Sakura Fifteen Squad Announced for Kazakhstan Tour
The Japan Rugby Football Union is delighted to announce the 26-member Sakura Fifteen Squad for their two-match tour to Kazakhstan for the 2026 Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship. The tour will see Japan take on hosts Kazakhstan, as well as Hong Kong China as they look to secure their seventh successive Championship title.
Comprising 15 forwards and 11 backs, the squad sees the introduction of seven uncapped players, alongside another five with 10 caps or less. While there is a definite sense of youth within the squad, there is also no lack of experience. Scrumhalf Moe Tsukui (45 caps) and flyhalf Minori Yamamoto (41 caps) lead a core of experienced campaigners whose presence will provide a solid base for the team.
The Sakura Fifteen will be led by Interim Head Coach Toshizumi Kitagawa. The 43-capped Brave Blossom, who featured in Japan’s RWC2011 squad, brings a wealth of experience as both a player and coach. In addition to being the Forwards Coach for the Sakura Fifteen at last year’s Championship, he has coached the Japan National High School team, the Hino Red Dolphins in the JRLO and leading women’s club side, Yokohama TKM.
Commenting on the squad announcement, Sakura Fifteen Interim Head Coach, Toshizumi Kitagawa said:
“As a team, we’re really looking forward to heading to Kazakhstan and competing in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship. 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 action begins on Thursday, April 30 when Japan face Kazakhstan at the Almaty Sports Complex. The match kicks off at 16:00 local time, 20:00 JST. The Sakura Fifteen will then take on Hong Kong China on Tuesday, May 5 at the same venue and with the same kick-off time.
Fans looking to catch the action live can tune in via Asia Rugby’s Facebook page or through the YouTube channel.
https://www.facebook.com/asia.rugby/
https://www.youtube.com/c/asiarugbylive
Sakura Fifteen Squad for 2026 Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship
| Pos | Name | Club | Company | Height (cm) | Weight (kg) | DOB | Cap |
| PR | Nanako USHIJIMA | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Hinomaru Bus Corporation | 163 | 77 | 2002/3/6 | 0 |
| PR | Sachiko KATO | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | SECOM CO., LTD. | 165 | 92 | 2000/2/19 | 33 |
| PR | Juka FUJI | YOKOHAMA TKM | TMG Yokohama Branch | 171 | 78 | 2001/1/22 | 0 |
| PR | Miharu MACHIDA | Japan Univ. of Economics | Japan Univ. of Economics | 173 | 95 | 2004/5/26 | 4 |
| PR | Nami YOSHIDA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Human Life care Yokohama | 165 | 76 | 1999/4/13 | 3 |
| HO | Asuka KUGE | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Goto Hygiene Consultant | 164 | 77 | 1994/9/22 | 25 |
| HO | Kotomi TANIGUCHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Yokogawa Eco-cycle Solutions Corporation | 163 | 73 | 1995/4/10 | 29 |
| HO/FL/NO8 | Moe NAGAOKA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Mitsubishi Jisho Property Management Co., Ltd. | 163 | 67 | 1999/6/7 | 4 |
| LO | Mei OKUBO | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Rissho Univ. | 176 | 69 | 2004/4/19 | 0 |
| LO | Yuna SATO | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 170 | 76 | 1998/9/11 | 27 |
| LO | Mio NISHIMURA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Totsuka Kyoritsu Medical Satellite Medical Check-up Center | 168 | 85 | 2002/11/29 | 7 |
| LO | Otoka YOSHIMURA | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Saitamaken Shinkin Bank. | 174 | 83 | 2001/5/15 | 32 |
| LO/FL/NO8 | Nduka JENNIFER | Hokkaido Barbarians Diana | Medical System Network | 168 | 75 | 2000/10/18 | 17 |
| FL | Sakurako KORAI | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 166 | 67 | 2003/4/9 | 22 |
| NO8/WTB | Mele Yua HAVILI KAGAWA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Medical Corporation Yokohama Mirai Healthcare System | 171 | 74 | 2001/9/29 | 6 |
| SH | Sara TAKAHASHI | YOKOHAMA TKM | Totsuka Kyoritsu Dai-2 Hospital | 153 | 55 | 2001/10/26 | 0 |
| SH | Moe TSUKUI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | LIBEST Corp. | 153 | 54 | 2000/3/28 | 45 |
| SH | Suzuka NAKASHIMA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 156 | 53 | 2002/6/19 | 0 |
| SO | Kanna HAYASHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | SECOM CO., LTD. | 166 | 65 | 2001/4/30 | 0 |
| SO | Sawa HARADA | Japan Univ. of Economics | Japan Univ. of Economics | 165 | 63 | 2005/3/12 | 0 |
| SO | Minori YAMAMOTO | YOKOHAMA TKM | Yokohama Mirai Healthcare System | 168 | 68 | 1996/12/9 | 41 |
| CTB/WTB | Kanako KOBAYASHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Shonan Kamakura General Hospital | 163 | 68 | 1998/11/13 | 21 |
| CTB | Mana FURUTA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | NTT Facilities Inc. | 167 | 69 | 1997/11/16 | 39 |
| WTB | Komachi IMAKUGI | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | OKINAYA Co.,Ltd. | 158 | 58 | 2002/1/6 | 33 |
| WTB/FB | Rinka MATSUDA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Toppan Inc. | 171 | 77 | 2001/12/5 | 14 |
| FB | Sora NISHIMURA | MIE PEARLS | Choko Co. Ltd. | 167 | 67 | 2000/9/29 | 24 |