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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
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.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 23, 2009
Unorthodox Morimoto could be remedy for Japan's ills
On the face of it, Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto's recent comments that he has no interest in playing for Japan should give national team supporters cause for concern.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 22, 2009
Renatinho header lifts Frontale to ACL triumph
KAWASAKI — Kawasaki Frontale virtually guaranteed themselves a place in the Asian Champions League knockout phase with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 19, 2009
Davi delivers winner for Grampus against Reysol
KASHIWA, Chiba Pref. — Brazilian striker Davi halted Nagoya Grampus' losing slide in dramatic style with an injury-time goal to give his side a 2-1 win over Kashiwa Reysol on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 15, 2009
Hulk's meteoric rise to fame adds feather to J. League's cap
Anyone who saw Brazilian striker Hulk terrify defenses during his 3 1/2 years in the J. League knew he was destined for greater things, but the speed with which his star has risen since moving to Europe last summer is remarkable nonetheless.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 7, 2009
Korean wave adds weight to J. League's Asian ambitions
When the J. League allowed clubs to add an extra Asian player to their foreigner quotas at the end of last season, fans were probably hoping for a little more diversity than the influx of Koreans that materialized.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 5, 2009
Quick strikes lift Frontale to win
KAWASAKI — Kawasaki Frontale jolted their season into gear and halted Nagoya Grampus' unbeaten start on Saturday with a 3-1 win at Todoroki Stadium.
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 30, 2009
Okada unruffled by missed chances
SAITAMA — National team manager Takeshi Okada has defended his side's goalscoring record after watching Japan miss a slew of chances in Saturday's 1-0 win over Bahrain.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 29, 2009
Nakamura-led Japan beats Bahrain
SAITAMA — Shunsuke Nakamura hauled Japan to within touching distance of a fourth successive World Cup with a trademark free kick to give his side a 1-0 win over Bahrain on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 28, 2009
Japan aims for another victory against Bahrain
SAITAMA — National team manager Takeshi Okada is determined to settle his side's rivalry with Bahrain once and for all in Saturday's World Cup qualifier at Saitama Stadium.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 26, 2009
Okada reaps the benefits as Hasebe builds on potential
Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo will be expected to provide the artistry in Japan's World Cup qualifier at home to Bahrain on Saturday, but no player can build a cathedral without someone to carry the bricks.
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.

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