JRFU Appoint Toshizumi Kitagawa As the New Sakura XV Head Coach Before WXV 2026

The JRFU announced on 1st April 2026 that Takeshi Arimizu was appointed as Director of Rugby for the Japan Women’s 15-a-side National Team and Toshizumi Kitagawa was announced as the interim Head Coach.

At this year’s AREWC held in Kazakhstan, Japan were ranked 11th in the world, Hong Kong China were 16th, and Kazakhstan were 19th, and Toshizumi Kitagawa oversaw a new-look squad that won both games to lift a 6th consecutive title in Asia.

He said at the time in May, “With new faces in the coaching team and several young players coming into the squad, I am looking forward to seeing how we perform. We want to implement a style in which we play at a faster pace, both in attack and defence. These matches against Kazakhstan and Hong Kong China give us a valuable platform to implement our plan.”

The team that defeated Kazakhstan 62-12 had 6 new caps, with an average of 17 caps per player. Rinka Matsuda scored a hat trick in the first half in the win.

Photo Credit – JRFU

They beat Hong Kong China 71-12 with two more new caps – fly-half Sawa Harada, and Sara Takahashi from the bench. Rinka Matsuda scored her second hat-trick in the win, but she has been selected by the Sakura 7s for the upcoming ARESS 2026.

Scrumhalf Moe Tsukui was the most experienced player in the team and captained the Sakura Fifteens.

Toshizumi Kitagawa will now take charge of the team in a full-time capacity, which will see them play Fiji, Italy, Ireland and Wales twice each until the end of the year.

As a player, the second row represented the Brave Blossoms 43 times, coming up from Kanto Gakuin University before playing for Toyota Verblitz and Hino Red Dolphins. He also competed at the 2011 RWC.

Photo Credit – JRFU – Sakura XV – AREWC 2026

His coaching resume has seen him be involved with:

• 2021-2023: Assistant Coach, Hino Red Dolphins
• 2023-2025: Japan High School National Team Forward Coach
• 2023-2026: Assistant Head Coach, YOKOHAMA TKM Forwards
• 2025: Asia Rugby Emirates Championship – Japan Women’s National Team Forwards Coach 
• 2026-: Acting Head Coach of the Japan Women’s National Team

The full list of staff was also confirmed by the JRFU.

To be honest, not much that he said at his first press conference was exciting or innovative.

He has set their goals on a top 8 in the world (they are already 10th), and the quarterfinals for RWC 2029 when that was the goal for RWC 2025. Via translation, he said that they want to build on their current strengths such as set pieces and create a faster-paced style of play – which is what Japanese teams already play and has been hit and miss with the Brave Blossoms.

“While I feel a great sense of responsibility in leading the Japan Women’s National Team, I am also excited by the prospect of creating a new chapter in the proud history of this team.

Guided by our team motto of ‘Sakura First’…which embodies the values of pride, trust and challenge. We will take pride in the historic Sakura emblem, further enhancing the value of the team and passing its legacy on to the next generation. Trust means players and staff uniting in our work, while also building an even deeper relationship of trust with our fans. Our challenge is to preserve the best aspects of our past, while striving every day to create the next great chapter in our history.”

Upcoming Sakura Fifteen 2026 Tests – Toshizumi Kitagawa Head Coach

The team will have three home Tests and 3 away Tests, with 4 of the matches as part of the WXV Global Series 2026.

JRFU announced a camp which will run from Wednesday, August 26th to Wednesday, September 2nd and features several uncapped players.

Both back-rower Seina Saito and hooker Chiharu Nezuka played for the Western Force in the 2026 Swyftx Super Rugby; tighthead prop Wako Kitano was with the ACT Brumbies; and prop Nijiho Nagata was with the Blues in the 2026 Super Rugby Aupiki season.

• Japan vs Fiji – Friday 4 September – JAPAN BASE (Fukuoka)
• Japan vs Italy – Saturday 19 September – Stadio Omero Tognon, Fontanafredda, Pordenone – WXV
• Japan vs Ireland – Sunday, 27 September – Dexcon Stadium (Galway, Ireland) – WXV
• Japan vs Ireland – Saturday, 3 October – Virgin Media Park (Cork, Ireland)
• Japan vs Wales – Saturday, 24 October – Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo, Japan – WXV
• Japan vs Wales – Saturday, 31 October – Kumagaya Sports Culture Park Rugby Field (Saitama), Japan – WXV