Organizers say they expect the Rugby World Cup to bring ¥437.2 billion in economic benefits, pinning their hopes on the 400,000 foreign visitors who are projected to visit Japan for the tournament.
As that estimate only takes into account the impact before and during the tournament, and not afterward, real success depends on whether the Japanese rugby community, sports-related companies and host cities can carry on the effects to boost budding businesses, analysts say.
An economic impact report by the Japan organizing committee of the Rugby World Cup, released in March 2018, says that the tournament to be hosted in Asia for the first time since the inaugural edition in 1987 could attract up to 1.8 million fans, including 400,000 from overseas.