Former Japan U20 player turned referee Takehito Namekawa is hoping his experiences in the upcoming November internationals will develop him further as an official and enhance his chances of appearing at Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.

Though his refereeing experience is rather short, having only qualified in 2021, the 34-year-old has made rapid strides up the refereeing ladder, making his test debut in the Hong Kong China v Germany match in November 2023.

And earlier this year, the former Toyota Verblitz scrum-half took his career on another level when he was handed the honour of overseeing the final between England and France at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Cape Town as well as being the man in the middle for Samoa v Tonga in the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup.

Now, Namekawa is looking forward to more high-profile appointments as he ventures into Europe for the first time. He’ll be the whistleblower for the Munster v All Blacks XV match in Limerick, Ireland, on Saturday and the Scotland v Portugal test in Edinburgh on 16 November. He also will serve as assistant referee in Portugal's match with USA in Coimbra on 9 November.   

“I always get excited to take on a big stage even from my playing days,” says Namekawa, looking forward to the challenge.

The Tokyo native played for 10 seasons at Toyota before retiring in May 2022. With that experience under his belt, he moved on to refereeing and his on-field rapport with players he once called team-mates and opponents is clear for all to see.

Communication, he admits, is key, especially knowing when to speak up but also when to keep quiet.

“I think the more you speak in the game, the better you can manage the game. Also, the number of penalties would go down, but the game can be rather noisy and unsettled,” says Namekawa, “If you have less speaking, I think that would help reduce the hurriedness of the game.”

Much depends, he says, on the level of the match and the age of the players. “If you referee a match for U20s or university players, you’d better speak to them, and that would be even more so with High School players. However, things can go better and smoothly without speaking too much in higher level matches,” he says.

“For me it’s easy to speak and hard not to speak, but I want to learn a new style and have my skills develop better.”

From player to referee

Namekawa was introduced to rugby in the fourth grade of primary school. Being a baseball fan at the time, he wanted to go down that avenue but couldn’t find a club to accommodate him as membership was full to capacity. His teacher then invited him to join the school rugby club instead.

Enjoying the physicality of rugby, the 10-year-old Namekawa soon fell in love with the sport. Though, he “never thought, even for a split second, that he would become a referee in the future,” he laughs, looking back his old days.

He then made steady development as a player and was selected for Japan schoolboys and then the national U20s team, playing in the World Rugby U20 Championship on home soil in 2009. After joining Teikyo University, he switched his position from fly-half to scrum-half and won the National Collegiate Championship three consecutive times.

Namekawa moved on to join Toyota in the Top League in 2012, became captain in 2015, won the League Cup in 2018 and made it to the semi-finals of the 2021 Top League play-offs.

In the latter stages of his playing days, he was thinking about becoming a coach after his retirement and coached a local high school team in Aichi Prefecture where Toyota is based.

However, his situation changed in 2019. Namekawa was asked by Toyota if he would take part in the Japan Rugby Football Union’s new programme, which was launched to find talents and develop them into international match officials.

He initially declined as he wanted to carry on as a player but soon learned that his playing opportunities were decreasing. As he “wanted to remain involved in rugby,” he decided to take it and join the programme. Toyota made that announcement in December 2019, which was the beginning of his new challenge.

Japanese referee Ano Kuwai, who refereed at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in July, was also on the programme. Kuwai, another former national representative player in sevens and 15s, also made a switch to refereeing following her playing career.

Namekawa obtained a JRFU A-level referee license in 2021. On the other hand, his playing opportunities at Toyota were increasing following the arrival of a new coach. Namekawa played nine matches out of 10 in the 2021 season, mostly as an impact player, while serving as a referee in Japan League One which launched in January 2022.

Style of refereeing and RWC 2027

Now he only has one focus and Namekawa is working hard to make the most of every match he referees to find something needed to develop his game.

“My refereeing career is rather short, for three or four years, and I know that my knowledge and experience are far inferior to those who have refereed in the League One by now. So, I think I need to develop my skills and add options as much as I can to cover up the gap. I am thankful for the opportunities given and will make the most of them to develop my career.”

Through his appointments with overseas matches such as the U20 Championship, Namekawa has got to know officials from around the world, which is new to him from his playing days. He believes he can learn many things from them as well as his fellow Japanese referee Katsuki Furuse, who refereed the World Rugby U20 Trophy final in July.

“They all inspire me,” says Namekawa.

So, what type of referee is Namekawa aiming to be?

“A good referee to me is someone who always has consistency to make correct judgements at any time, is not affected by anything by a game or a venue, weather, spectators, etc. Also, someone who speaks only when needed”, to reiterate his earlier point.

New Zealand’s Paul Williams is a referee he looks up to. “He is calm and collected, has good insight, and can make the game run smoothly with little talking,” Namekawa says with respect.

Beyond striving to improve his skills and level, Namekawa has a goal in mind. “I want to blow the whistle at the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027,” he says. “The possibility is very small, but I think I can see it now. I will continue to work hard as long as there is a chance of one per cent, or even 0.1 per cent.”

Namekawa, a father of three children who loves his time with his family, is determined to get where he wants to be. What sticks in his mind is the words of his mentor at the university rugby team, former coach Masayuki Iwade.

“When you feel you worked hard or you did well, Mr. Iwade always says, ‘Do not take it as your best, aim higher’. That's what I have in my head, and I believe that if you do that, you can always improve.”