Former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans will get his first taste of World Series Rugby when he leads the Panasonic Wild Knights into battle against the Western Force on August 17.
Deans, who has been coaching the Japanese side since 2014, is set to bring a strong squad to Perth for the match at nib Stadium.
The match, which was announced on Thursday, will be the seventh of World Series Rugby.
The Force have already recorded wins over the Fiji Warriors and a Tongan representative side.
They will face the Rebels, Crusaders, Samoa and Hong Kong in the coming months before taking on the Wild Knights.
Force chief executive Nick Marvin said the participation of the Wild Knights in WSR was a taste of things to come.
Next year, WSR will be expanded into a six or eight-club competition featuring teams from the Asia Pacific region and Asia.
Marvin said it was highly likely a Japanese team would be part of the competition.
"For us, our future is the Asia Pacific," Marvin said.
"To have Japan come over (is starting) what we think will be a long and fruitful relationship."
The Wild Knights are one of Japan's most powerful and richest teams.
They lost last season's Top League championship decider 12-8 to the Suntory Sungoliath.
Big crowds have turned up for the first two games of WSR and the Force are hopeful the trend will continue.
And players from around the world are starting to take notice, with Australian stars such at Matt Giteau, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Lachie Turner reportedly in the club's sights.
Marvin said Matt Hodgson, the Force's head of elite performance, had been fielding numerous calls from players interested in joining WSR in time for next year.
Rodney Iona's move to the Force has already paid dividends, with the centre winning a call-up to the Samoan national squad for next month's Pacific Nations Cup and World Cup qualifier.
"It's great for Rodney to be rewarded for his good form," Force coach Tim Sampson said.
"And that's what we're all about - promoting our players to kick on to that next level when it's warranted."
The Force will be back in action on Saturday, June 9, when they take on the Melbourne Rebels at nib Stadium.
Australian Associated Press
