Timothy Lafaele was a star for Japan at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Now he’s not sure he belongs

TOKYO (AP) — 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, including 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 in December when the Japan Rugby League One season opens, Lafaele and the other local passport-holders 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 the 24 players — who all have Japanese passports — in a suit pending before several Japanese courts, said he’s hopeful changes can be made before the season opens — through the courts or through negotiations with rugby officials.

“This is a very simple story,” Makino said Thursday. “It is about players who built their lives and careers in Japan under one set of rules and are now having the ground moved from under their feet.” He and Lafaele spoke on Thursday in Tokyo at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. Lafaele said the rule change came “out of the blue.” He declined to discuss any link to current politics around immigration in Japan, and also declined to talk about the affect on his contract.

A larger immigration debate in Japan The rugby rule change comes as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been pushing tougher policies on immigration and foreigners. Many Japanese complain of struggling with stagnant salaries, rising prices — and some link it to a surge in foreigners to sustain a shrinking workforce as Japan’s population declines. Lafaele, who is Samoan-born, came to Japan at 18, played for a Japanese university, and now has a Japanese passport.

But that’s no longer good enough to guarantee playing time in Japanese rugby’s top professional league. The new rules specify that players had to reside in Japan for “at least six of nine years” of elementary school and junior high school to qualify for the highest category of eligibility. Makino pointed to the unfairness for the 24 players.

“The passport says Japan,” Makino said.