After winning the first and second series legs in Korea and China, Japan’s women went unbeaten in the third and final tournament of the series in Sri Lanka, winning the Colombo leg 26-5 over the weekend's surprise package, Thailand, who concluded the series by reaching their maiden final.
China eased past Kazakhstan, 31-0, in the women's bronze medal match to ensure they finished as overall series runners-up.
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Meanwhile, Japan’s men bounced back from their failure to make the final in China to overcome their nemesis, Hong Kong, 17-12 in the Colombo showpiece.
Stressing how much of an influence the Brave Blossoms' epic win over Ireland at Rugby World Cup 2019 had had on his team-mates, Japan men's sevens captain Jose Seru said: "The (RWC) win yesterday really lifted the boys up after we came third in the tournament in China. We really wanted to build as a team and win this tournament for Japan and for our families back at home”.
Hong Kong once again showed their sevens prowess to reach their third successive men’s final and finish as series runners-up behind Japan.
Attention in Asia now turns to the regional Olympic qualifier tournaments in November, from which one team will join hosts Japan at Tokyo 2020. The women's qualifier is in Guangzhou, China, on 9-10 November, while the men's event takes place in Incheon, Korea, on 23-24 November.