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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
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC VIEW
Aug 23, 2016
Despite hosting worries, Rio served up excitement, drama, service with a smile
What happens to Rio de Janeiro now that the 2016 Olympics have finished remains to be seen, but there was no denying the quality and drama of the past three weeks of competition.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 22, 2016
Rio passes Olympic flag to Tokyo, 'Super Abe' during closing ceremony
Tokyo took center stage as Rio de Janeiro handed over the Olympic flag to the 2020 host city at a rain-lashed but joyous closing ceremony for the Rio Games on Sunday.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 22, 2016
Japanese Olympic Committee hails record medal haul, states case for more funding
The Japanese Olympic Committee cast a satisfied eye over its biggest-ever Olympic medal haul at the Rio Games on Sunday but warned money must be spent to perform even better at Tokyo 2020.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 21, 2016
Brazil beats Germany on penalties to win first-ever Olympic soccer gold
Host nation Brazil — the most successful country in soccer history — finally claimed its first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sport after beating Germany 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Saturday's men's final at the Rio Games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC VIEW
Aug 21, 2016
Bolt ascends to true greatness with 'triple-triple' Olympic haul
"More than the greatest" was how Yohan Blake described his Jamaican teammate Usain Bolt after Friday night’s 4×100-meter relay final at the Rio Games.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2016
Koike, Tokyo 2020 chiefs promise not to leave 'white elephants'
New Tokyo governor, 2020 Olympic organizers vow not to saddle taxpayers with venues that cannot be reused following games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 20, 2016
Track legend Bolt, other sprint stars praise Japan relay foursome's teamwork, dedication
Three-time triple Olympic gold medal-winner Usain Bolt insists he was not surprised by Japan's performance in claiming silver in the 4x100-meter relay at the Rio Games on Friday.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 20, 2016
Bolt completes triple-triple with Jamaica's gold in 4x100 relay; Japan makes history by taking silver
Japan came close to sabotaging Usain Bolt's bid for Olympic immortality but settled for a first-ever silver medal in the men's 4x100-meter relay at the Rio Games on Friday.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 20, 2016
Russian pole vault great Isinbayeva ends career with parting shot at track chiefs
Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva announced her retirement on Friday and claimed "God will judge" track and field's governing body for denying her the chance to compete at the Rio Games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Aug 19, 2016
Real personality of Rio hidden from view behind IOC's security blanket
The eyes of the world are on Rio de Janeiro while the Olympics are in town, but it is difficult to shake the feeling that the city is not showing its true face.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 19, 2016
Yoshida's wrestling reign comes to stunning end but Kawai takes gold
Saori Yoshida saw her bid to win a fourth straight Olympic wrestling gold medal crumble before her eyes after a seismic loss to American Helen Maroulis at the Rio Games on Thursday.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 19, 2016
Matsutomo, Takahashi claim Japan's first-ever Olympic badminton gold
Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi claimed Japan's first-ever Olympic badminton gold medal after beating Denmark's Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 2-1 in Thursday's women's doubles final at the Rio Games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 18, 2016
Japanese fans shrug off crime and Zika in Rio, look forward to Tokyo's turn
Japanese attending the Rio Olympics say they have found the host city safer than they were led to believe and are looking forward to welcoming the world at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 18, 2016
Icho leads Japan's wrestling sweep with historic fourth straight gold
Grappler Kaori Icho wins a historic fourth consecutive gold medal as Team Japan gets away with a clean sweep of the wrestling mat at the Rio Olympics.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 17, 2016
Japan pushes mighty U.S. team before falling in rout
Japan's women's basketball team pushed the United States before crumbling after halftime on the way to a 110-64 quarterfinal defeat at the Rio Games on Tuesday.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 17, 2016
Teen star Ito leads Japan to team table tennis bronze
Fifteen-year-old Mima Ito showed the composure of a veteran to lead Japan's women to the table tennis team bronze medal at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over Singapore.
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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JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

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