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NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu (formerly NEC Green Rockets) is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One, representing the Chiba Prefecture cities of Abiko, Kashiwa, Matsudo, Nagareyama, Noda, Kamagaya, Shiroi, and Inzai.[1] The team’s captain is Ryota Asano. The previous captain was Takuro Miuchi, who was also the captain of the Japan national rugby union team.

History

Before the semi-professional Top League was created, the team was founded in 1985 as a works team of NEC Corporation. The “Green Rockets” name reflects NEC’s involvement in the space industry; NEC also sponsors the NEC Red Rockets women’s volleyball team in Kawasaki.[1]

NEC Green Rockets won the All-Japan Championship final for the second time on 27 February 2005, beating Toyota Verblitz 17-13. They drew 6-6 with Toshiba Brave Lupus in the 43rd Japan Championship final on 26 February 2006 after an effective defensive effort and the sin-binning of Glen Marsh in the last ten minutes of the game.

The team rebranded as Green Rockets Tokatsu ahead of the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One in 2022.[2] Initially placed in Division 1, the team was relegated to Division 2 for the 2023-24 season, but placed third in Division 2 for the 2024-25 season.[1] It experienced several scandals during this period, including the 2022 arrest of Blake Ferguson for drug possession, the 2025 arrest of Fetuani Lautaimi for drunk driving, and the 2026 arrest of Amanaki Lotoahea for assault.[3]

NEC announced in August 2025 that it was considering withdrawing from involvement in the team, in part due to the company’s shift away from consumer business which made the team less effective for marketing.[1] In December 2025, JRLO approved the transfer of the team from NEC to the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), to be effective in July 2026, prior to the start of the 2026-27 season.[4] The team uses a clubhouse and training ground leased from NEC, and is expected to continue doing so under JR East.[1]

Honours

Current squad

The Green Rockets Tokatsu for the 2026-27 season is:[5]

Green Rockets Tokatsu squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Flankers

No8s

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wingers

Fullbacks

Utility Backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Former players

References

  1. ^ a b c d e “JR東日本｢ラグビーリーグワン参入｣までの全内幕 NECから｢グリーンロケッツ東葛｣運営を来季譲受”. 東洋経済オンライン (in Japanese). 2025-12-22. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  2. ^ “La nouvelle ligue japonaise s’appelle la Japan Rugby League One”. Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. ^ Pickering, Mark (2026-03-10). “Green Rockets’ ex-Japan international arrested on suspicion of assault”. RugbyJP. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  4. ^ 一般社団法人ジャパンラグビーリーグワン. “ジャパンラグビー リーグワン 「NECグリーンロケッツ東葛」の譲渡決定について | 【公式】ジャパンラグビー リーグワン ニュース”. 【公式】NTTジャパンラグビー リーグワン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  5. ^ “Players & Staffs” (in Japanese). Green Rockets Tokatsu. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
Notes