Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2019. (©SANKEI)
Six years after it successfully staged the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Japan aims to host the sport's showcase event again.
Masato Tsuchida, president of the Japan Rugby Football Union, outlined the organization's plan to submit a bid to World Rugby for the 2035 Rugby World Cup.
"The 2019 tournament in Japan was the first step towards a new era for rugby," Tsuchida told Kyodo News during an interview on Thursday, September 25 in London. "It is Japan's role to spread the sport to Asia and the world. In that sense, I would like to do it again."
World Rugby, the sport's global governing body, will announce its selected candidate to host the 2035 RWC in 2027, according to published reports.
There's time to generate publicity and raise public awareness about Japan's bid to host the Rugby World Cup again.
Expect one key highlight of Japan's bid to be the enthusiastic support the 2019 RWC received throughout the country. That included the sale of more than 1.7 million tickets for the tournament's matches.
Looking Ahead to Japan's Rugby World Cup Bid
For Japan, the objective is to submit its bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup before the calendar flips to 2026, Tsuchida confirmed in his interview with Kyodo News.
Tsuchida, who became the JRFU president in June 2022, seeks to bolster support for Japan's bid via various sectors of the nation.
"We would like to expand support from the Japanese government, the business community, and each region," Tsuchida said, according to Kyodo News.
Fiji Prevails Against Japan in Pacific Nations Cup Final
In the Pacific Nations Cup final, Fiji defeated Japan 33-27 on Sunday, September 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Brave Blossoms trailed 26-10 at halftime at America First Field.
Early in the second half, Fiji extended its lead to 33-10 after a fifth unanswered try and Caleb Munz's conversion.
Japan mounted a spirited comeback but fell short.
After the rugby match, Japan head coach Eddie Jones said his team gained valuable experience in the tournament. But the result of the final match was disappointing, he acknowledged.
"It's been a good tournament to play for our young team," Jones commented, according to the World Rugby website.
He then said, "It's a hard pill to swallow ― we played well in the second half but let Fiji get away too much in the first half."
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Baseball
Cubs' Suzuki Clouts 30th Homer in Rout of Cardinals
Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki smacked a grand slam in the seventh inning off St Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Roycroft on Friday, September 26.
The Cubs won 12-1, and Suzuki became the third Japanese MLB player to reach 30 home runs in a season. Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani accomplished the feat before him.
Along with 31 homers in 2025 (through Saturday), Suzuki has 102 RBIs and a .474 slugging percentage. He's batting .245 in his fourth MLB season.
In 2024, Suzuki hit 21 home runs, his previous MLB career-high total.
On doing something that only Matsui and Ohtani had done in the majors among Japanese players, Suzuki stated, "I'm humbled," Kyodo News reported.
Suzuki has hit four homers in his past three games. He appears to have regained some of the explosiveness in his swing that propelled him to 22 homers before July.
"I haven't made any major changes, but in batting, sometimes a small thing can be the trigger," Suzuki said on Friday, according to NHK. "It really felt like something just clicked for me. I'm glad my form is finally improving at this time, and I hope to keep building towards the postseason."
More Losing Teams than Winning Teams in NPB
Through Saturday, September 27, seven of NPB's 12 teams have losing records in the 2025 season.
In the Central League, the Yomiuri Giants (8-69-3), the Chunichi Dragons (62-76-2), the Hiroshima Carp (59-76-5) and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (54-77-6) are under .500.
The three Pacific League clubs with losing records are the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (64-71-2), the Saitama Seibu Lions (61-73-3) and the Chiba Lotte Marines (55-80-3).
For the sake of comparison, a quick look at the final standings from the 2024 season show that six of the 12 teams had winning records for the 143-game campaign.
And in 2023, seven clubs finished above .500.
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Soccer
Antlers Extend Win Streak to 4
The Kashima Antlers topped the Nagoya Grampus 4-0 on Saturday, September 27, winning their fourth consecutive game in the J.League.
Brazilians Jose Elber and Leo Ceara scored in the 10th and 19th minutes, respectively, to spark the Antlers in the first half. Homare Takuda added a pair of goals in the 88th and 90th minutes to double the lead.
Kashima, which has 20 victories, four draws and eight defeats, sits atop the J.League standings with 61 points. Second-place Vissel Kobe, the two-time reigning champions, trail the Antlers by four points.
Antlers manager Toru Oniki was pleased with his team's effort in its comprehensive victory on the road.
"First, during this away game, we could hear the loud cheers of many supporters," Oniki told reporters. "The players felt that support and fought aggressively from the start of the first half. Scoring the opening goal was crucial. Furthermore, right up until the very end, every player — including those who came on as substitutes — did their part: pushing for goals and preventing the opposition from scoring. They played a truly spirited and excellent game."
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Boxing
Nasukawa-Inoue Title Bout Set for November 24
Tenshin Nasukawa and Takuma Inoue will fight on November 24 for the vacant WBC bantamweight title, it was announced on Thursday, September 25.
Nasukawa (7-0, two knockouts) is a popular former kickboxer and mixed martial artist.
Inoue (20-2, five KOs) is a former WBA bantamweight champion.
The Nasukawa-Inoue fight will be streamed on Prime Video Japan and held at Toyota Arena Tokyo, a new venue in the nation's capital.
"Tenshin Nasukawa will finally challenge for the WBC championship belt on Prime Video Boxing 14. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported him through his seven previous bouts on Prime Video Boxing," Teiken Gym representative Tsuyoshi Hamada said in a statement. "However, winning the belt will not come easily. Takuma Inoue, making his return to the ring in this title bout, is entering with tremendous determination."
Hamada added, "In any case, there is no doubt this will be a world-class battle at the very highest level. We invite you to experience the full excitement and appeal of boxing on Prime Video Boxing 14."
Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight champion, is Takuma's older brother.
Junto Nakatani vacated his WBC and IBF titles on September 18 and moved up to super bantamweight.
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Briefly…
The Alvark Tokyo and reigning champion Utsunomiya Brex will meet in the opening game of the 2025-26 B.League season on Friday, October 3 at Tokyo Arena Tokyo. A full slate of pro basketball games is on the docket for the next day.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
