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November 22, 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 / J. League
Jul 13, 2009
Finke calls for change to J. League schedule
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds manager Volker Finke has urged the J. League to change the timing of its season to align with the European calendar.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 12, 2009
Second-half strikes lift Reds to victory
SAITAMA — A second-half double from Brazilian striker Edmilson rescued three points for Urawa Reds in a 2-1 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 9, 2009
Indecision over Chamusca can only worsen Oita's plight
After winning the Nabisco Cup and guiding his club to a fourth-place league finish last season, few jobs in the J. League looked as secure as Oita Trinita manager Pericles Chamusca's.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 2, 2009
Enigma Takahara too talented to be written off for good
A striker finally scoring his first league goal 15 games into a season wouldn't normally be greeted with murmurs of excitement, but then Naohiro Takahara's track record has earned him the benefit of the doubt.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 28, 2009
Takahara notches first goal of season
SAITAMA — Naohiro Takahara scored his first goal of the J. League season to help Urawa Reds get back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Vissel Kobe on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 25, 2009
Nakamura's European ambition puts Okubo in the shade
If Shunsuke Nakamura's decision to snub a return to the J. League to stay in Europe represents a triumph of ambition over comfort, it is a message sadly missed by international teammate Yoshito Okubo.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 21, 2009
First-place Antlers top Jubilo, extend unbeaten streak to 11 matches
KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Kashima Antlers opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the J. League with a 1-0 win over Jubilo Iwata on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 16, 2009
Endo's absence highlights value of Japan's passing game
National team manager Takeshi Okada was hoping to use Japan's final two World Cup qualifiers to learn more about the fringe members of his squad. But the first of those games, last Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Qatar, will have told him more about a player who will not take part in either.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 12, 2009
Metsu: Japan too weak to make it to semifinals
YOKOHAMA — Qatar manager Bruno Metsu has poured cold water over Japan's ambition of reaching the World Cup semifinals, saying Takeshi Okada's men "don't know what to do" when the heat is on.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 11, 2009
Listless Japan settles for draw
Qatar rained on Japan's World Cup qualification parade with a second-half penalty to earn a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 10, 2009
No Japan let-up against Qatar pledges Okada
YOKOHAMA — National team manager Takeshi Okada insists there will be no let-up from his side against Qatar in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier despite having already secured safe passage to South Africa.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 8, 2009
Okada deserves credit for strong leadership in qualifying campaign
For a team so often looking threatened by stormy waters, Japan's qualification for a fourth successive World Cup has ultimately been plain sailing.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 21, 2009
Nakamura faces tough decision when Celtic deal expires
Shunsuke Nakamura might be thinking of nothing other than winning the Scottish league title with Celtic for the time being, but sooner or later he will have to decide what comes next.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 17, 2009
Feisty Reds, patient Gamba play to scoreless draw
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka canceled each other out in a 0-0 draw on Saturday as Kashima Antlers pulled clear at the top of the J. League table.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 12, 2009
New blood gives hype machine plenty to get its teeth into
The 2009 J. League season has so far been notable for the emergence of several excellent young players, but that in turn has raised questions over the way the Japanese press handles its teenage talent.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 6, 2009
Escudero lifts Reds to hard-earned victory over Reysol
Urawa Reds dug deep to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and jumped back to the top of the J. League with a 3-2 win over Kashiwa Reysol on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 3, 2009
Antlers' might too much for overmatched JEF
CHIBA — Kashima Antlers gave the rest of the J. League an ominous demonstration of their strength in depth with a 2-0 win at JEF United Chiba on Saturday.
SOCCER / World cup
May 3, 2009
Oliveira taps Osako for World Cup
Kashima Antlers manager Oswaldo Oliveira has tipped teenage striker Yuya Osako to play for Japan at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 28, 2009
Finke plays cards right to give Reds substance over style
Urawa Reds' rise back to the top of the J. League may not have been achieved with the free-flowing style the club's supporters demand, but after last season's histrionics, no one in Saitama is likely to be complaining.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 26, 2009
Edmilson-led Reds edge JEF, ascend to top of J. League
CHIBA — Urawa Reds moved into first place in the J. League on Saturday as a second-half Edmilson goal led the Saitama side past JEF United Chiba for its fourth 1-0 win in a row.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.

Podcast

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world
mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world

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