Timothy Lafaele is among the rugby players who have made their lives and playing careers in Japan, and hold Japanese passports even though they were born outside the country.
In Lafaele’s case, he has played 28 times for Japan’s national team, including as part of a monumental victory over Ireland in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which Japan hosted.
He was a star back then as Japan’s rugby prowess shocked many.
But under new rules proposed by local rugby officials that are set to go into effect when the Japan Rugby League One season opens in December, Lafaele and the others will be classed as foreigners, clouding their future in Japan.
This limits their playing opportunities on domestic teams where Japan-born players will get preference.
Seiji Makino, a lawyer who is representing 24 players in a suit pending before several Japanese courts, said he was hopeful changes could be made before the season opened – through the courts or through negotiations with rugby officials.
AloJapan.com