The Japan Rugby Football Union said Wednesday it is aiming to host the women's Rugby World Cup as early as 2037 as part of its mid- and long-term strategy, a plan that could see Japan host the men's World Cup in 2035.
World Rugby has moved to have the men's World Cup host stage the women's event two years later, with Australia running the men's tourney in 2027 and the women's in 2029, and the United States set to do the same in 2031 and 2033.
"We've informed them (World Rugby) that we are aiming to host then (2035 and 2037), and we will go forward looking at when the conditions will allow us to really stage it," JRFU Chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi said after a meeting of the board. "When we do host it, we want to be No. 1 in the world."
With the World Cup in France coming up this autumn, the board established a bonus of ¥5 million ($37,625) per men's or women's player if Japan wins a World Cup and ¥1 million yen ($7,525) if Japan reaches the quarterfinals.
The JRFU has also set the goals of doubling the number of registered women players by 2050 from around 5,000 in fiscal 2022 and enhancing the competitive environment with an eye toward winning the 2048 Olympic women's sevens gold medal.