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July 17, 2024
 

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Kaz Nagatsuka

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Kaz Nagatsuka
Kaz Nagatsuka is a staff writer covering Japanese sports, including Japanese professional baseball, basketball, American football and individual sports. He has covered big sporting events such as the World Baseball Classic, the NFL Super Bowl and soccer's World Cup.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 20, 2016
Hawks win draft lottery rights for Soka University pitching phenom Tanaka
The talent pool for pitchers in this year's draft class was deep. What's more, he hurt his right shoulder during this year's spring season. So there were good reasons for NPB clubs to pass on Soka University right-hander Seigi Tanaka in Thursday's NPB draft.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 16, 2016
Okamura takes helm as BayStars president after Ikeda bows out
The Yokohama BayStars announced Sunday that their president, Jun Ikeda, has stepped down at the end of his contract and Shingo Okamura, a former government official for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, has replaced him.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 14, 2016
Ex-Wolverines Gardner, Gallon give Michigan football fans enjoyment in Japan
It's become a trend in recent years for X League clubs to acquire American players, including many who played for prominent U.S. college programs.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 12, 2016
Rising star Nishioka stepping out of Nishikori's shadow
There's absolutely no doubt that the current rise in popularity of Japanese tennis stemmed from Kei Nishikori, whose name is now synonymous with the sport in this country.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 12, 2016
Tokashiki getting used to dual demands
As a two-time WJBL MVP and a Seattle Storm player, Ramu Tokashiki is undoubtedly the biggest star in Japanese women's basketball right now. But even for a superwoman like her, it's not easy to adjust while playing in two different leagues.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 5, 2016
Veteran Oga has harsh message for Women's Japan Basketball League
The Women's Japan Basketball League prepared a ball room at a luxury Tokyo hotel for its season-opening news conference with the head coaches and captains of all the 12 clubs on Monday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 3, 2016
Sunflowers look to extend dominance as WJBL prepares for tip-off
With the Japan national team winning at last year's FIBA Asia Championship and then giving some phenomenal performances at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the popularity of women's basketball in Japan is currently at an all-time high.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 25, 2016
Marines icon Omura bows out in final game
Retiring Chiba Lotte Marines star Saburo Omura had only one season in which he hit above .300 and just one 20-homer campaign, with both marks coming in 2009.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 24, 2016
Sunrockers storm past B-Corsairs in pivotal fourth quarter
After an electrifying start to the B. League's inaugural season with a two-game series between the Alvark Tokyo and Ryukyu Golden Kings earlier the week, other clubs made their league debut across the nation on Saturday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 22, 2016
Former Bulls great Grant in house for B. League opener
Four-time NBA champion Horace Grant, who now serves as an NBA goodwill ambassador, enjoyed the excitement of the B. League's inaugural game at a jam-packed Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo on Thursday night.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 21, 2016
Alvark, Golden Kings eager to deliver entertainment, quality competition in B. League opener
One day before the opening game of the B. League's first season between the Alvark Tokyo and Ryukyu Golden Kings at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, the players and coaches were ecstatic, saying they are ready to put on a show the next day to usher in a new era of Japanese basketball.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 21, 2016
Japan marks three years until Rugby World Cup
It's been a year since Japan shocked the world with its stunning victory over South Africa at the Rugby World Cup in England. And ever since the Brave Blossoms' breakthrough performance, rugby has been in a far brighter spotlight.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 20, 2016
BayStars mainstay Miura to retire after 25th season
One day after the Yokohama BayStars celebrated their first-ever Climax Series berth, pitcher Daisuke Miura, one of franchise's most beloved figures, announced he was bringing his 25-year professional career to an end at the conclusion of this season.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 19, 2016
B. League chairman heralds new era
This last decade has marked the darkest period in Japan basketball history, with the sport divided between two rival men's leagues.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 18, 2016
Basketball veteran Orimo skeptical of B. League's benefit to national team
Just like other players, Levanga Hokkaido veteran guard/forward Takehiko Orimo is delighted about the inauguration of the B. League, the new men's top professional basketball league in Japan.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 12, 2016
Swimmer Matsuda retires, praises longtime coach
Swimmer Takeshi Matsuda competed with his ultimate goal to beat the world's elite like Michael Phelps and win an Olympic gold medal.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 11, 2016
Carp fans savor end of 25-year championship itch
The Hiroshima Carp have strived for the moment for 25 years, and their fans are full of emotion about the team's long-awaited league championship.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Sep 9, 2016
Badminton riding wave of popularity after Japan squad's success in Rio
Led by the gold medal-winning feat of the world's No. 1-ranked female doubles pair, Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo, the Japan badminton squad achieved real success in last month's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and it's helped boost the popularity of the sport here.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 8, 2016
Sunrockers working to meet professional commitments
The B. League, a brand-new men's professional basketball circuit in Japan, will open its inaugural season later this month.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Sep 5, 2016
Japanese men search for ways to improve
Even when you possess elite skills, physicality and elaborate Xs and Os, if you don't have a burning desire to win, you'll just waste those gifts.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
China’s economic growth comes in worse than expected
Pedestrians in the Wangfujing shopping area in Beijing on July 11, 2024. China's economic growth in the second quarter was lower than forecast, adding pressure on Chinese leaders to lift confidence at the Chinese Communist Party's third plenum this week.
Kansai airports to increase takeoff and landing slots ahead of Osaka Expo
Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. The upper limit on the number of takeoff and landing slots at the airport as well as Kobe Airport in Hyogo Prefecture will be raised in spring next year ahead of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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