Japan's national rugby team has lost to New Zealand's All Blacks 38-31 in a test match in Tokyo.

Japan, ranked 10th in the world, faced 4th-ranked New Zealand at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Japan's captain and hooker Sakate Atsushi, veteran flanker Leitch Michael and wing Matsushima Kotaro made the starting lineup.

In the first half, the All Blacks scored three tries to lead the game 21-3. But the Brave Blossoms narrowed the gap to 21-17 before the half-time break.

In the second half, the Japanese squad showed its tenacity and created many scoring opportunities after a New Zealand player was sent off with a red card.

But Japan's attempts fell short of reversing the game.

Japan's head coach Jamie Joseph said his squad's successful pressuring of the All Blacks will give them confidence going forward.

He also noted that the Brave Blossoms needs to work on improvements to not make subtle mistakes.

Saturday's defeat means Japan has lost all its seven matches against New Zealand. In past matches, Japan couldn't score a single point in one game, and gave up 145 points in another.

The Brave Blossoms squad is aiming to boost its strength ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.

The team is scheduled to play a test match with 5th-ranked England on November 12 and with 2nd-ranked France on November 20.