Taiyo Seimei Women's Sevens Series: Updates made to 'important' pathway competition

The Japan Rugby Football Union have confirmed the expansion of the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series after a successful 2025 season.

This year there will be a Challenger Tournament weekend which will kick-start the Series season. Introduced in 2014, the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series has become a significant part of women’s rugby in Japan.

Last year a Challenger Tournament was hosted before the main competition and a one-day winner-takes-all Grand Final tournament was also introduced. The Challenger Tournament has been introduced to give a wider pool of players the opportunity to be exposed to high-level competition and aid the development of rugby programmes.

In 2026 the Challenger Tournament will take place across two weekends in Nagoya and Shizuoka. The top third or fourth ranked teams from the Challenger Tournament will face off with the bottom third or fourth ranked teams from the main competition in a promotion/relegation battle.

This will be followed by the Grand Final play-offs, where the top eight ranked teams will compete all the way until to a Grand Final match.

Akane Kagawa, JRFU Director of Women’s Rugby, said: “The Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series continues to play a vital role in the development of the women’s game in Japan and remains one of our key growth drivers. With the launch last year of the Grand Final Tournament and the promotion–relegation format adding further intensity to the final weekend, this year’s competition is sure to be just as compelling.

“Since its launch in 2014, the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Seven Series has provided a national platform for top players from across Japan to compete at the highest level. The competition is central not only to the advancement of sevens rugby but also serves as an important pathway for identifying athletes capable of progressing into our elite fifteens programmes.

“Providing well-organised, high-quality competitions is crucial to strengthening the performance of our national teams in both sevens and fifteens. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Taiyo Seimei Corporation for their ongoing commitment to the women’s game in Japan, as well as to the regional and local unions and the army of volunteers whose efforts are vital for the success of this outstanding series.”

Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 schedule

Challenger Tournament Round One – Nagoya
May 16 & 17, 2026
Venue: Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium, Nagoya

Challenger Tournament Round Two – Shizuoka
June 13 & 14, 2026
Venue: ECOPA Stadium, Shizuoka

Tournament One – Kumagaya
June 20 & 21, 2026
Venue: Kumagaya Rugby Stadium

Tournament Two – Tochigi
July 11 & 12, 2026
Venue: Honda Green Heat Stadium, Tochigi

Tournament Three – Kitakyushu
July 25 & 26, 2026
Venue: Mikuni World Stadium

Grand Final Tournament – Sapporo
August 9, 2026
Venue: Daiwa House Premist Dome, Sapporo