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April 04, 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.
TENNIS
Oct 9, 2016
Kyrgios overcomes rough start against Goffin en route to Japan Open title
Big-serving Australian Nick Kyrgios came back from a set down to capture the Japan Open title with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Belgium's David Goffin in Sunday's final.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 8, 2016
Goffin, Kyrgios roll into Japan Open final
Belgium's David Goffin set up a Japan Open final showdown with Australian Nick Kyrgios after beating Croatia's Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-4 in Saturday's semifinal.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 7, 2016
Crafty Kyrgios conquers Muller, advances to Japan Open semis
Australian world No. 15 Nick Kyrgios showcased the full range of his mercurial talents to reach the Japan Open semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Luxembourg's Gilles Muller on Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2016
800,000 people crowd Tokyo to celebrate Olympians, Paralympians
An estimated 800,000 spectators thronged the streets of Tokyo on Friday to celebrate Japan's Rio Olympic and Paralympic medal-winning athletes in an open-top parade.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Oct 7, 2016
Halilhodzic toasts Japan after dramatic win over Iraq
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic believes his players "deserve two glasses of champagne" after Thursday's dramatic 2-1 World Cup-qualifying win over Iraq, but warned they will have to sharpen up at set pieces before they take on Australia on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Oct 6, 2016
Birthday boy Yamaguchi lifts Japan with dramatic late goal against Iraq
Substitute Hotaru Yamaguchi volleyed in an injury-time winner to jolt Japan's bid to reach a sixth straight World Cup into life with a 2-1 victory over Iraq on Thursday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Oct 5, 2016
Match-rusty Japan left with little margin for error in qualifiers
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic last week bridled at suggestions that he is making excuses for Japan's underwhelming start to the final round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers. But there will be no place to hide if the Samurai Blue slip further off the pace after games against Iraq and Australia over...
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 2, 2016
Reds stroll past Gamba
Urawa Reds moved top of the overall J. League table and exorcized a few demons along the way with a 4-0 win over Gamba Osaka on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 28, 2016
Second-stage title hopefuls battling for playoff berth
Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Reds joined Kashima Antlers in clinching a place in the J. League Championship last Sunday, but this weekend's action will go a long way toward deciding if any more teams join them.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 25, 2016
Wozniacki halts Osaka's run in Pan Pacific Open final
Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki denied teenage sensation Naomi Osaka her first title on the WTA Tour with a 7-5, 6-3 win in the Pan Pacific Open final on Sunday.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 23, 2016
Osaka bests Sasnovich, advances to semifinals
Rising teenage star Naomi Osaka reached her first-ever semifinal on the WTA Tour after conquering her demons in a 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) win over Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the Pan Pacific Open on Friday.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 21, 2016
Overpowering Osaka eliminates Cibulkova
Teenage sensation Naomi Osaka claimed her biggest scalp to date after beating world No. 12 Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 20, 2016
J. League chairman denies single-stage return a done deal
J. League chairman Mitsuru Murai on Tuesday denied that the league has already decided to return to a single-stage format from next season but confirmed that the idea is under consideration.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 17, 2016
Reds rally past FC Tokyo, reduce Frontale's lead at top of table
Urawa Reds cut Kawasaki Frontale's lead at the top of the overall J. League table to two points after coming from behind to beat FC Tokyo 3-1 on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 10, 2016
Reysol ease past struggling Antlers
Kashiwa Reysol heaped further pressure on Kashima Antlers and beleaguered manager Masatada Ishii with a 2-0 win over the first-stage champions on Saturday.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 5, 2016
Joseph digs in for long haul after taking Japan reins
New Japan national rugby team head coach Jamie Joseph has warned fans to expect pain before pleasure as he builds toward the 2019 World Cup on home soil.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 2, 2016
Honda slams referee after 'ghost goal' haunts Japan's loss to UAE
Japan forward Keisuke Honda once again issued a damning verdict on the standard of Asia's referees after the Samurai Blue were denied a seemingly legitimate goal in Thursday's 2-1 World Cup-qualifying loss to the United Arab Emirates.
SOCCER
Sep 1, 2016
UAE capitalizes on Japan's miscues to secure victory
Japan's bid to reach a sixth straight World Cup suffered a damaging early blow with a 2-1 defeat to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Aug 31, 2016
Little margin for error as Japan aims for 2018 World Cup spot
After a year and a half of shadow boxing, national team manager Vahid Halilhodzic finally gets to taste some meaningful action when Japan begins the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup against the United Arab Emirates on Thursday night.
OLYMPICS
Aug 30, 2016
Japan's judo gold medalists praise country's efforts with eye on 2020 Games
Japan's Rio Olympic judo gold medalists believe their country has reclaimed its rightful place as the sport's world No. 1, but warned the pressure to succeed at the 2020 Tokyo Games will be enormous.
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
U.S. tourist arrested after bringing a handgun into Japan
Hyogo police believe the handgun a U.S. tourist inadvertently brought into Japan slipped through security procedures at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture.
Trump unveils 10% global tariff, with Japan levy set at 24%
Trump tosses a MAGA hat to the crowd during an event in which he unveiled new tariffs in the White House on Wednesday.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
Japan promises 'bold and speedy' response to Trump’s surprise 24% tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump unveils new U.S. tariffs at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.

Podcast

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