Japan's proposed anti-diverse 'blood' eligibility law after foreign player influx

A bombshell report on a planned change to eligibility in the Japan Rugby League One is set to to have ripple effects across rugby the Pacific region.

After years of foreign player influx that has boosted Japan’s rugby playing stocks with Australian, New Zealand and Pacific talent, Paul Cully of the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the JRLO is about to tighten the rules based on ‘blood’.

The new blood law proposed from 2026 means that at least eight players on the field must have Japanese blood, a radical change that will impact foreign-born Category A players.

Foreign-born players who have been capped for Japan through residency qualification grounds and who even hold Japanese passports, such as Warner Dearns and Dylan Riley, would not be considered Japanese.

Those foreign-born players would need to reach 30 international caps to be considered Japanese.

The move to tighten its eligibility by the JRLO sets a line in the sand over the growing diversity of the Japanese rugby team, which includes players of Pasifika and European heritage. The report suggests the JRFU has a desire for the national side to be more Japanese.

The booming Japanese market has become home to many elite international stars over the last 10 years, with top line All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks either signing long-term deals or sabbaticals.

In addition to the growing recruitment at the high-end of the market, a number of emerging younger players in their early 20s were signed by League One clubs to eventually qualify for Japan on residency grounds.

There has also been a long standing history of Tongan players attending Japanese University to play rugby, with many of those players also going on to join League One clubs and even represent Japan.

The ‘blood’ rules would drastically reduce demand for foreign player talent with less opportunities for players in the Pacific region.

This may help New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands retain talent but with France still a big recruiter, they may now encroach even further with less competition from Japan.

La Rochelle signing 16-year-old Visesio Kite out of Queensland sparked fury with Rugby Australia just weeks ago, prompting a formal complaint to the governing body.

Australian U18 loose forward and elite rugby league prospect Heinz Lemoto has also been recruited by Top 14 clubs but no deal has eventuated.