The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) has launched a project to create a nationwide top league by regrouping the country's three major regional leagues for corporate clubs, JRFU officials said Tuesday.
The JRFU envisions that the new league will be inaugurated for the 2003-2004 season with the participation of 10 to 12 teams playing in the eastern Japan, Kansai and western Japan leagues.
"We've come up with this idea in an attempt to increase the number of close matches and enhance the competitiveness of Japanese rugby," JRFU executive Noboru Mashimo said at a press conference in Fukuoka.