Keiko Kato

Keiko Kato

Born	(1988-08-07) 7 August 1988 (age 37)
Height	162 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	61 kg (134 lb; 9 st 8 lb)
Rugby union career
Position Center Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) Setagaya Ladies International career Years Team Apps (Points) Japan National sevens team Years Team Comps 2008– Japan 7s
Medal record Women's rugby sevens Representing   Japan Asian Games 2014 Incheon Team

Keiko Kato (born 7 August 1988) is a Japanese rugby union player. She competed for Japan at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup.

Early life and career

Kato started playing rugby at the age of seven. ^[1] She played basketball in Josho Gakuen Junior High School. ^[1] After graduating from Josho Gakuen High School in 2007, she entered Hosei University. ^[1]

Rugby career

In 2008, she made her international debut for the Japanese women's sevens team at the Hong Kong Sevens. ^[1] A year later, she appeared for the Japanese sevens side in the Sevens World Cup in Dubai. ^{[1] [2]}

In 2010, she studied abroad in England, and also played for the Richmond Rugby Club for a year. ^{[3] [4]}

After graduating from Hosei University in 2012, she worked for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and also played for the Setagaya Ladies rugby club. ^[1]

Kato won a silver medal at the 2014 Asian Games. ^[5] In 2016, she was selected as a non-travelling reserve for the Japanese sevens team for the Rio Olympics. ^{[6] [7]}

In 2017, she featured for the Sakura fifteens in the Asian Women's Championship ahead of the World Cup. ^[8] She subsequently made the Sakura fifteens side for the Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland. ^{[9] [10]}

References

1. "東京五輪 x 「Team常翔」 | 学園広報誌「FLOW」| 学校法人 常翔学園". www.josho.ac.jp. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
2. "「ワールドカップセブンズ2009 ドバイ大会」7人制女子日本代表メンバー/スケジュール｜日本ラグビーフットボール協会". www.rugby-japan.jp (in Japanese). 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
3. "WOMEN'S INTERNATIONALS". www.richmondfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
4. Mead, Alex (2018-11-20). "Richmond Rugby announce unique rugby partnership with Shibuya of Japan". Rhino Direct. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
5. "「第17回アジア競技大会」男女セブンズ日本代表メンバー｜日本ラグビーフットボール協会". www.rugby-japan.jp (in Japanese). 2014-09-16. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
6. "Japan names Olympic 7s squads". Americas Rugby News. 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
7. "Japan announce Olympic Sevens squads". Planet Rugby. 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
8. "Japan too hot for Hong Kong to handle". www.world.rugby. 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
9. "「女子ラグビーワールドカップ2017 アイルランド大会」女子日本代表メンバー及び遠征スケジュール｜日本ラグビーフットボール協会". www.rugby-japan.jp (in Japanese). 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
10. "#WRWC2017 Team Profile: Japan". Irish Rugby. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2026-01-02.