Why Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ Rugby Club Struggles to Recruit Japanese Players | Ep 62

Why Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ Rugby Club Struggles to Recruit Japanese Players We sat down with Daniel, founder of the Tsurumi Brats, during the 2026 Bingham Cup in Brisbane, Australia, to talk about the unique challenges of building an LGBTQ+ rugby community in Japan.

Tsurumi Brats are a Tokyo-based inclusive rugby club, and Daniel explains why Japanese and foreign rugby communities have often remained separate, the challenges of recruiting Japanese players, and how language and cultural differences can make it difficult to bring the two communities together.

Despite having a large international player base, Tsurumi Brats are working to create more connections between Japanese and foreign players and build a rugby community where everyone can play together.

We talk about gay rugby in Japan, LGBTQ+ rugby, Tokyo rugby, Japanese rugby culture, recruiting Japanese players, foreign rugby players in Japan, and the challenges of building an inclusive rugby club.

Filmed during the Bingham Cup Brisbane 2026, the world's largest international celebration of inclusive rugby, where teams from around the world came together to compete and connect. Tsurumi Brats represented Tokyo and Japan on the international stage.