NEWSWORTHY
For more than a third of the year, Sapporo is buried beneath thick snow. During its warmer months, however, the city shrugs off its winter coat and bursts into life. If winter is uncomfortably cold, then summer is refreshingly cool; Sapporo doesn't suffer from the ...
NEC facial recognition adopted for Rugby World Cup next year in Japan
A facial recognition system developed by NEC Corp. has been adopted for checking the entry of reporters at Tokyo Stadium and International Stadium Yokohama during the Rugby World Cup that Japan will host next year. Using identification cards for media organizations and face images of ...
Toshiba Corp. is considering selling its famed rugby team after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan as part of business streamlining, company sources said Thursday. The electronics manufacturer sponsors the Brave Lupus, a five-time Japan Rugby Top League champion whose players include Japan captain ...
Supporters of All Blacks, Wallabies enjoy taste of Rugby World Cup atmosphere in Yokohama
Australia and New Zealand fans are already looking forward to next year's Rugby World Cup after getting a taste of the atmosphere in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup game in Yokohama. "It will be bedlam," said New Zealand fan Brian King, who traveled to Japan to watch ...
Kumamoto grateful for opportunity to host Rugby World Cup matches
Hideomi Ryu played a central role in getting his native city of Kumamoto elected to host games for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, even when naysayers thought it was no more than a pipe dream in a community dominated by baseball. The 75-year-old chairman of ...
New coach Tony Brown to make national team members prove worth for Sunwolves
New Sunwolves head coach Tony Brown said Friday the Japan national team members in line to play at the 2019 Rugby World Cup will need to prove themselves if they are to play Super Rugby next year. The 43-year-old former All Black, who will combine ...
Hokkaido Barbarians hope to help Sapporo shine during 2019 Rugby World Cup
About an hour's drive south of central Sapporo is the hot springs resort of Jozankei, a town nestled within the lush valley of the Toyohira River. Popular as a tourist destination for its onsens and brilliant red and yellow autumn foliage, Jozankei has a well-kept ...
Kyushu set to play key role in RWC buildup
A sense of familiarity, long-standing historical ties, and a look to the future have ensured the southern island of Kyushu will resemble Little Britain in the buildup to next year's Rugby World Cup. England, Scotland and Wales have announced they will be based in the ...
Tokyo marks one-year countdown to 2019 Rugby World Cup
Rugby officials emphasized that the first Rugby World Cup in Asian would be a "game changer" that could bring the game to the next phase. Speaking at a One-Year To Go Festival event at Tokyo's Meiji Kinenkan, World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said that "history ...
Jamie Joseph to step down as Sunwolves coach before Rugby World Cup
Japan coach Jamie Joseph will stand down as head coach of the Sunwolves in the build-up to Rugby World Cup, forcing the Super Rugby side to put a new person in charge for the fourth time in as many years. Speaking at a news conference ...
Ticket sales brisk as Japan prepares for rugby mania
The eyes of the rugby world will be on Japan in a year when the Brave Blossoms take on Russia at Tokyo Stadium on Sept. 20, 2019, in the opening game of the ninth Rugby World Cup. In a bid to break away from the ...
Brave Blossoms icon Goromaru calls for better promotion of Japanese rugby
Rugby icon Ayumu Goromaru is deeply concerned with the status quo surrounding his sport since the Japan's national team's sensational World Cup campaign in 2015. "Frankly speaking, as a player I feel very irritated," said Goromaru, a fullback for the Top League's Yamaha Jubilo, in ...
