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September 27, 2024
 

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Andrew MCKIRDY

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Andrew MCKIRDY
Andrew McKirdy is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His main beat is soccer, but he has also covered rugby, tennis, volleyball, golf and even tug-of-war. A native of the Scottish Borders, he has written for The Scotsman newspaper and organized filming for a program on Japanese soccer for ITV television.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Aug 1, 2008
Sorimachi's squad faces big challenge
With its constantly changing cast and seemingly endless running time, Japan's Olympic soccer team has begun to resemble a TV soap opera.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 30, 2008
Di Maria's goal lifts Argentina
Japan's Olympic soccer team gave itself a confidence boost with a credible performance against defending champion Argentina on Tuesday night, before a thunderstorm forced the match to be abandoned with Japan trailing 1-0.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 22, 2008
Big clubs' shortcomings taking shine off J. League championship race
On the face of it, a league table where just 10 points separated the top 13 teams at the halfway point of the season would suggest an exciting contest, but this year's J. League has been more infuriating than it has been enthralling.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 17, 2008
FC Tokyo keeps Gamba out of first-place tie
FC Tokyo denied Gamba Osaka the chance to go level on points with J. League leaders Kashima Antlers with a battling 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 13, 2008
Challenges await new JFA president
As Motoaki Inukai settles into his new role as president of the Japan Football Association, he must contend with both the challenges ahead of him and the weight of the past on his shoulders.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 6, 2008
Reds striker Tanaka shines in first league appearance since April
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds striker Tatsuya Tanaka gave national team manager Takeshi Okada food for thought as he helped his side get back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over FC Tokyo on Saturday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 3, 2008
Bold Kobe bares its teeth to show Olympic soccer is just not worth it
Clubs grumbling over international callups is nothing new, but Vissel Kobe's decision last week to deny Japan the services of striker Yoshito Okubo for the Beijing Olympics may prove to be a watershed moment.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 29, 2008
Ota's 84th-minute tally propels Reysol to hard-earned win over Reds
A late goal from Keisuke Ota gave Kashiwa Reysol a well-deserved 2-1 win over Urawa Reds on Saturday as the J. League returned from its summer break in explosive style.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 27, 2008
Qualifying round shows talent gap narrowing in Asia
Japan national team manager Takeshi Okada will be aware his seat at Friday's World Cup final Asian qualifying round draw in Kuala Lumpur has not come easy, but he will not be the only man in the room irked by such thoughts.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 23, 2008
Japan exacts revenge, finishes first in group
SAITAMA — A freak injury-time goal gave Japan a 1-0 win over Bahrain on Sunday night to send Takeshi Okada's men through to the final round of World Cup qualifiers on a high.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 5, 2008
Japan's stylish display against Oman leaves critics little ammunition
If there was a question mark hanging over national team manager Takeshi Okada before Monday's World Cup qualifying match against Oman, his side's comprehensive 3-0 win went a long way toward providing the answers.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 3, 2008
Nakamura energizes triumphant Japan
YOKOHAMA — Japan got its bid for a fourth-straight World Cup appearance back on track with a commanding 3-0 win over Oman on Monday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 30, 2008
With trip to 2010 World Cup on line, time for Okada to be assertive
If national team manager Takeshi Okada has learned one thing from his side's recent Kirin Cup matches, it must be to trust his own instincts.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
May 28, 2008
Nakamura unable to give Japan scoring spark in return
Shunsuke Nakamura's return to international action was not enough to inspire Japan to victory as Takeshi Okada's men labored to a 0-0 draw with Paraguay on Tuesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
May 25, 2008
Tamada's 21st-minute tally gives Japan victory over Cote d'Ivoire
Japan got its warm-up for next month's crucial World Cup qualifiers off to a successful start with an impressive 1-0 win over Cote d'Ivoire on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 22, 2008
Spontaneous stupidity sparked violence after match
The shocking scenes of violence after last week's match between Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka were a worrying development for the J. League, but that does not mean an era of Japanese hooliganism is dawning.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 18, 2008
Gamba win marred by unruly behavior
SAITAMA — Ugly scenes on the pitch and in the stands marred Gamba Osaka's 3-2 win over Urawa Reds on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
May 16, 2008
Okada unveils Kirin Cup squad
Japan manager Takeshi Okada called up Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura for the first time Thursday as he prepares for June's do-or-die World Cup qualifying matches with two friendly matches later this month.
SOCCER / J. League
May 11, 2008
Edmilson lifts Reds over Frontale
KAWASAKI — A single moment of skill lit up an otherwise dreary game to give Urawa Reds a 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 11, 2008
JEF United shows commitment with hiring of Miller
Given the state JEF United Chiba finds itself in, the club has pulled off a real coup in snaring Alex Miller for its vacant manager's job.
China fires long-range missile into Pacific Ocean in rare test
Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Beijing's Tiananmen Square during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on Oct. 1, 2019.
Takaichi and Ishiba head to runoff in LDP leadership election
A poster showing portraits of candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday
Hyogo governor to seek reelection after automatically losing his seat next week
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito after the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly passed a no-confidence motion against him on Sept. 19　
Russia has a secret war drones project in China, intel sources say
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a drone production facility of the the Special Technology Center in St. Petersburg on Sept. 19.
As Onosato dominates the spotlight, former sumo stars exit the stage
Takakeisho during a one-day tournament at Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020
Tokyo Game Show 2024 stacked with big returns and hyped announcements
Tokyo Game Show opens to the public on Sept. 28 full of cosplayers promoting a full slate of new and upcoming titles.
A first look inside the new Nintendo Museum
The Nintendo Museum opens to the public on Oct. 2, but unlike the company's all-ages games, the new attraction may be geared more toward older rather than younger gamers.
Japan MSDF warship sails through Taiwan Strait for first time
The Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Sazanami arrives in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean during a scheduled port visit in July. The Sazanami became the first Japanese warship to sail through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
People of all ages and sizes scale new heights amid climbing boom in Japan
A climbing wall at a kindergarten in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture. The sport has been on the rise in Japan, mainly due to the popularity it gained from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and new climbing walls are popping all over the place.
China fires long-range missile into Pacific Ocean in rare test
Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Beijing's Tiananmen Square during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on Oct. 1, 2019.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks
By Alex K.T. Martin

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