The downfall of popular rugby teams that had sustained university rugby, such as Waseda, Keio, and Meiji, contributed to reducing attendance at rugby games. With this situation, the JRFU introduced a championship system by arranging matches where the champion of company rugby and that of university rugby met to decide the factual Japan champion. At the 1st NHK Cup held on 29 January 1961, Yahata Steel Works successfully became the first champion beating Nihon University by a final score 50-13. With the third championship as the last one, the NHK Cup was developmentally dissolved. In 1963, this championship was then renamed as the Japan Rugby Championship. In the 1st Japan Rugby Championship held on March 1964, four teams participated, where Doshisha met Yahata Steel Works and Hose met Kintetsu. The final was held two days later on March 22. Doshisha defeated Kintetsu 18-3, putting on the crown as the first Japan champion. From the following year, the Japan Rugby Championship was held on Coming-of-Age Day, January 15, every year. This rapidly boosted the popularity of rugby in Japan.
The All-Japan University Rugby Championship started one year later, in 1964, following the Japan Rugby Championship. In the 1st All-Japan University Rugby Championship held on 10 January 1965, Hosei beat Waseda 14-6 and became the first university champion. The All-Japan University Rugby Championship has been recognized as an annual New Year's event and continued to gain popularity among rugby fans with the competition between Waseda, Meiji, Keio, and Doshisha. After 1997, Kanto Gakuin emerged fiercely competing with Meiji and Waseda. Waseda claimed the title in 2008, while Teikyo won the championship in the next two consecutive years, in 2009 and 2010.