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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
Jan 19, 2012
Strikers looking to blaze new goal trail in European leagues
Ryoichi Maeda will be disappointed that his proposed move to West Ham United broke down last weekend, but the growing overseas interest in Japanese strikers is nevertheless an encouraging sign for the national team.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 12, 2012
Sawa's achievement sets new benchmark for Japanese game
There was never any doubt that Homare Sawa would be named Women's World Player of the Year on Monday, but the significance of the award to the Japanese game still cannot be overstated.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 5, 2012
First-class final caps fine year for second tier
FC Tokyo and Kyoto Sanga's all-J2 Emperor's Cup final on Sunday was a high-profile showcase for the J. League second division, but away from the spotlight there is plenty to suggest the lower tier is in rude health.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 20, 2011
World champions Barcelona still hungry for more silverware
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has warned rivals that the newly crowned world champions have the desire and commitment to stay on top for many more years to come.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 19, 2011
Barca confirms superiority with triumph over Santos
Barcelona became world champions for the second time after blowing Santos away with a 4-0 masterclass in the Club World Cup final on Sunday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 18, 2011
Santos ready for duel against mighty Barca
Santos manager Muricy Ramalho has vowed to stand up to Barcelona and fight fire with fire in the Club World Cup final on Sunday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 17, 2011
Barcelona inspired to claim title as tribute to injured Villa
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has vowed to overcome the loss of David Villa and win the Club World Cup after the striker broke his shinbone in Thursday's semifinal victory over Al Sadd.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 16, 2011
Barcelona crushes Al Sadd
Barcelona set up a Club World Cup final showdown with Santos after picking a way through the massed ranks of Al Sadd's defense to claim a 4-0 win on Thursday night.
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 14, 2011
Barcelona prepares for tough foe in semifinal
Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano is expecting a hard physical battle against Qatari side Al Sadd in Thursday's Club World Cup semifinal, but the Argentine insists his team has no plans to deviate from the fast-passing style that has brought it so much success in recent years.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 13, 2011
Barcelona wary of jet lag after touching down in Japan
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has urged his players to fight through jet lag and become world champions for a second time at the Club World Cup in Japan this week.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Dec 8, 2011
Reysol ready to take on world after shock title
It would have taken a brave person to tip Kashiwa Reysol for the 2011 J. League title before the season had begun. But as the newly crowned champions prepare to take on Auckland City in the Club World Cup on Thursday, it would take an even braver person to deny they deserved it.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 4, 2011
Reysol complete storybook season
Kashiwa Reysol captured their first-ever J. League title just a year after winning the second division with a 3-1 victory over Urawa Reds on the final day of the season on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 27, 2011
Reysol stay on course to earn J. League title
J. League front-runners Kashiwa Reysol fought back from a goal down to keep their title destiny in their own hands going into the final week of the season with a 1-1 draw with Cerezo Osaka on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 24, 2011
Weekend fightback gives Reysol one hand on league title
Nagoya Grampus will fight to the last breath to defend their J. League title, but there can be little doubt now that the 2011 championship is Kashiwa Reysol's to lose.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Nov 10, 2011
Home comforts in short supply as Japan aims for final round
Tajikistan and North Korea might not be the strongest of opponents, but conditions away from home will certainly make Japan's bid to secure an early place in the final round of World Cup qualifiers difficult over the coming week.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 4, 2011
Reysol, two rivals still in hunt for title
Kashiwa Reysol kept their noses in front in the J. League title race with a 4-0 win over Albirex Niigata on Thursday as all three championship contenders claimed victories going into the final three games of the season.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 3, 2011
Everything to play for as three-way title race gets serious
Nagoya Grampus won the J. League title a full 10 points ahead of second-place Gamba Osaka last season, but as the 2011 campaign enters the final stretch, the situation is anything but cut and dried.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 30, 2011
Antlers edge Reds in final
Kashima Antlers came through a tense war of attrition to beat Urawa Reds 1-0 after extra time and win the Nabisco Cup for a record fourth time on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 29, 2011
Yamada hoping Nabisco final can spark Reds' survival
Urawa Reds head into Saturday's Nabisco Cup final against Kashima Antlers looking for a rare moment of joy in an otherwise troubled season, but midfielder Naoki Yamada admits the specter of relegation is casting a large shadow over the occasion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Oct 23, 2011
Pele's message of solidarity in Tohoku
In world sports, there are few names more iconic than that of Brazilian soccer legend Pele.
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.
Deadline approaches for free HPV vaccine 'catch-up' campaign
A 13-year-old junior high school student receives a vaccine for the human papillomavirus at a hospital in Tokyo in 2022.
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.

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Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks
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