Hello everyone!

My name is Koji Murofushi, Director General of the Sports Agency.

I would like to congratulate you on the grand opening of the SANIX WORLD RUGBY YOUTH TOURNAMENT 2023. I would like to extend a hearty welcome to the players from Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and England who will be visiting Japan.

This is the 24th year of this traditional Event, and is one of the few international tournament in the world for a single high school team.

This is the first international tournament to be held in four years, and we expect top-level players from all over the world to come together to give their best performances and compete at a high level.

Now, the Rugby World Cup will be held in France this autumn. The last tournament was held here in Japan and many rugby fans from abroad visited Japan. Various international exchanges took place all over the country and the appeal of rugby attracted a lot of attention.

We hope that you will enjoy the exchange with your friends in Japan through the game of rugby. We hope that participants from overseas will also experience the traditions, culture and food of Japan and feel its charms. International exchange through the Games will be a valuable experience not only in your future athletic life, but also in your life.

In conclusion, I would like to express my deepest respect to everyone involved in organising this tournament. I would like to conclude my address by wishing for the success of this tournament and the further development of Rugby.