COVER STORY • Japanese Economy After the Olympic & Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 • 6

TInterview with David Bickle, President, the British Chamber of Commerce in Japanhe Legacy of the Rugby World Cup 2019
in Japan Will Be Good for the Olympic& Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

By Japan SPOTLIGHT
The Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan turned many Japanese who had never seen the game and knew
nothing about the basic rules into rugby fans, thanks largely to the Japanese national team’s achievement
in qualifying for the quarterfinals for the first time. But will the legacy of the tournament prove to be evengreater than the national team’s performance? Could it provide some useful lessons for the coming Tokyo
Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020?
We interviewed David Bickle, president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan and former
member of the Japanese national rugby team. This is his second interview with Japan SPOTLIGHT,
following his first in the September-October 2015 issue.
(Interviewed on Nov. 5, 2019)

Self-Introduction

think the record top five viewing figures for
television audiences of rugby matches are
JS: Could you briefly tell us again
now all involving the Japan team, with nearly
about your connection with Japan
55 million people in Japan tuning in to watch
and your experience as a former
them play Scotland. More than 400,000
lock with the Japanese national
foreign visitors arrived in Japan to watch therugby team?
tournament in person, and I think there weremore than 1 million visits to the official fan
Bickle: I’m currently the president of thezones. On social media, according to figures
British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
published by World Rugby, there were 1.7(BCCJ). In total, this will be my 22nd year inbillion views of videos and content, so theJapan, and I’ve been based here on twosocial media engagement was incredible – atoccasions. My first time was after graduating
unsurpassed levels. And I think the economic
from university, when I joined Kobe Steel,
impact was huge as well – World Rugby
where I had a chance to play with the Kobe
estimates it to be 437 billion yen.
Steel rugby team for six years from 1993 toImportantly, beyond the economic impact
1999. I was very fortunate that in 1996, I was
was
the engagement of people in Japan andDavid Bickle
also selected to play for the Japan national
the development of the game, and theteam, and in that year I played six times for Japan.
number of children in Japan who for the first time were introduced torugby – not just through the tournament but with the community
engagement exercises that took place around the tournament. The
Assessment of Rugby World Cup 2019
impact has been huge. That was during the tournament and before
JS: How do you assess the Rugby World Cup 2019 in
the tournament, but I think we all hope now that as a legacy of theJapan overall? Everybody speaks about it as a great
tournament we’ll see continued engagement, impact, and follow
success.
through.
Bickle: I think however you measure it, it’s been a huge success,both in terms of the experience the fans have had and the quality of
the rugby. It was historic that Japan won all of their group matches
and were able to make it through to the last eight, their first time inhistory to reach the knockout tournament. If you look at the metrics,
the television audience for all of Japan’s games was incredible. I
https://www.jef.or.jp/journal/

JS: I recently came across the term “sports

hospitality” for the first time. What are your thoughts
on sports hospitality, and about that aspect of thelegacy here?

Bickle: I think sports hospitality is clearly a new opportunity forJapan SPOTLIGHT • January / February 202027

COVER STORY 6

Japan. Particularly around the World Cup, it was the same company
which delivered hospitality at the last three or four Rugby World
Cups. They had a bespoke facility built in Yokohama, and theprofessionalism of the delivery really created a focus aroundcorporate hospitality, a chance for companies and organizations tobring guests to a quality facility and enjoy themselves and network
before and after a game. It’s another way for companies andorganizations to entertain their clients and guests in a very exclusive,
unusual, and unique networking environment. There is a huge
multiplier effect as well for the economy, so anything to do with thedelivery of services – food, drink, entertainment – has a positive
impact on the economy here.
If you look at sports hospitality in the United Kingdom, a lot of it isfocused around the stadiums. A number of those are used not juston match day, but also throughout the year for conferences andentertainment. I think that’s another angle to look at – whether sports
hospitality offers a way to get better utilization of the infrastructurethat there is already here in Japan.
JS: Travel agents and the hospitality industry in Japan

seem to be looking forward to more tourists from allover the world.

Bickle: I think so, and tourists are increasingly looking for an
experiential time, for experiences rather than just things. Certainly,
around an event like the Rugby World Cup, I think being able topackage a match ticket and travel to the game within a hospitality
package makes it a more appealing offering to tourists.

British Chamber of Commerce’s Involvement
JS: Would you please tell us a bit more about the

British Chamber of Commerce’s involvement insupporting the Rugby World Cup?

Bickle: Certainly. One thing we realized a couple of years ago wasthat the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee was very
keen to speak to the foreign business community with one voice, sowhat the BCCJ did was to get together with seven other foreignchambers of commerce to form the Rugby Alliance. The original
mission of the Rugby Alliance was two-fold: it was to support thedelivery of a 2019 Rugby World Cup that all stakeholders here in
Japan can be proud of, and secondly to foster a legacy that features
more inclusive communities which embrace opportunities forinternational business and exchange. Working together with theother chambers of commerce, we collaborated closely with theorganizing committee.
The BCCJ also hosted a think tank event in July on responsible
tourism, where we had representatives from some of the regional
economies in Japan, and people from the tourism, hospitality, andhotel industries. We talked about opportunities for tourism here,
including those connected with the Rugby World Cup. And aboutsome of the challenges Japan is facing. Particularly where the
28 Japan SPOTLIGHT • January / February 2020

hospitality industry is rapidly scaling up and also the number ofvisitors is rapidly increasing, and the challenges of being able tocater to those visitors. Not just to cater to them, but to cater to themin a sustainable way.
JS: Do you think Japan will be successful in keeping

these great numbers of tourists, just like China was
successful in having done so after the Beijing
Olympics?

Bickle: I think so. What the Rugby World Cup has done is to open up
the whole of Japan to a new audience. Tourism from Europe and theUnited States has traditionally been focused on the large
metropolitan and cultural centers – Tokyo going down to Osaka,
Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, and places like that – but the Rugby WorldCup has been nationwide, from Sapporo in the north in Hokkaido
down to Kyushu in the west. That’s given overseas tourists a chance
to see what Japan has to offer. I think a number of tourists still havethe image of Japan being a highly urbanized country, and they arepleasantly surprised when they see that much of the country is
beautiful mountains and forests as well. The key will be finding ways
to enable foreign tourists to discover the rest of Japan. I think that iswhere the Rugby World Cup was so powerful, as a catalyst to getpeople to move beyond the traditional tourism centers to places
where perhaps, were it not for the rugby, they would not have seen.

The Japanese National Team
JS: As a former lock, what is your opinion of theJapanese national team?

Bickle: The Japanese national team has been absolutely tremendous
in this tournament. They played a brand of rugby which has thrilled
the world. Everyone has been amazed, I think, about the way Japan
played in this tournament. What we saw was a new level of skill andaccuracy. Japan has moved on and improved to another level, andtheir skill and accuracy have enabled them to move on to play a very
attractive brand of running rugby. The statistics bear this out, with 55
million people watching them on TV against Scotland. Most of thegames were played in front of capacity crowds. We saw people whohave never had an interest in rugby as a sport being excited andenthused to follow the national team during this tournament. I thinkthat’s because Japan’s skill level has improved markedly, together
with their competitiveness in all facets of the game. At the end of acouple of their matches, after 70 or 80 minutes when the players
would have been exhausted, their forwards still had the reserves ofstrength, desire, conditioning, and also the skills, to challenge andwin crucial penalties at the scrum.

Another Aspect of the Legacy of Rugby
JS: Going back to the question of the legacy of rugby,

the sport has become very popular in Japan now

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thanks to this World Cup. How can we maintain the
popularity of rugby?
Bickle: It’s going to be a challenge, because when you host atournament there is going to be interest before and during thetournament because of the media coverage. There have been a lot of
initiatives around the tournament, for example the Impact Beyond
initiative, where there have been outreaches to schools. Hundreds ofschools have been introduced to tag rugby, providing thousands ofschoolchildren with access to try these sports. Seven-a-side rugby isan Olympic sport, obviously a different game from the 15-a-sidecode that we saw in the World Cup, but that’s another very highprofile event and I think it’s important to try and link the two, tomaintain the momentum. Beyond the Summer Olympics, we’ve got
the Paralympics as well, where wheelchair rugby will be a very key
sport. We’re also seeing some of the regions in Japan looking topromote themselves through rugby as well. One place is Kitakyushu,
which hosted Wales during this World Cup, and is also working very
closely with Team GB, the Great Britain Paralympics team. They’ll behosting the Great Britain wheelchair rugby squad in Kitakyushu
before the Paralympics.
So first of all, I think it’s about linking rugby – in its various forms– to these mega sporting events, and secondly it’s about creating
opportunities for youngsters to continue to enjoy the game. It’sgoing to be key as well to find ways to involve the Japan nationalteam into better quality competition. It’s important to give fans theopportunity to see top-quality competition here in Japan and ensurethat they stay enthused.
JS: I’m interested in what you said about local-to-local

cooperation, such as Kitakyushu and Wales. Do you
think that kind of cooperation will grow?

Bickle: I think so. It’s a win-win process for both sides. A number ofrugby unions worked very hard in the build-up to the Rugby World
Cup, years in advance with the towns and the cities where the teams
were going to be based, and they’ve been running rugby programs topromote interest in the sport, but also interest in their own country.
We’ve seen the great work being done in Kitakyushu, and I think
there’s been tremendous work done up in Kamaishi too with the newstadium being built there. They hosted one game during thetournament but unfortunately because of the terrible Typhoon
Hagibis, the second game was cancelled. But you saw the Canadianteam working with the amazing local community afterwards in thecleanup. They were building relationships there, and hopefully these
relationships will continue to endure over the years to come.
JS: Do you think Japanese schools should haveclasses on rugby?

Bickle: I would certainly love to see Japanese schools have classes
on rugby, because the values of integrity, respect, solidarity, passion,and discipline are displayed. I think the “fun” aspect of it is alsohugely important. People ask why countries like New Zealandproduce so many fabulous players. I think it’s because kids from avery young age pick up a rugby ball and are just playing, they’rethrowing the ball around, and through doing that they are developing
the awareness of the game, spatial awareness, subconscious things
which are the key to decision-making. These are things that develop
over time and cannot necessarily be coached, so I think it’s about
giving kids in Japan the opportunity to enjoy the game.
JS: Some have said that leadership might also be agood thing to be developed through rugby. What do
you think?

Bickle: I agree, because if you look on the rugby field, there aremany leaders. Someone is obviously designated the captain, but you
see a lot of communication. There are people in a number of
positions who have senior roles, and it’s not just the captain. I thinkrugby and all team sports are a chance for an individual to develop
leadership skills. You don’t have to be labeled as the leader to show
leadership, and I think kids can learn that through sport. They don’t
have to be loud and vocal, they can learn and show leadership bydemonstrating their commitment, their drive and determination that
all of their teammates can see, so that’s leading by example.
Leadership is beyond just being the captain; actually showing
leadership is much, much broader – showing your commitment to
the team and learning how to inspire and motivate other people as
well.

What We Can Expect from the Tokyo Games
JS: OK, let’s move on to the Tokyo Olympics andParalympics. That will be another opportunity topromote sports and have people visit the hostcountry. What do you expect?

Bickle: The Summer Olympics and Paralympics is a huge
opportunity for Japan, as a catalyst and a magnet for foreign
tourists. The Olympics itself is a shorter tournament andgeographically is broadly limited to the Tokyo area, but I think it’s stilla tremendous opportunity to promote the country and to bring intourists. Hopefully, Japan and Japanese regions will build on what
they’ve done for the Rugby World Cup, and will continue to market
themselves and appeal to the tourists who come specifically to watch
the Games. I sincerely hope as well that beyond the Summer
Olympics, we’re going to see a fantastic Paralympic Games here in
Japan, certainly in terms of the legacy after London 2012. That’s oneof the things the London organizers are very proud of, the success of
the Paralympic Games. I hope that we see that here in Japan as well,with fans wanting to come to soak up the atmosphere and see thevery high quality of competition that there is around Para sports aswell.
JS: You said something interesting about the Rugby
Japan SPOTLIGHT • January / February 2020

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World Cup, that athletes, coaches, and tourists staylonger, because rugby is a very exhausting game, so
you need about a week between matches, and thatwill prolong your stay in the country. In the case of
the Olympics, will the time be too short to attract a lotof attention to the Games and also to the country?
Bickle: Obviously the period of the Games is much shorter, but I
think there are opportunities for Japan to market itself and appeal inadvance to foreign tourists who are coming to the Games to comeearly, in advance of the Games, or to stay on afterwards and explore
the rest of the country. Japan is blessed with a remarkably efficientand extensive transportation network. It’s safe and it’s easy to getaround to all parts of the country, and I think more and more
foreigners are waking up to that realization and understanding that
there is much, much more to see in Japan. But in order for Japan tomaximize the opportunity, and for the regions to maximize theopportunity, they will have to actively market themselves and getcreative as well.
I think tourism is a great potential source of economic benefit for
local regions, and can really be a source of economic vitality for the
residents of those areas. Once again, hopefully it’s a win-win
situation. I think that the way Japan will be able to maximize theopportunity that tourism has to offer for the Japanese economy and
the Japanese people is to ensure that it is spread throughout thecountry. In that way, hopefully, all the regions can benefit byparticipating in this tourism boom.

British Chamber of Commerce’s Involvementin the Games
JS: I’m curious about your chamber of commerce’s

involvement in promoting the legacy of the Tokyo
Olympics.

Bickle: What we will try to do in terms of the legacy is to develop
tourism and other opportunities for internationalization. There isinterest around global sporting events, but that is just one subsectorof the tourism industry, one of the offerings. In our event earlier thisyear based around sustainable tourism, we were looking at what we
can do to help the sector. We might be able to share some thingsfrom the UK experience, where the UK government has announced
comprehensive plans to promote tourism, and then hopefully Japan
will be able to refer to those in developing its own best practices. The
UK is focusing on things like accessibility, making many parts of the
UK more accessible for people with mobility issues. There iscertainly a lot for Japan to work on in that area, and hosting theParalympics is a great opportunity to shine a light on these issues, toopen up Japan to a much bigger pool of visitors.

maintaining good health among older people, which
is very important in an aging society. In terms of yourexperience or the UK experience, what do you think
about this?
Bickle: Definitely, I agree. As society ages and people’s lifespans are
getting longer, the key challenge now is to give people high-quality
lifestyles as they age. Helping to keep people healthy and active
contributes to that. There are physical health benefits from regularexercise, so sport has a role to play there. I think an important point
too is to enable people to feel fulfilled, so participating in sports
activities, going out to watch high-quality sporting events, all thesethings can help. If such activities can be offered, or made moreaccessible to the senior members of our society, I think they cancontribute to enabling a more stimulating and rewarding life forpeople in retirement. To create opportunities though, there will need
to be additional investment in infrastructure, and also inorganization.
JS: Sports hospitality, volunteer activities, and similar“software” are a key legacy of the Olympics andParalympics. How can Japan further promote those
activities?

Bickle: I think it’s about reinforcing those strengths and successes;
in sports, it would be great to see continued involvement andengagement from national team players, also continued support
from companies. I think collaboration is the key here. There are areas
where NGOs can work together in pursuit of their goals. In terms ofopportunities to create healthy lifestyles for children, hopefully
there’s a chance for NGOs to work together with schools, with local
authorities, and maybe with their local sports teams, to involve the
top-quality sports players in the community, contributing,participating, and helping out. In Japan, we’re seeing moreinvestment now in all-weather pitches, and it will be great if we cansee more of those. Obviously, the cost is an issue, but hopefully
there will be more investment in facilities which will enable children
to more actively participate in sport.
JS: Perhaps we can take advantage of information

technology and other new technologies for
networking?

Bickle: Certainly. These days, with social media and technology, it’smuch, much easier to collaborate and promote. Many of theseorganizations have a social media presence to enable them to share
their goals and their activities with other people. That’s an important
aspect of helping to create and maintain these alliances.

Expected Legacy of the Games
JS: Sports is expected to play a key role in
30 Japan SPOTLIGHT • January / February 2020

Written with the cooperation of David S. Spengler, who is a translator andconsultant specializing in corporate communications.