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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
May 18, 2010
Technology fuels Japan's 2022 bid
Japan is banking on its reputation for technological innovation to win hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 13, 2010
No room for sentiment as Okada separates men from boys
In the end it was simply a matter of fine-tuning for national team manager Takeshi Okada as he named a familiar squad for the World Cup on Monday. Of the few rabbits he did pull out of the hat, however, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi should be regarded as anything but a sentimental choice.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
May 11, 2010
Kawaguchi returns as Okada announces World Cup squad
Veteran goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and striker Kisho Yano were the biggest surprises in an otherwise familiar selection as national team manager Takeshi Okada named his squad for the World Cup on Monday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 9, 2010
J. League's Australians keeping fingers crossed for World Cup callup
National team manager Takeshi Okada will end months of speculation when he names his World Cup squad on Monday, but for some J. League players hoping to make it to South Africa the wait must go on for one more day.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 7, 2010
Stojkovic criticizes players after loss to Reds
SAITAMA — Nagoya Grampus manager Dragan Stojkovic blasted his team's "lack of intelligence" after letting a halftime lead slip in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Urawa Reds, holding himself up as the model for his players to aspire to.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 2, 2010
Nozawa spearheads Antlers to victory over rival Gamba
KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Takuya Nozawa scored with a picture-perfect free kick as Kashima Antlers maintained their stranglehold over J. League rival Gamba Osaka with a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
May 1, 2010
Hirayama philosophical about World Cup chances
If Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark think they know what to expect from Japan at this summer's World Cup, one glance at Sota Hirayama should be enough to change their minds.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 29, 2010
World Cup squad taking shape ahead of May 10 decision
With national team manager Takeshi Okada set to name his World Cup squad on May 10, Soccer Scene takes a look at the candidates. Names in bold are those predicted to make the final 23-man roster:
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 25, 2010
Antlers return to form in win over Marinos
YOKOHAMA — Kashima Antlers shook off an indifferent run of form and got back to winning ways with a stylish 3-1 victory over Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 22, 2010
Time will tell if Reds revival is strong enough to last
Urawa Reds manager Volker Finke declared his side was "moving in the right direction" after Sunday's 3-0 hammering of Kawasaki Frontale, and while evidence on the pitch certainly backed him up, after last season's astonishing summer collapse it might be wiser to reserve judgment.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 19, 2010
Urawa trounces rival Frontale, climbs into first place in J. League
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds thrashed championship rival Kawasaki Frontale 3-0 on Sunday to move into first place in the J. League.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 15, 2010
Old faces need new approach with World Cup looming
National team manager Takeshi Okada has run out of games to assess contenders for his World Cup squad, but the real question now is not so much who he takes to South Africa as how he uses them.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 8, 2010
Japan outclassed by Serbia
OSAKA — Japan's World Cup preparations took another heavy blow after being outclassed by a second-string Serbia in a 3-0 defeat on Wednesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 4, 2010
Nakamura, Kurihara hurt in loss to S-Pulse
Shinji Okazaki struck twice, Shunsuke Nakamura limped off midway through the first half and Shimizu S-Pulse held off a frantic late onslaught to beat Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1 on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 1, 2010
Just business as usual for league-leading Antlers
If Kashima Antlers' rivals were hoping the champions' thirst for success had been quenched by three straight championships, the first month of the new campaign suggests otherwise.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 28, 2010
S-Pulse waste opportunity against fatigued Frontale
Shimizu S-Pulse failed to take advantage of Kawasaki Frontale's early-season fatigue in a flat 0-0 draw on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 25, 2010
Honda breathes life into Japan's World Cup aspirations
...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 21, 2010
Osako's late heroics lift Antlers over Ardija
SAITAMA — Teenage substitute Yuya Osako scored with his first touch less than a minute after coming off the bench to give Kashima Antlers a 1-0 win over Omiya Ardija on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 18, 2010
Flying start suggests Frontale finally mean business
Received wisdom dictates that a league table is not even worth looking at until two months of a new season have passed, but one glance after just two weeks of this year's J. League campaign says plenty about Kawasaki Frontale.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 14, 2010
Nakamura relishes win in long-awaited return to Marinos
YOKOHAMA — Shunsuke Nakamura enjoyed a winning return to the J. League as Yokohama F. Marinos cruised past Shonan Bellmare 3-0 on Saturday.
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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