Naturalized Rugby Players in Japan Slam New Eligibility Rule

Tokyo, April 21 (Jiji Press)–Naturalized Japanese rugby athletes have petitioned against a new player categorization system to be introduced in the Japan Rugby League One starting next season, calling it discriminatory. The athletes filed a complaint with the Japan Fair Trade Commission and sought a provisional injunction from Tokyo District Court on Monday. Under the new categorization system, the men’s top-tier league divides the existing category A, which covers athletes eligible for a spot on the Japanese national team, into two subcategories: category A1 for those who spent at least six of their nine years of compulsory education in Japan, or those who were born in Japan or have parents or grandparents born in Japan, and category A2 for all others. Athletes who have obtained Japanese citizenship will basically fall into the latter category and be subject to restrictions on the number of players who can appear in matches, possibly reducing their playing opportunities. The petitions were signed by about 30 players, including former Japanese national team members Timothy Lafaele and Lomano Lava Lemeki. They argued that the new system violates the antimonopoly law, which prohibits discriminatory treatment, and called for unrestricted participation to continue next season and beyond. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]