This term, Rugby School Japan marked an important moment in the School’s history with the unveiling of its Founders’ Plaque, recognising the group of people whose vision, commitment and collaboration made the creation of RSJ possible.
The plaque honours Neil Hampton, Fei-Fei Hu, Ayahi Suda, Simon Lebus, Ian McIntyre, Aiko Kanayama, Kentaro Nanri, Ziver Ölmez, Kan Hiroshi Suzuki and Kazunori Yamashita, alongside Peter Green, former Head Master and Executive Head Master of Rugby School.
The idea behind Rugby School Japan
RSJ began with an ambitious idea: to establish an exceptional British boarding school in Japan, rooted in the heritage and educational philosophy of Rugby School but created specifically for its setting in Japan and Asia.
The relationship between Rugby School and Clarence Education Asia began to take shape following the development of Rugby School Thailand. Early discussions between the founding teams explored what a Rugby education might look like in Japan, and the project subsequently brought together Rugby School, CEA, Mitsui Fudosan, Chiba University and a wider network of educational, business and community partners. In 2022, the School’s development plan received the approval of the Governor of Chiba Prefecture, paving the way for Rugby School Japan to open its doors in September 2023.
Kashiwanoha was an important part of that vision. The site offered something unusual within Greater Tokyo: the space to create a genuine campus, while remaining closely connected to the city and embedded within the developing Kashiwanoha Smart City. Peter Green recalled visiting the area at a much earlier stage of its development and seeing the potential for the School and the surrounding community to grow alongside one another.
Rugby in Japan
The founding ambition went beyond buildings or location. From the outset, the intention was to create a school which carried the values and philosophy of Rugby School without simply recreating the UK school in another country. As Peter reflected during the ceremony, establishing a school internationally requires an understanding of its cultural context. The task was therefore to take the best of Rugby’s traditions and educational thinking and allow them to develop meaningfully within Japan.
At the heart of that thinking is Rugby’s belief that The Whole Person is the Whole Point. Academic ambition is an important part of a Rugby education, but it sits alongside the development of character, relationships, interests, independence and a sense of responsibility to others. RSJ was founded on the belief that these things should not be seen as separate from academic success, but as part of the same educational purpose.
A significant moment in the School’s journey
Three years after the School opened, the unveiling of the Founders’ Plaque comes at a particularly fitting moment. RSJ began the 2026–27 academic year with more than 400 pupils, having grown rapidly from its first intake in 2023. This summer, 28% of A Level grades were awarded at A*, 68% at A*–A and 86% at A*–B. Every graduating pupil progressed to their first-choice destination, with pupils moving on to universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London, Edinburgh, Sophia University and other leading institutions around the world.
The School has also begun a new chapter under the leadership of Dr Sarah Wade, who joined RSJ as Principal this academic year. Dr Wade brings extensive international experience, having led schools in Europe and the Middle East, most recently as Executive Principal of Amity International School Abu Dhabi, a co-educational school of 1,700 pupils. She previously led the development of a senior school in Amsterdam and has held leadership roles in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Her appointment also marks a significant moment in the wider history of Rugby School as its first female Senior School Principal.
These milestones make the Founders’ Plaque more than a record of how the School began. They provide an opportunity to see how much of the original ambition is now becoming visible.
Part of something bigger
RSJ has grown into a diverse community of pupils from more than 30 nationalities. Its first graduating cohorts are progressing to leading universities around the world. The School is developing its own identity in Japan while remaining firmly connected to the traditions and educational philosophy from which it grew.
That connection extends beyond Rugby School in the UK.
From the beginning, the intention was that Rugby’s international schools should form a connected community rather than a collection of institutions sharing a name. Today, that idea is increasingly reflected in pupil exchanges, professional collaboration between teachers and departments, leadership colloquia and the sharing of expertise across Rugby schools. As the Rugby Global group continues to develop, those relationships will become an increasingly important part of the opportunities available to pupils and staff. Future developments at RSJ, including the Enrichment Campus, have the potential to strengthen those connections further by bringing together young people from across the Rugby community in Japan.
Looking back and looking ahead
A founders’ plaque naturally looks backwards. It records the people who were prepared to believe in an idea before there was a campus, a pupil body, a set of examination results or a graduating class to demonstrate what that idea might become. But its unveiling also comes at a moment when RSJ can look forward with confidence.
The School has changed considerably since those first conversations about what a Rugby school in Japan might look like. The principle at its heart has not.
To combine the best of Rugby’s heritage with the opportunities and cultural context of Japan; to be ambitious for young people academically without losing sight of the whole person; and to build a school which is distinctive in its own right while connected to something larger.
The Founders’ Plaque celebrates where that story began. The pupils, staff and community of Rugby School Japan are now writing what comes next.
