Japan's World Cup campaign will begin with a game against South Korea on June 16 at Tokyo's National Stadium, the opening match of the third and final round of the Asian qualifiers, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced Friday.
Japan, South Korea and the top finisher from the second round of qualifiers will play on a home-and-away basis from June 16 to July 21. The top team will automatically win a spot in next year's World Cup, to be staged in Australia, with the second-place team advancing to a further playoff.
After the June 16 game, Japan will host the winner from the second round on July 14 at National Stadium before playing South Korea on July 6 at Tondemon Stadium in Seoul before visiting the second-round winner on July 21.
Tickets for Japan's games at National Stadium will go on sale May 19 at major ticket outlets. For more information, call the JRFU at (03) 3401-3323.