Japan League One schedule

Japan Rugby League One’s late-April slate is now locked in, with Division 1 Round 16 set for April 24-26, 2026 as the regular season moves into its last three rounds. (league-one.jp) The official fixture list shows six Division 1 matches in Round 16, including Urayasu D-Rocks v Shizuoka BlueRevs on Friday night at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground and three Saturday kickoffs at 14:30 in Tokyo, Saitama and Kobe. (league-one.jp) Saturday’s Division 1 card includes Saitama Wild Knights v Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo v Yokohama Canon Eagles at Prince Chichibu, Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Tokyo Sungoliath in Kobe, and Kubota Spears v Mie Honda HEAT at Edoriku. BlackRams Tokyo host Toyota Verblitz on Sunday, April 26, also at Prince Chichibu. (league-one.jp) League One said when it unveiled the 2025-26 season draw on August 13, 2025 that Division 1 would keep its two-conference regular season and six-team playoff, while Division 2 would stay at 14 matches per team and Division 3 at 15 matches per team. The same announcement said all three divisions would kick off on December 13, 2025. (league-one.jp) That structure makes Round 16 a marker in the calendar, not just another weekend. Division 1 ends its regular season on May 9-10, 2026, and the playoffs begin with quarterfinals on May 23-24 before the final weekend on June 6-7 in Hiroshima. (league-one.jp) The schedule release also feeds directly into ticket planning. League One’s official fixtures page attaches a “Buy Ticket” link to each Round 16 Division 1 match, and the league’s English-language ticket portal says it is the official site for League One sales. (league-one.jp, (quick.pia.jp)) For supporters, the practical details are the point: Friday night in central Tokyo, three simultaneous Saturday afternoon kickoffs, and a Sunday closer in the capital create a weekend that can be built around rail travel and overnight stays. The listed venues span Tokyo, Saitama and Hyogo, all published before kickoff with broadcast partners including J Sports, DAZN, Lemino, TV Saitama and Tokyo MX. (league-one.jp) League One’s August draw notice also put ticket responsibility on host clubs, saying sales details would be announced through club channels, Ticket Rugby and other official outlets as venues and kickoff times were confirmed. That helps explain why schedule drops in Japan often double as travel alerts for away fans and shopping alerts for home supporters. (league-one.jp, (ticketrugby.jp)) The season now turns on dates as much as standings. With Round 16 starting Friday, April 24, the domestic rugby spring in Japan has moved from speculation to bookings, bar plans and seat maps. (league-one.jp)