Rugby Sevens - Team Japan

General
Japan qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games as host nation. The Japanese team were one of the surprises of the 2016 Games, making an impressive run to the semifinals in Rio. Pool phase wins over New Zealand and Kenya were followed by victory against France in the quarterfinals, before eventual champions Fiji overcame them 20-5 in the last four. Their podium hopes were dashed in the bronze medal match when South Africa handed them a 54-14 defeat.

Japan have struggled to replicate that success in the World Series, and have not ranked higher than 15th since the inaugural event in 1999/00 when they placed 12th. They were relegated at the end of the 2018/19 Series but won the inaugural Challenger Series title in 2020, restoring their status as a core World Series team.

They are also yet to make a serious impact at the World Cup, despite competing at all sevens editions of the tournament. At the 2018 edition in San Francisco, the Japanese side were beaten 35-10 by Fiji in the round of 16. They then contended for the tournament's Challenge Trophy but lost out to Canada in the first knockout match.

Japan have enjoyed most of their success at continental level. They won three consecutive Asian Series titles between 2017 and 2019, beating Hong Kong, China on each occasion. In six appearances at the Asian Games, they have won gold three times and silver twice.