues to uncapped, lucrative contract offers. This is also a long-term project with investors believing that bringing in top foreign talent and growing the sport at amateur level will continue to increase the profile of the game both at home and overseas.
A successful Rugby World Cup
One of the largest successes – which pays testament to the growth of the sport in the country – was the Rugby World Cup of 2019, where Japan was the host nation. Moreover, the side sent fans, rugby news sites and pundits into hysterics when it pulled off some amazing wins against the likes of Scotland and Ireland, eventually losing in a record-high quarter finals finish. On a global level, it was also the most watched competition in the history of the game.
A subsequently attractive league
The combination of the above milestones has already started to offer many benefits and position Japan as a more attractive destination for players. The recently renamed top-flight division, ‘Japan Rugby League One’, continues to turn the heads of players with factors like its shorter season, bigger wage packets and its bigger focus on speed and skill (rather than physicality). In turn, there’s now far greater fan engagement and interest.
A bigger global future?
As alluded to above, the positive changes are already clear to see and it’s not an unreasonable prediction to say that Japan may become another rugby union superpower in the Pacific in the coming years, especially if the next Rugby World Cup proves another relative success. Should there be some notable achievement on the global stage, Japan might be a more regular inclusion in other international tournaments, which would only lead to further rises in popularity.