The LPGA Tour of Japan (JLPGA Tour) is hoping to attract more international players as it seeks to expand its global reach.

Japan LPGA (JLPGA) Chairman Hiromi Kobayashi noted that their tour is one of the most lucrative and well-run women's circuits in the world.

"JLPGA opened the door for international players decades ago and it has been wide open ever since. In the early years, many Taiwanese and Korean players joined us and made their presence felt, contributing to our tour's growth," said Kobayashi.

"JLPGA has the largest number of tournaments in the world and we are proud that we have an amazing tour environment. We hope that more international players will consider Japan when it comes to a professional golf career. Rest assured, it can be very rewarding and fulfilling," she added.

JLPGA Tour statistics show that many international players have proven that they can take on the cream of Japanese women golfers.

"A total of 120 players from more than 10 countries including Taiwan, Philippines, Korea, China, France, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brazil and Thailand have joined us since we first opened the doors," said Kobayashi. 'Clearly, they did not just make the numbers as international players accounted for 332 wins in total!"

Kobayashi noted that the tour has undertaken several reforms to further strengthen and entice more non-Japanese professionals.

"As the JLPGA reached its 55th-year milestone, we still have many goals left to be achieved. Over the years, we have developed and significantly improved thanks to much support from sponsors," said Kobayashi.

"JLPGA Tour has a very unique structure where the title sponsor for a tournament does not only pay for all expenses but is responsible for running it, which is different from the US LPGA and Ladies European Tour.

"Therefore, becoming like the US LPGA is one of our goals, and to do so, we have reformed the tour in innovative ways for the past 10 years. For example, from the beginning of the 2022 season, JLPGA has acquired the TV broadcasting rights of the official tournaments."

Kobayashi added that they foresee that the JLPGA's financial status will be boosted significantly from 2023.

"TV broadcasting rights and sales of merchandise and tickets are fundamental in the running of sports business. JLPGA, being a sanctioning organization, has not been able to obtain the kinds of rights like what the European and US tours are enjoying. That is why JLPGA has room to grow," she said.

Kobayashi was speaking following the successful staging of the 55th Japan LPGA Championship Konica Minolta Cup on Sunday, when rookie Haruka Kawasaki become the tournament's youngest-ever champion at age 19. Kawasaki closed with a brilliant 64 for a 16-under-par 272 total to win by three shots at Joyo Country Club in Kyoto.

This year's edition marked the 26th successive year that Konica Minolta has title-sponsored the JLPGA's flagship tournament.