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January 23, 2025
 

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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.
International Gymnastics Federation chief Morinari Watanabe in Tokyo on Thursday
OLYMPICS
Jan 14, 2025
IOC long shot Watanabe hopes 'crazy' Olympic idea sparks debate
Morinari Watanabe is proposing to host the Games simultaneously in five cities across five continents.
Yokohama F. Marinos coach Steve Holland holds a news conference in Yokohama on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 11, 2025
Steve Holland ready to step out of Gareth Southgate's shadow in Japan
The 54-year-old, who will coach Yokohama F. Marinos this season, was the right-hand man to Southgate during their eight years together with England.
High school soccer teams during the opening ceremony for the national championships on Saturday at National Stadium in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Dec 29, 2024
Drama and dreams: Japan's wildly popular school soccer tourney breeds future stars
The annual tournament kicked off on Saturday, with young players dreaming of playing in the final in front of tens of thousands at National Stadium in Tokyo.
A World Series public-viewing event in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday.
BASEBALL
Oct 30, 2024
'A treasure': Win or lose, Ohtani is a hometown hero in Iwate
Anticipation was high among the roughly 60 supporters who gathered early in the morning to watch Ohtani and the Dodgers try to clinch the World Series.
Urawa's Yu Endo (right) competes for the ball with Kobe's Yui Narumiya during a match in Osaka in January.
SOCCER
Oct 2, 2024
Champions League can put Asian women's soccer on map, players say
Women's soccer in Europe and North America is in rude health, but Asia has fallen behind.
France's Arthur Fils celebrates with the winner's trophy after his victory over Ugo Humbert in the men's singles final of the Japan Open in Tokyo on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Oct 2, 2024
Fils saves match point to beat Humbert in all-French Japan Open final
Fils, the world No. 24, came back from the brink in the second set to edge his Paris Olympics doubles partner in a little over three hours in Tokyo.
France's Ugo Humbert hits a return against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic during their men's singles semifinal match at the ATP Japan Open tennis tournament in Tokyo on Monday.
TENNIS
Oct 1, 2024
Humbert to face Fils in all-French Japan Open final
Tuesday's match will be the first all-French final on the ATP tour in four years.
Kei Nishikori hits a return against Holger Rune during their Japan Open quarterfinal match on Sunday.
TENNIS
Sep 30, 2024
Kei Nishikori misses out on semifinal spot after Holger Rune fights back from brink
Rune, the No. 6 six seed, came back from the brink to win four straight games and end the Japanese veteran's challenge in front of a lively crowd in Tokyo.
Kei Nishikori hits a return against Jordan Thompson during their second-round match at the Japan Open in Tokyo on Saturday.
TENNIS
Sep 28, 2024
Kei Nishikori advances to quarters at a Japan Open full of upsets
In other action, fifth seed Tommy Paul became the latest top player to make an early exit as he lost to Tomas Machac in the second round on Saturday.
Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma (left) in action with Arsenal's Ben White at Emirates Stadium in London on Aug. 31
SOCCER
Sep 17, 2024
Japanese players in vogue as British clubs widen horizons
"It feels like there is more interest in Japanese players from around the world," says Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo.
Japan's Naoya Inoue (left) and Ireland's TJ Doheny fight during their super bantamweight title match at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Sep 3, 2024
'Monster' Inoue eyeing Vegas bout after stopping injured Doheny
The unbeaten Inoue was declared the winner when Doheny was left hobbling and unable to continue following a barrage to the body.
Canada's Phil Wizard, whose real name is Philip Kim, competes in the men's breaking competition at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Breaking
Aug 11, 2024
Canadian B-boy Phil Wizard wins first men's Olympic breaking gold
Phil Wizard, whose real name is Philip Kim, beat French B-boy Dany Dann in the final as Japan's Shigekix finished fourth.
Chile's Zhiying Zeng plays a return during her preliminary round match at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Table tennis
Jul 28, 2024
'Dream come true' for 58-year-old Olympic debutant despite loss
Zeng represented China, the country of her birth, as a young player but retired at 20 and moved to Chile, where she has lived for the past 35 years.
Japan's Tatsuru Saito competes during the 2022 world championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 4, 2024
Japan's Tatsuru Saito aims to emulate late father with judo Olympic gold
Hitoshi Saito was a judo great who triumphed at consecutive Olympics in 1984 and 1988 at over 95 kilograms.
Japan skateboarding national team coach Daisuke Hayakawa performs at a skateboard training area in Tokyo on June 12.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
Jul 2, 2024
Japan's skateboarding youth turn street culture into Olympic gold
National team coach Daisuke Hayakawa said that the number of skaters in Japan had tripled since the Tokyo Games.
England's George Martin is tackled by Japan's Atsushi Sakate (right) and Tomoki Osada during England's win over Japan on Saturday in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 22, 2024
Marcus Smith stars as England thrashes Japan 52-17 in Tokyo
Late scores for Koga Nezuka and Takuya Yamasawa gave the scoreline a more respectable look for Japan
Japan head coach Eddie Jones attends a training session in Tokyo on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 21, 2024
Wary England set for Eddie Jones reunion in steamy Japan Test
Temperatures are set to reach 30 degrees Celsius in the capital for Eddie Jones' first game since returning to the Japan job for a second stint.
Machida Zelvia's Yu Hirakawa (center) is challenged by Albirex Niigata's Yuto Horigome during the two teams' J. League clash at Machida Gion Stadium in Machida, Tokyo, on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 4, 2024
From nonleague to top of the league for upstarts Machida
The team from Tokyo's suburbs tops the table approaching the halfway point of the season.
A visitor to the Japan Olympic Museum walks past a display of the Olympic Rings on a wet day in central Tokyo on May 1.
JAPAN
May 26, 2024
Japan wrestles with legacy of graft-stained Games in Paris warning
Cost overruns, corruption and COVID-19 all tarnished the Japanese public's memory of the Tokyo Olympics.
Mike Tyson (left) and Buster Douglas fight during the seventh round of their world heavyweight title fight at Tokyo Dome on Feb. 11, 1990.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
May 3, 2024
Tokyo Dome to host boxing for first time since Buster Douglas upset Mike Tyson
Super-bantamweight world champion Naoya "Monster" Inoue will put his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery at the Big Egg.
U.S. Osprey accidentally drops cargo into sea in Okinawa
A V-22 Osprey
Large fire breaks out near Osaka's Tsutenkaku Tower
Smoke rises from a fire at a commercial building near Tsutenkaku Tower, in Osaka, on Tuesday.
Nissan to end production of compact van as Honda rescue looms
A trailer transports Nissan’s NV200 Venette minivans in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Kanagawa high school student arrested for credit card data theft
A 17-year-old student from Kanagawa Prefecture has been arrested for allegedly creating a program that purported to verify the validity of credit cards and using it to illegally obtain their details.
SoftBank to help fund and lead Trump-backed Stargate AI project, a $500 billion venture
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on Stargate, as Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman look on in the Roosevelt room at the White House.
Terunofuji’s career was unique — and great
Yokozuna Terunofuji enters the ring at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo earlier this month during what would be his final tournament.
Japan-made games part of a rising tide of indie greatness
One of the brighest spots of Japan's indie gaming landscape in 2024 was Sonokuni, and with more incubators and other avenues of support springing up, there may be more games like it in the future.
Fuji TV scandal sparks probes on exploitation within TV industry
Fuji Media Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The company will hold an extraordinary board meeting on Thursday over the firestorm sparked by TV host Masahiro Nakai's alleged sexual misconduct.
Iconic Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Ichiro Suzuki finished his career with 3,089 MLB hits and is one of 33 players in the 3,000-hit club.
For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’
"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.

Podcast

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

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go
By Kazuaki Nagata and Richard Meyer

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