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July 28, 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
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2016
Tokyo Olympic chiefs weigh private-sector venue funding
Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizers are entertaining the idea that venues built for the games could be financed and run by private-sector companies.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 30, 2016
Urawa shakes off rust to claim advantage in J. League Championship final
Urawa Reds manager Mihailo Petrovic hailed his ring-rusty players for shaking off the cobwebs of almost a month on the sidelines to claim a 1-0 win over Kashima Antlers in the first leg of the J. League Championship final on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 29, 2016
Reds prevail over Antlers in first leg of championship final
Urawa Reds moved a step closer to winning their first J. League title in a decade after beating Kashima Antlers 1-0 in the first leg of the championship final on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Nov 23, 2016
Antlers reach J. League final
Mu Kanazaki struck in the 50th minute to send Kashima Antlers into the J. League Championship final against Urawa Reds with a 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2016
World baseball chief plays down Fukushima Olympic fears
The president of world baseball's governing body on Friday played down fears that the sport's top stars will refuse to play in Fukushima if the nuclear disaster-hit prefecture hosts games at the 2020 Olympics.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 16, 2016
Halilhodzic sends warning to frozen-out stars after Japan's win over Saudis
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic has warned his Europe-based stars to play regularly for their clubs or face a spell in the international wilderness after dropping Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki for Tuesday night's 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Saudi Arabia.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Nov 15, 2016
Japan triumphs over Saudi Arabia as Halilhodzic shakes up lineup
Japan put itself right back in the mix for 2018 World Cup qualification with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Nov 12, 2016
Honda sweats on place in World Cup qualifier against Saudis
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic has warned star player Keisuke Honda that he is not guaranteed of a starting place when Japan takes on Saudi Arabia in a crucial World Cup qualifier next Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Nov 11, 2016
Japan's Osako delivers two-goal performance in rout of Oman
Yuya Osako scored a double on his return to the national team as Japan warmed up for next week's World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia with a 4-0 friendly win over Oman on Friday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Nov 9, 2016
Japan looking to build on recovery in crucial Saudi clash
Vahid Halilhodzic appears to have weathered the storm that threatened to cut short his tenure as national team manager last month. But the Bosnian will be anxious not to slip back into the danger zone when Japan takes on Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifier in Saitama next Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2016
Fukushima eyed for baseball, softball games in 2020 Olympics
Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizers on Wednesday gave the green light for disaster-affected Fukushima Prefecture to host baseball and softball games.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 5, 2016
Argentina pummels Brave Blossoms in Joseph's debut
Japan lost 54-20 to Argentina on Saturday to deny Jamie Joseph a winning start to his reign as Brave Blossoms manager.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 3, 2016
Reds clinch top spot in J. League table despite draw with F. Marinos
Urawa Reds booked their place in the J. League Championship title match after drawing 1-1 with Yokohama F. Marinos on Thursday to finish top of the overall table.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 2, 2016
Four teams battling to avoid drop on final day of J. League regular season
While Urawa Reds and Kawasaki Frontale battle to clinch the top seed for the J. League Championship on the final day of the regular season on Thursday, a more decisive tussle will be going on at the other end of the table.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 29, 2016
Frontale keep pressure on Reds
Kawasaki Frontale ensured that the race for the J. League Championship top seed will go down to the final day of the regular season after a 1-0 win over Kashima Antlers on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 26, 2016
Stress-free Nakamura eyes title for Frontale
Kawasaki Frontale playmaker Kengo Nakamura has credited a newfound selfish streak for his resurgent form this season and is hoping to ride it all the way to the club's first J. League title.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 21, 2016
WADA chief Reedie calls on Abe to provide more funding to fight doping
World Anti-Doping Agency President Craig Reedie challenged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to put his money where his mouth is and increase Japan's funding in the fight against doping on Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2016
Tokyo governor vows to use 2020 Games to tackle demands of graying society
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike vowed Friday to use the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics to create a city that can cope with the demands of a rapidly aging population.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2016
Four-time Olympic gold medal-winner Icho awarded People's Honor
Four-time Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Kaori Icho was awarded the People's Honor Award by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2016
IOC chief Bach vows 'very significant reduction' in cost of Tokyo 2020 Games
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach vowed Thursday to produce "a very significant reduction in costs" for the 2020 Tokyo Games, which he predicts will bring "a transformational moment for all of Japan."
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Ahead of the Olympics, Japan is still talking about the gymnast who won't be there
Japan's Shoko Miyata withdrew from the gymnastics team herself over her drinking and smoking, although it had already appeared as though the association was prepared to send her home from the team’s training camp in Monaco.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
‘Crazy’ yen rally is at risk of shattering as soon as Wednesday
Some investors are warning that a yen rally is fragile, as was on show this week when the yen rapidly retraced an advance after Thursday’s stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth figures.
Japan's average life expectancy rises for first time in three years
A decline in COVID-19-caused deaths likely helped boost the average life expectancy for Japanese men and women to rise for the first time in three years in 2023.
The Japanese Olympians looking to shine in Paris
Rim Nakamura, who is attempting to win Japan's first Olympic gold medal in cycling, will be one of the top Japanese athletes to watch at the Paris Games.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

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

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

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