Japan's rugby team shows off the changing face of the nation

Heartiest congratulation for Japan's rugby team. Keep it up. Thank you for winning again. You are the best team members ever!

Leitch speaks good English, saying his Japanese is better than his English is a bit much.

But I love what Rrrrrrugby is doing for perceptions of what it means to be Japanese as a parent to haafu kids

As a very mixed blood, but also very Japanese person, this makes me quite happy :)

I don't think it really reflects the "changing face" of the nation, because I don't think it's changing. They'll accept athletes and celebrities so long as those people do well, but I have yet to see how this has benefitted the people 'on the ground' who are often shunned or experience all sorts of negative things. In fact, before the team starting winning some lamented the 'mix', as they do the incursion of foreigners in Sumo, etc.

Although I don't agree with the way Mr. Imani says other comments, I agree with this one:

"Honestly, many younger people — even Japan-born — sometimes do not understand our history or our culture,"

You are not born with culture, you learn it, and those who are eager to learn can absorb a lot more, a lot faster, and that includes foreign people coming to Japan or Japanese going to other nations and becoming a part of that culture. Let's hope this really DOES start to help a change for the better.

I belong to a Japanese national group here which has one 'foreigner' in it, i.e. me. When someone high up complained that they had accepted someone non-Japanese, they were told, "we trust this person". The rugby story above makes me happy too.

"They'll accept athletes and celebrities so long as those people do well, but I have yet to see how this has benefited the people 'on the ground' who are often shunned or experience all sorts of negative things." - Well said.

Lots of YouTube videos of people talking about why they left Japan, and a big one is never being fully "accepted", despite their Japanese being fluent. Some choose to overlook that and decide to stay, while others have enough and move on to where their race or country of origin is less of an issue.

That said, maybe rugby will inch the country closer to at least not thinking that it's OK for the police to randomly card every person with a certain skin color or other distinctive foreign feature.

"But I'm speaking Japanese" YouTube video isn't that old so this is good news but there's a long way to go. The analogy of a Japanese team though no matter their birth is a good one

People can bash this all they want.

I think that to pile on all your complaints when the story is about a multi cultural rugby team representing Japan...perhaps you are also small minded.

This will have some impact and it will fade and Japan will change with time (as you all should know by now)

"When someone high up complained that they had accepted someone non-Japanese,"

Scumbag. The fewer of these people Japan has the better. Fortunately I think fewer as time goes on.