Japan Rugby Union has signed a memorandum of understanding with New Zealand Rugby Union to deepen mutual cooperation, and teams from both countries will play matches regularly.
Partnering with New Zealand, a rugby powerhouse and globally popular, will be a great benefit to strengthening and promoting Japan.
Japan Rugby Union Executive Director Kensuke Iwabuchi, League One Executive Director Hayazu Tokai and New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson held a press conference in Tokyo to announce the contents of the MOU.
According to this, from 2024 to 2027, the New Zealand national team, nicknamed the "All Blacks", and their second team, Japan will play regularly in the country every year.
The tournament is usually held in July or October, when test matches are scheduled.
It will also consider opportunities for League One teams to face teams from Super Rugby, the world's top league, and opportunities for the men's and women's Japan-a-side sevens teams to face New Zealand outside of existing competitions.
Other highlights include exploring opportunities for top Japan players in women's rugby to play in the New Zealand league.
New Zealand is known as a global powerhouse with three Rugby World Cup titles, the most in history, and the haka, a traditional dance performed by the players before matches, is also gaining popularity.
For Japan, having regular matches against New Zealand teams is a huge advantage in terms of strengthening.
It is also expected to have a positive effect on the popularity and popularization of rugby, as seen last year's test match against New Zealand at the National Stadium with 7,10 spectators, the highest number of new stadiums.
Japan Rugby Union Executive Director: "A big first step for Japan"
Japan Rugby Union Executive Director Iwabuchi said, "I'm glad to have this opportunity, and I think it's a big first step for Japan. Every year, a team wearing a black jersey comes to Japan and plays at a high level. The players can target that and I think it's a big thing for the fans."
"I want to gain a lot of knowledge from New Zealand, which is the top team in the world, and move forward, and one day I want to become a country that can overtake me. We want to play about 1 matches in one year so that we can beat New Zealand as soon as possible."
Managing Director of League One: "A great opportunity, I want to get concrete results"
League One Managing Director Tokaibayashi revealed that the upcoming Super Rugby and League One teams will be held in Japan, that the top teams from League One will participate, and that multiple teams will play against each other.
"I think it's a great and gratifying opportunity for League One to have the opportunity to deepen our relationship with New Zealand teams, and I hope to take this opportunity to achieve concrete results," he said.
NZ Rugby Union CEO: "Continuous development for as long as possible"
Mark Robinson, CEO of Rugby New Zealand, said: "We are delighted to have a partnership at this time and look forward to continuing and developing it for as long as possible."
Regarding the merits of New Zealand, he said: "In the past, there were times when we had to come to Japan, but by playing regular matches, we can interact with each other and build a solid relationship there. Japan fans will want to see more of the game against New Zealand and we will have that opportunity."
He said, "I would like to explore various possibilities beyond matches such as the All Blacks, and together we would like to contribute to the development of Japan rugby and expand the number of fans."