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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
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 19, 2015
Microsoft says Line's popular Rinna character is new way to engage customers
Microsoft is hoping to revolutionize the way that companies use messaging service Line to promote their products, with the help of an artificial intelligence program last seen posing as a high school girl.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 16, 2015
Jones confident Japan can improve before Rugby World Cup
Japan coach Eddie Jones believes his side is capable of making the step from Rugby World Cup pretenders to genuine dark horses, but warns time is running out to improve before the tournament kicks off next month in England.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 15, 2015
World XV squad overpowers Japan in second half en route to convincing victory
Japan kept pace with a strong World XV side before succumbing in the second half to lose 45-20 in a warmup for the Rugby World Cup on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Aug 12, 2015
Mood turns against Halilhodzic after East Asian Cup debacle
If a scoreless draw with Singapore in Japan's opening World Cup qualifier in May marked the end of manager Vahid Halilhodzic's honeymoon period, last week's East Asian Cup has had critics wishing for a divorce already.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 8, 2015
Okubo rips Halilhodzic on selections
World Cup striker Yoshito Okubo has branded Japan's East Asian Cup squad a bunch of nobodies and is not surprised by the team's dismal showing at the tournament in China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 6, 2015
Line's AI program captures hearts with lifelike personality
An artificial intelligence program posing as a sweet and innocent schoolgirl has captured the hearts of young men nationwide, with some smitten users even declaring their love for their new "girlfriend."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2015
Artist Aida defiant over latest work
Controversial artist Makoto Aida is refusing to bow to demands that he alter a politically sensitive submission to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo after museum chiefs and Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials deemed it unsuitable for children.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 25, 2015
Okubo brace lifts Frontale past S-Pulse
Yoshito Okubo scored twice as Kawasaki Frontale came through a wild, swinging encounter with Shimizu S-Pulse with a 3-2 win on Saturday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 22, 2015
Sanfrecce lay down marker with second-stage surge
The J. League's return to a two-stage system gives teams who started slowly another bite at the championship cherry, but Sanfrecce Hiroshima have bigger ambitions than just the second-stage title.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2015
National Stadium architects return fire, say design not behind high costs
Zaha Hadid Architects hit back at the decision to scrap their plan for Tokyo's new National Stadium, insisting the ambitious design was not responsible for spiraling construction costs.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jul 7, 2015
Nadeshiko reflect on World Cup journey after return to Japan
Nadeshiko Japan manager Norio Sasaki wasted no time in targeting the gold medal at next year's Rio Olympics as the beaten Women's World Cup finalists returned home from Canada on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 1, 2015
Gritty Japan gathering steam ahead of semifinal against England
Japan is still waiting to ignite at the Women's World Cup, but the slow burn that has carried the team all the way to the semifinals may yet be enough to take it further.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 27, 2015
Reds wrap up unbeaten first stage
J. League first-stage champions Urawa Reds beat Albirex Niigata 5-2 on Saturday night to complete the opening campaign with an unbeaten record.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2015
Zushi opens with eye on reviving summer buzz
Zushi Beach in Kanagawa Prefecture opened for the summer on Friday as it battles to attract visitors following a clampdown on rowdy partygoers that saw numbers drop by more than half last year.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 24, 2015
Urawa responds to 2014 heartbreak in rampant style
After throwing away the J. League championship last season, few could have expected Urawa Reds to respond so emphatically.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 20, 2015
Antlers click on offense in rout of Marinos
Caio and Shoma Doi scored in the first half and Shuhei Akasaki added a late third as Kashima Antlers put Yokohama F. Marinos to the sword 3-0 in the J. League on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 17, 2015
Japan takes booing on chin after Singapore stalemate
Keisuke Honda believes fans were right to boo him and his Japan teammates after Tuesday's shock World Cup qualifying 0-0 draw with Singapore, and insists he would have had no complaints had they voiced their displeasure louder.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 16, 2015
Japan held to scoreless draw by 154th-ranked Singapore
Japan got its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign off to an embarrassing start after being held to a 0-0 home draw by Singapore on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 15, 2015
Japan has room for improvement at Women's World Cup
Japan has made it through to the knockout phase of the Women's World Cup with the minimum of fuss, but the reigning champions will have to move up a gear if they are serious about defending their title.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 12, 2015
Cronut master is concocting new pastries for Tokyo store
Cronut fans in Japan can swap local imitations for the real thing when the creator of the croissant-doughnut hybrid, pastry chef Dominique Ansel, opens his new bakery in Tokyo on June 20.
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.
Paris Olympics kick off with rain-soaked — but grandiose — opening ceremony
Japan's 2024 Olympic team moves down the Seine River in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday.
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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