{"id":13946,"date":"2025-12-27T19:22:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T06:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/askmenz.com\/?p=13946"},"modified":"2026-07-09T21:18:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:18:06","slug":"gpassioners-partnership-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/askmenz.com\/en\/gpassioners-partnership-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Announcement of the Partnership between Gpassioners and Ask Me NZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ask Me NZ is pleased to announce that we have agreed to form a partnership with Gpassioners<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition, Gpassioners will provide various forms of support for initiatives and expansion by Waitemata Rugby Football Club<\/strong><\/a> into the Japanese rugby community.<\/p>\n

How the Partnership Came About<\/h2>\n

This partnership began with an online reconnection with HikaruKawai, the founder of Gpassioners<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It was our first time reconnecting since we faced each other in a rugby match during our high school years!<\/p>\n

\"kawai-hikaru\"Hikaru and I also played together at Nagoya Rugby School<\/strong><\/a> during our primary and junior high school years.<\/p>\n

This meeting was made possible through an introduction from his brother, Tsukasa Kawai, who is my childhood friend and was also our teammate at the same rugby school.<\/p>\n

Hikaru Kawai\u2019s Background<\/h2>\n

\"kawai-hikaru\"<\/p>\n

Source: Gpassioners<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

After playing for Asahino High School Rugby Club, Hikaru went on to join the Tsukuba University Rugby Club.<\/p>\n

In his fourth year, he helped the team achieve a top-8 finish at the All-Japan University Rugby Championship as a fly-half<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Following his university graduation, he played as a fly-half\u00a0for Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks<\/strong><\/a> (Japan Rugby League One), gaining high-level experience as a professional rugby player.<\/p>\n

A Turning Point in His Career<\/h3>\n

After retiring from the Koto Blue Sharks, Hikaru \u2014 who had always held a strong interest in education \u2014 spent approximately one and a half years in Australia working as a physical education assistant.<\/p>\n

During this time, he became involved with a local junior rugby team, where he had his first hands-on experience in coaching.<\/p>\n

He then travelled around the world, visiting educational settings in various countries. Through these experiences, he gradually came to realise that his true path lay in the intersection of \u201cEducation \u00d7 Rugby.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Returning to Japan as a Coach<\/h3>\n

\"\u540d\u53e4\u5c4b\u5b66\u9662\u5927\u5b66\u30e9\u30b0\u30d3\u30fc\u90e8\"<\/p>\n

Source: Instagram<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Since returning to Japan, Hikaru has pursued a career in coaching and has now served as Head Coach of Nagoya Gakuin University Rugby Club<\/a> for over 10 years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the years following his appointment, he led the team to remarkable progress:<\/p>\n