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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 / J. League
Jun 21, 2009
First-place Antlers top Jubilo, extend unbeaten streak to 11 matches
KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Kashima Antlers opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the J. League with a 1-0 win over Jubilo Iwata on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 16, 2009
Endo's absence highlights value of Japan's passing game
National team manager Takeshi Okada was hoping to use Japan's final two World Cup qualifiers to learn more about the fringe members of his squad. But the first of those games, last Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Qatar, will have told him more about a player who will not take part in either.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 12, 2009
Metsu: Japan too weak to make it to semifinals
YOKOHAMA — Qatar manager Bruno Metsu has poured cold water over Japan's ambition of reaching the World Cup semifinals, saying Takeshi Okada's men "don't know what to do" when the heat is on.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 11, 2009
Listless Japan settles for draw
Qatar rained on Japan's World Cup qualification parade with a second-half penalty to earn a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 10, 2009
No Japan let-up against Qatar pledges Okada
YOKOHAMA — National team manager Takeshi Okada insists there will be no let-up from his side against Qatar in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier despite having already secured safe passage to South Africa.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 8, 2009
Okada deserves credit for strong leadership in qualifying campaign
For a team so often looking threatened by stormy waters, Japan's qualification for a fourth successive World Cup has ultimately been plain sailing.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 21, 2009
Nakamura faces tough decision when Celtic deal expires
Shunsuke Nakamura might be thinking of nothing other than winning the Scottish league title with Celtic for the time being, but sooner or later he will have to decide what comes next.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 17, 2009
Feisty Reds, patient Gamba play to scoreless draw
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka canceled each other out in a 0-0 draw on Saturday as Kashima Antlers pulled clear at the top of the J. League table.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 12, 2009
New blood gives hype machine plenty to get its teeth into
The 2009 J. League season has so far been notable for the emergence of several excellent young players, but that in turn has raised questions over the way the Japanese press handles its teenage talent.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 6, 2009
Escudero lifts Reds to hard-earned victory over Reysol
Urawa Reds dug deep to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and jumped back to the top of the J. League with a 3-2 win over Kashiwa Reysol on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 3, 2009
Antlers' might too much for overmatched JEF
CHIBA — Kashima Antlers gave the rest of the J. League an ominous demonstration of their strength in depth with a 2-0 win at JEF United Chiba on Saturday.
SOCCER / World cup
May 3, 2009
Oliveira taps Osako for World Cup
Kashima Antlers manager Oswaldo Oliveira has tipped teenage striker Yuya Osako to play for Japan at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 28, 2009
Finke plays cards right to give Reds substance over style
Urawa Reds' rise back to the top of the J. League may not have been achieved with the free-flowing style the club's supporters demand, but after last season's histrionics, no one in Saitama is likely to be complaining.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 26, 2009
Edmilson-led Reds edge JEF, ascend to top of J. League
CHIBA — Urawa Reds moved into first place in the J. League on Saturday as a second-half Edmilson goal led the Saitama side past JEF United Chiba for its fourth 1-0 win in a row.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 23, 2009
Unorthodox Morimoto could be remedy for Japan's ills
On the face of it, Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto's recent comments that he has no interest in playing for Japan should give national team supporters cause for concern.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 22, 2009
Renatinho header lifts Frontale to ACL triumph
KAWASAKI — Kawasaki Frontale virtually guaranteed themselves a place in the Asian Champions League knockout phase with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 19, 2009
Davi delivers winner for Grampus against Reysol
KASHIWA, Chiba Pref. — Brazilian striker Davi halted Nagoya Grampus' losing slide in dramatic style with an injury-time goal to give his side a 2-1 win over Kashiwa Reysol on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 15, 2009
Hulk's meteoric rise to fame adds feather to J. League's cap
Anyone who saw Brazilian striker Hulk terrify defenses during his 3 1/2 years in the J. League knew he was destined for greater things, but the speed with which his star has risen since moving to Europe last summer is remarkable nonetheless.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 7, 2009
Korean wave adds weight to J. League's Asian ambitions
When the J. League allowed clubs to add an extra Asian player to their foreigner quotas at the end of last season, fans were probably hoping for a little more diversity than the influx of Koreans that materialized.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 5, 2009
Quick strikes lift Frontale to win
KAWASAKI — Kawasaki Frontale jolted their season into gear and halted Nagoya Grampus' unbeaten start on Saturday with a 3-1 win at Todoroki Stadium.
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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