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Japan
Japan qualified for Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand after defeating Hong Kong 94-5 in Tokyo in the final round of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations on Saturday 21 May 2010. Qualification means that the Brave Blossoms maintain their 100 percent participation record at Rugby’s showcase Tournament – as Asia 1 Qualifier joining Pool A alongside hosts New Zealand, France, Tonga and Canada.
Japan Rugby Football Union
Chairman:
Chief Executive Officer:
Men's Coach: John Kirwan
Website: www.rugbyjapan.com
Key facts and figures
IRB Union Ranking (as at 14 June 2010): 13
Key information
Rugby was officially introduced to Japan in 1899 by Cambridge University-educated Edward Clarke and Ginnosuke Tanaka at Keio University. The growth of Japanese Rugby in the early 20th century was
astronomical - by the 1920s, there were more than 60,000 registered players, providing it with resources larger than those of Scotland, Wales and Ireland combined. Although support for that game declined during the war, it made a surprisingly speedy recovery in the post-war period. Kobe Steel encouraged the game amongst its workers believing it would raise their morale, setting a precedent for the later heavy corporate involvement in Japanese Rugby.
Rugby union is now a distant third in popularity ratings behind baseball and football. This is unlikely to change until Japan's national Rugby union team becomes consistently successful on the world stage. Rugby Union is rarely seen on free-to-air TV channels, and is mainly restricted to cable subscription channels, which hinders its growth. However, it continues to be played at private high schools and universities and Japan now has the fourth largest population of Rugby union players in the world. The national “Cherry Blossom” team is ranked 13th in the world.
Team and player statistics
View team and player statistics from the Rugby World Cup 2011 website
Phrases to greet Japanese supporters
| hello (day time) | konnichiwa (kon·ni·chi·wa) |
| hello (early evening) | konbanwa (kon·ban·wa) |
| good-bye | sayonara (sa·yoh·na·ra) |
| please (when offering an item) | doozo (doh·zo) |
| thank you | domo arigato (doh·moh a·ri·ga·toh) |
| excuse me | sumimasen (su·mi·mah·sen) |
| yes / no | hai / iie (hai / e·e·eh) |
| you’re welcome | doitashimashite (doh·i·ta·shi·mah·shi·te) |
| welcome to New Zealand | nyuujirando e yokoso (nyuu·ji·ran·doh eh yo·ko·so) |
| go Japan! | Nippon gambare (nip·pon gam·ba·re!) |
| congratulations | omedeto (oh·me·deh·toh) |
