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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's Tatsuru Saito competes during the 2022 world championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 4, 2024
Japan's Tatsuru Saito aims to emulate late father with judo Olympic gold
Hitoshi Saito was a judo great who triumphed at consecutive Olympics in 1984 and 1988 at over 95 kilograms.
Japan skateboarding national team coach Daisuke Hayakawa performs at a skateboard training area in Tokyo on June 12.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
Jul 2, 2024
Japan's skateboarding youth turn street culture into Olympic gold
National team coach Daisuke Hayakawa said that the number of skaters in Japan had tripled since the Tokyo Games.
England's George Martin is tackled by Japan's Atsushi Sakate (right) and Tomoki Osada during England's win over Japan on Saturday in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 22, 2024
Marcus Smith stars as England thrashes Japan 52-17 in Tokyo
Late scores for Koga Nezuka and Takuya Yamasawa gave the scoreline a more respectable look for Japan
Japan head coach Eddie Jones attends a training session in Tokyo on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 21, 2024
Wary England set for Eddie Jones reunion in steamy Japan Test
Temperatures are set to reach 30 degrees Celsius in the capital for Eddie Jones' first game since returning to the Japan job for a second stint.
Machida Zelvia's Yu Hirakawa (center) is challenged by Albirex Niigata's Yuto Horigome during the two teams' J. League clash at Machida Gion Stadium in Machida, Tokyo, on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 4, 2024
From nonleague to top of the league for upstarts Machida
The team from Tokyo's suburbs tops the table approaching the halfway point of the season.
A visitor to the Japan Olympic Museum walks past a display of the Olympic Rings on a wet day in central Tokyo on May 1.
JAPAN
May 26, 2024
Japan wrestles with legacy of graft-stained Games in Paris warning
Cost overruns, corruption and COVID-19 all tarnished the Japanese public's memory of the Tokyo Olympics.
Mike Tyson (left) and Buster Douglas fight during the seventh round of their world heavyweight title fight at Tokyo Dome on Feb. 11, 1990.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
May 3, 2024
Tokyo Dome to host boxing for first time since Buster Douglas upset Mike Tyson
Super-bantamweight world champion Naoya "Monster" Inoue will put his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery at the Big Egg.
Yokohama F. Marinos coach Harry Kewell watches the AFC Champions League semifinal first-leg soccer match between his team and South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai FC in Ulsan, South Korea, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2024
Kewell tells Yokohama to summon spirit of Istanbul to reach final
The former Leeds and Liverpool winger took over as Yokohama coach at the start of this year.
Badminton star Kento Momota leaves a news conference after announcing his retirement from Japan's national team, in Tokyo on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Badminton
Apr 18, 2024
Former No. 1 Kento Momota retires from international badminton at 29
Momota was once badminton's undisputed king, winning 11 titles in 2019 and losing just six of the 73 matches he played that year.
Dodgers' pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches during the first inning of his MLB debut in Seoul. The outing was one to forget for the former Orix Buffaloes ace.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 22, 2024
Yamamoto shelled in debut as Dodgers lose to Padres
Yamamoto, who joined the Dodgers on a 12-year, $325 million deal in December, was taken out of the game after just one inning.
An Yong Hak, a former North Korean soccer player, in Yokohama on Thursday. An played 40 times in midfield for North Korea, and appeared with the team at the 2010 World Cup.
SOCCER
Mar 18, 2024
North Korean World Cup player says Japan game more than just soccer
This week's qualifier is a special occasion for some ethnic Koreans in Japan.
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge speaks during a news conference ahead of the Tokyo Marathon on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Mar 2, 2024
Kipchoge pays tribute to Kiptum ahead of Tokyo Marathon
Kipchoge is preparing to compete in Sunday's Tokyo Marathon in his first race since his Kenyan compatriot was killed on Feb. 11.
Japan defender Hikaru Kitagawa (right) makes a challenge in the first half of an Olympic women's soccer qualifier against North Korea at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Feb 28, 2024
Japan beats North Korea to clinch Olympic spot
The two sides drew 0-0 in Saturday's first leg on neutral ground in Saudi Arabia.
Qatar forward Almoez Ali scores his team's third goal during against Iran in the semifinals of the Asian Cup on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Feb 8, 2024
'Best yet to come' after Qatar set up Asian Cup final with Jordan
Almoez Ali struck in the 82nd minute in Doha to send Qatar into their second consecutive final.
Japan players celebrate after Ayase Ueda scored the team's second goal during Samurai Blue's win over Indonesia on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jan 24, 2024
Japan cruises past Indonesia to reach Asian Cup last 16
Ayase Ueda struck in each half to go with a late Indonesia own goal in Doha to send the pre-tournament favorites through as group runners-up behind Iraq.
South Korea's Kim Tae-Hwan (left) battles with Jordan's Anas Al Awadat during Asian Cup group stage play on Saturday in Doha.
SOCCER
Jan 21, 2024
South Korea salvages Asian Cup draw as Bahrain leaves it late
One day after Iraq beat tournament favorites Japan, the Koreans needed an injury-time own goal to salvage a point.
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu will be wary of making too many changes after admitting that his tinkering against Iraq "had an effect on the players."
SOCCER
Jan 20, 2024
Shock Iraq defeat exposes Japan frailties at Asian Cup
The 2-1 loss leaves Samurai Blue facing a potential last-16 match with South Korea, assuming Japan still qualifies from its group.
Palestine forward Shehab Qunbar jumps to receive the ball during his team's AFC Asian Cup Group C match against the United Arab Emirates in Al-Wakrah, south of Doha, on Thursday.
SOCCER
Jan 19, 2024
Palestine set hearts on Asian Cup 'history' after UAE draw
Some of the Palestinian players have lost loved ones or have family trapped in Gaza, and the team has been forced to train and play matches overseas.
South Korea's Lee Kang-in celebrates after scoring against Qatar during their Group E match at the Asian Cup in Doha on Monday.
SOCCER
Jan 18, 2024
South Korea's Lee Kang-in reaching new heights under Jurgen Klinsmann
Klinsmann has made the 22-year-old the linchpin of his side since taking over a year ago.
Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo during a Champions League match in San Sebastian, Spain, in September.
SOCCER
Jan 13, 2024
Ex-Barcelona junior Kubo set for lift-off with Japan at Asian Cup
The 22-year-old has found his feet at Real Sociedad this season, scoring six goals and helping the club top its Champions League group.
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’

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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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