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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 / J. League
Feb 21, 2018
'No regrets' as Ange Postecoglou swaps World Cup for J. League challenge with Marinos
New Yokohama F. Marinos manager Ange Postecoglou has "no regrets" about quitting Australia's national team just months before the World Cup and is looking forward to testing his mettle in the J. League instead.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 7, 2018
Metro government says Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic venue construction on schedule
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is building seven new permanent venues for the games, including the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza badminton and modern pentathlon fencing arena.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 31, 2018
J. League teams gearing up for early season start
With the J. League preparing for its earliest-ever opening to a season, teams around the league are busy putting in the work ahead of the Feb. 23 kickoff.
Japan Times
Rugby
Jan 17, 2018
Wales hoping to win new friends at Rugby World Cup
The Wales national rugby team wants to "do more than just turn up, have a great time and then disappear" during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, and plans to forge a lasting relationship with the city of Kitakyushu.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 26, 2017
Takefusa Kubo left out for AFC U-23 Championship
Japan Olympic men's soccer team manager Hajime Moriyasu on Tuesday left former Barcelona youth team starlet Takefusa Kubo out of his squad for next month's AFC U-23 Championship in a bid to keep him fresh for next season.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Dec 20, 2017
East Asian tournament provides few clues for World Cup
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic may have learned a great deal from last week's E-1 Football Championship, but it is open to question how much it will benefit him at next summer's World Cup in Russia.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 17, 2017
Vahid Halilhodzic looks to bright side after Japan fails to capture E-1 Football Championship title
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic declared Japan's performance at the E-1 Football Championship a success despite missing out on the title with a 4-1 defeat to South Korea on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 16, 2017
South Korea crushes Japan in E-1 Football Championship final
Japan failed to win the E-1 Football Championship after collapsing 4-1 against South Korea on Saturday on the final day of the tournament.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2017
After Russia ban, IOC chief confident Tokyo can avoid drug scandal at 2020 Games
International Olympic Committee Vice President John Coates said Wednesday in Tokyo that Japan can be confident of weeding out drug cheats at the 2020 Tokyo Games, in the wake of a doping scandal that led to Russia being banned from next year's Pyeongchang Olympics.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 13, 2017
Japan's World Cup hopefuls seize chance in win over China
Japan's third-string players are forcing their way into World Cup contention with their performances at the E-1 Football Championship, according to manager Vahid Halilhodzic.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 12, 2017
Yu Kobayashi, Gen Shoji spark Japan in triumph over China at E-1 Football Championship
Japan scored twice in the final six minutes to beat China 2-1 on Tuesday and make it two wins out of two at the E-1 Football Championship.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 10, 2017
Debutants Kosuke Nakamura, Junya Ito catch manager's eye during Japan's victory over North Korea
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic singled out young debutants Kosuke Nakamura and Junya Ito for praise after Japan kicked off its E-1 Football Championship campaign with a fortunate 1-0 win over North Korea on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 9, 2017
Japan's Yosuke Ideguchi scores winning goal against North Korea in injury time
Yosuke Ideguchi scored with virtually the last kick of the game to give Japan a 1-0 win over North Korea on Saturday in its opening game of the E-1 Football Championship.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Dec 6, 2017
Frontale worthy J. League champions despite Antlers' slip-ups
Kawasaki Frontale captain Yu Kobayashi said he believed his team was "cursed" when it lost to Cerezo Osaka in last month's J. League Cup final, but that must have made the club's first-ever J. League title all the sweeter when it arrived last weekend.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 2, 2017
Frontale capture J. League title with rout of Ardija; Antlers held
Kawasaki Frontale clinched their first-ever J. League title with a 5-0 win over Omiya Ardija on Saturday, snatching the silverware from under Kashima Antlers' noses on goal difference.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Nov 29, 2017
Urawa Reds ready for new chapter after ACL victory
Urawa Reds have gained an unwanted reputation for choking on the big stage in the 10 years since they first won the Asian Champions League, but that tag may have to be re-evaluated after they reclaimed the title with a series of composed performances in this year's competition.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Nov 26, 2017
Urawa breathes sigh of relief after exorcizing demons in ACL final
Urawa Reds lifted the Asian Champions League trophy for the first time in a decade on Saturday — then breathed a sigh of relief that they had not let their fans down again.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Nov 25, 2017
Urawa Reds clinch Asian Champions League title on late goal against Al Hilal
Urawa Reds claimed the Asian Champions League title for the first time in a decade after Rafael Silva scored in the 88th minute to seal a 2-1 aggregate win over Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal with a 1-0 final second-leg win on Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2017
Japan's lowriders get a little higher
The scene at Makuhari Messe could be at the Louvre — if the Louvre were to pump hip-hop throughout its galleries and have half-naked women posing beside its exhibits.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 18, 2017
Frontale keep title hopes alive
Kawasaki Frontale defender Elsinho scored in the 82nd minute to keep the J. League title race alive for at least another round with a 1-0 win over Gamba Osaka 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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JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

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