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The Top League is a rugby union football competition in Japan. It is the highest level of rugby competition in the country and is an industrial league, where the teams are all owned by major companies. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003 to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season in 2003–04 featured 12 teams. The league was expanded to 14 teams in 2006–07 and 16 teams in 2013–14. The chief architect of the league was Hiroaki Shukuzawa who strongly felt the urgency of improving Japanese domestic company rugby to a professional level which would allow Japan to compete more convincingly at Rugby World Cups. Many full-time foreign professionals (mainly from Australia and New Zealand) have played in the Top League, notably Tony Brown and George Gregan. In the 2010s, salaries in the Top League have risen to become some of the highest in the rugby world; in 2012, South Africa's Jaque Fourie, now with Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers, was widely reported to be the world's highest-paid player. ==Developments== *2014–15: Playoff tournament sponsored as the Lixil Cup.〔 *2014–15: Video referee (TMO) decisions introduced for all league games.〔 *2013–14: The league was expanded from 14 to 16 teams. *2009–10: One of the three foreign players allowed on the field must have played, or be eligible, for Japan.〔(Daily Yomiuri, 28 February 2008 )〕 *2008–09: Three foreign players per team are allowed on the field at one time, one more than previously. Additionally, one member of an Asian union (such as South Korean Kim Kwang Mo for Sanyo Wild Knights) is permitted to take the field for each team. *2008–09: Video referee (TMO) decisions were introduced for the Microsoft Cup play-off tournament. *2007–08: A timekeeping system independent of the referee was introduced. *2006–07: The league was expanded from 12 to 14 teams. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Top League」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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