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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
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2016
Japan unveils final four candidates for Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo
Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers on Friday unveiled a shortlist of four replacement logos after the original design was scrapped last September amid accusations of plagiarism.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2016
2020 Tokyo Olympics CEO weighs in on security, differences with Rio
The CEO of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics says security is his greatest concern but believes Japan will be safe from the kind of mass street protests currently overshadowing this summer's Rio de Janeiro Games.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 30, 2016
Centurion Okazaki looking for balance after win over Syria
National team striker Shinji Okazaki thanked his teammates for helping him reach 100 caps but warned the hard work is still to come after Japan topped its 2018 World Cup second-round qualifying group with a 5-0 win over Syria on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 29, 2016
Japan clobbers Syria with late onslaught
Japan finished top of its 2018 World Cup second-round qualifying group without conceding a single goal after beating closest challenger Syria 5-0 on Tuesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 25, 2016
Halilhodzic pleased with results from new system
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic has challenged Japan to make it through the second round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers without conceding a goal after claiming a seventh clean sheet in seven games in Thursday's 5-0 win over Afghanistan.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 24, 2016
Japan thrashes Afghanistan in World Cup qualifier
Japan virtually guaranteed its place in the final round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers with a 5-0 win over Afghanistan on Thursday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 23, 2016
Halilhodzic looking to stoke competition in World Cup qualifiers
Japan should have little trouble clinching its place in the final round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers when it faces Afghanistan and Syria over the coming week, but manager Vahid Halilhodzic will nonetheless be looking to lay down a marker for the year ahead.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 12, 2016
Koroki leads Reds past Avispa
Shinzo Koroki scored a goal in each half to help Urawa Reds get back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over promoted Avispa Fukuoka on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 5, 2016
Mrdja double carries Ardija past Reysol
J. League second-division champions Omiya Ardija made it two wins out of two in their return to the top flight with a 2-0 victory over Kashiwa Reysol on Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 1, 2016
Company aiming to clear space junk wins funding
A company that aims to clean junk from space has secured up to $30 million (¥3.39 billion) in public-private funding and plans to launch the world's first debris-mapping satellite later this year.
Japan Times
Rugby
Feb 27, 2016
Sunwolves fall short in opener
The Sunwolves proved they can hold their own in Super Rugby but failed to win their competition debut in a 26-13 defeat to South Africa's Lions on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 26, 2016
Gamba, Reds seeking revenge on Sanfrecce
The following is the second of a two-part preview for the upcoming J. League season. Team-by-team previews of the nine highest-ranking teams competing in the first division are listed.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 25, 2016
Ardija looking to keep rising
The following is the first of a two-part preview for the upcoming J. League season. Team-by-team previews of the nine lowest-ranking teams competing in the first division are listed.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 24, 2016
J. League champions Sanfrecce looking to defy odds again
Sanfrecce Hiroshima manager Hajime Moriyasu admits that even he wasn't convinced his team would win the J. League title last season, but that doesn't mean he is ruling out further success in 2016.
Japan Times
Rugby
Feb 23, 2016
Rugby World Cup chief pledges faith in Japan 2019 organizers
The head of the Rugby World Cup is confident that Japan can transform itself into a rugby-mad nation by 2019 and make the first tournament to be held in Asia a success.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 23, 2016
Olympic hopefuls aim to shine in J. League
The Rio Olympics are just over five months away, but with the new J. League season about to begin, Japan's soccer medal hopefuls have no time to sit back and dream of glory in Brazil.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 22, 2016
Nanami preaches caution in Jubilo's return to top flight
Jubilo Iwata might be back among the J. League elite, but manager Hiroshi Nanami is not expecting instant miracles.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 20, 2016
Sanfrecce keep hold on Gamba
J. League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima picked up from where they left off last year with a 3-1 win over Gamba Osaka in the season curtain-raising Fuji Xerox Super Cup on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Feb 9, 2016
FC Tokyo crushes Chonburi FC, advances to ACL group stage
FC Tokyo cruised into the group stage of this season's Asian Champions League with a 9-0 playoff thrashing of Thailand's Chonburi FC on Tuesday night.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2016
Despite new design, controversy may dog Tokyo's Olympic stadium long after last lap is run
When a fresh design for the new National Stadium was chosen last month, many believed it would finally put an end to months of chaos over its construction. They were wrong.
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.
Paris Olympics kick off with rain-soaked — but grandiose — opening ceremony
Japan's 2024 Olympic team moves down the Seine River in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday.
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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