Japan Rugby Top Challenge League

The Japan East Rugby Football Union, the Kansai Rugby Football Union and the Kyushu Rugby Football Union are joining forces to create a tri-regions league to be known as the Japan Rugby Top Challenge League.

Ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, the top teams from the three regions will form a league below Top League from 2017 to strengthen and further develop the standard of corporate rugby in Japan.

The competition will be made up of eight teams; the two top teams in each regional division at the completion of the 2016-17 season and the next two highest ranked sides.

In the first stage of competition, each side will play the other seven sides in a round-robin format. In the second stage, the top four finishers will play each other once as will the bottom four finishers. Results will form the basis for automatic promotion and relegation and the promotion and relegation between Top League and the tri-regions league.