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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Mar 16, 2016

Views from Tokyo: Are Japan's Sunwolves ready for Super Rugby?

Fans offer their views on the prospects for the Sunwolves, Asia's first Super Rugby team.
Rugby
Feb 23, 2016

Rugby World Cup chief pledges faith in Japan 2019 organizers

The head of the Rugby World Cup is confident that Japan can transform itself into a rugby-mad nation by 2019 and make the first tournament to be held in Asia a success.
Japan Times
Rugby
May 4, 2023

Former World Rugby President Bernard Lapasset dies

Bernard Lapasset, former president of rugby union's governing body and the driving force behind Paris' successful 2024 Olympic bid, has died. He was 75.
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Mar 28, 2020

Odd decisions, big questions amidst crises in Japanese rugby

With rugby seemingly done for the season, it is time to look back on a crazy few months that have seen Japanese rugby go from the highs of the 2019 Rugby World Cup to a state of confusion in which even a former Brave Blossoms captain is questioning what is going on.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Dec 27, 2019

Matching magic moments to karaoke classics in a historic year for Japan rugby

With the bōnenkai (year-end party) season in full swing, it is time to look back at a special year of rugby in Japan while also trying to predict what the future holds.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 30, 2019

Rugby superfan 'Bak-san' becomes World Cup sensation with body-painted jerseys

Step aside Beauden Barrett, Owen Farrell and Siya Kolisi — the real MVP of the 2019 Rugby World Cup so far is "Bak-san."
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 20, 2019

Fans stoked for start of Rugby World Cup

Hours before Friday night's Rugby World Cup opening game between Japan and Russia at Tokyo Stadium, tons of fans donned red and white Brave Blossoms replica jerseys.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 20, 2019

Sports bars in Tokyo, Osaka and beyond for watching the 2019 Rugby World Cup

Can’t make it to the game? A sports bar is the next best place to watch alongside fellow fans (and rivals rooting for the opposing team). Here’s a selection of some of the best watering holes in Tokyo and Osaka where sports are on tap.
Rugby / Coach's Eye
Jul 5, 2019

Rugby underwent big changes on global scale in 1990s

The Rugby World Cup has become a massive sporting event.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 14, 2016

Rugby chief fears Olympics leaving 2019 World Cup in shade

World Rugby chief Brett Gosper admits he is concerned that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are shunting the 2019 Rugby World Cup into the shadows just three years before Japan hosts the event.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 30, 2015

Japan looking to draw strength from off-field rugby turmoil

Japan captain Michael Leitch fears that Japanese rugby is in danger of squandering the momentum it has built up in recent years following a harrowing week for the sport.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 2, 2013

A tale of two knives, a Kiwi legend, a gang and a girl

The story reads like a New Zealand news editor's wish list: Celebrity, dangerous weapons, bizarre behavior, death threats, Brazilian street gangs and a mysterious love interest.
Japan Times
Rugby
Jun 28, 2022

Spain's disqualification from 2023 Rugby World Cup confirmed

Spain, which had reached the tournament for the first time since 1999, was penalized after the team was found to have used an ineligible player during qualifying.
Rugby
Apr 12, 2020

World Rugby vice chairman Agustin Pichot looks to unseat Bill Beaumont for top job

Agustin Pichot will run against incumbent Bill Beaumont for the top job in World Rugby this month, the outspoken former Argentina international announced in a surprise move on Sunday.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2019

Fans toast beer hawkers' debut at Rugby World Cup

Dilemma: You are watching a Rugby World Cup game at a stadium and you fancy a beer, but you don't want to take your eyes off the action.
France's scrum-half Antoine Dupont warms up ahead of a match between France and Australia near Paris on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 30, 2023

Now or never for favorites France as Rugby World Cup hosts

France might be below Ireland and the Springboks in the world rankings but they have seldom been in such good form before a Rugby World Cup.
England's Ellis Genge (center) is tackled by Japan's Craig Millar (left) and Tomoki Osada during their match at the Rugby World Cup in Nice, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 18, 2023

Japan fails to keep up with England at Rugby World Cup

Japan fell to its first loss of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Sunday, going down 34-12 to England in Pool D in front of 30,500 at Stade de Nice.
Katsuya Hashimoto scored 19 tries for Japan as the team recorded a 48-41 win over the United States to secure the wheelchair rugby gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on Monday.
PARALYMPICS
Sep 3, 2024

Japan eases past U.S. for first Paralympic wheelchair rugby gold

Katsuya Hashimoto scored 19 tries for Japan, which had secured bronze in the past two Games.
Australia's Charlotte Caslick (left) has been ruled out of the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup due to an ankle injury.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 11, 2025

Australia loses Charlotte Caslick ahead of Women's Rugby World Cup

Caslick, who was named sevens World Player of the Year in 2016, damaged her ankle against New Zealand last month but was included in Jo Yapp's Australia squad last week.
The No. 2 field at the Hanazono Rugby Stadium complex in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. The field is slated to be upgraded into a 5,000-seat stadium but has faced lengthy construction delays.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 4, 2025

Upgrades for Osaka's Hanazono Rugby Stadium still mired in delays

The planned upgrades, featuring the construction of a new stadium by FC Osaka, is a condition for the third-tier J. League club to use Hanazono as its home ground.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past