TOKYO (AP) — Twenty-four foreign-born rugby players who hold Japanese passports have launched legal action against Japan Rugby League One, challenging new eligibility rules they argue would reclassify them as foreigners and severely limit their domestic playing opportunities.
The regulations, due to take effect in December when the League One season kicks off, require players to have resided in Japan for "at least six of nine years" of elementary school and junior high school to qualify for the highest category of eligibility. The criteria effectively exclude players who moved to Japan as adults, even those who have since become naturalised citizens and represented Japan at international level.
Timothy Lafaele, a Samoan-born centre with 28 caps for Japan, was a key figure in the Brave Blossoms' stunning 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign, including the famous victory over Ireland. He said the rule change came "out of the blue" and left him feeling betrayed.
"To come to Japan, having given so much to the rugby here and the community and being treated this way, it just saddens us," Lafaele told a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday. "Insulted is a strong word as well. To me, when this first rule came I did feel insulted."
Seiji Makino, the lawyer representing the 24 players, said he believed changes could be achieved before the season starts, either through the courts or negotiations with the league.
"This is a very simple story," Makino said. "It is about players who built their lives and careers in Japan under one set of rules and are now having the ground moved from under their feet."
The rule change sits within a broader political context. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pursued tougher immigration policies, and public debate over the role of foreign workers in Japan's shrinking workforce has intensified. Rugby, like many sectors, has become caught in that wider conversation.
Japan Rugby League One argues that the pool of Japan-born players is declining and that curbing foreign-born eligibility will help nurture domestic talent. Lafaele acknowledged the objective but questioned the method.
"I see both sides of it," he said. "I see where the Japanese boys are coming from. They see it as more opportunities for them to play."
Of the 24 players involved in the lawsuit, only five agreed to be identified. Many fear reprisals. Makino said he did not regard the rules as racist at their core, but acknowledged their disproportionate impact on naturalised citizens.
Lafaele painted a stark picture of the human cost. "Some players are forced into retirement. Some players are just waiting at home at the moment for this decision to change so they can have the opportunity to provide for their families and get playing contracts."
The case has been filed across multiple Japanese courts, with Makino expressing cautious optimism that a resolution could be reached before the League One season opener in December.
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