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April 07, 2025
 

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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
Oct 16, 2015
Tokyo 2020 organizers launch fresh search for Olympic logo
Tokyo 2020 organizers on Friday launched their search for a new Olympic logo with a call for the public to reclaim the games after the original design was scrapped last month following accusations of plagiarism.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2015
IOC brass gives thumbs up to Tokyo's 2020 efforts
Olympic chiefs have given Tokyo 2020 organizers a vote of confidence, despite a series of missteps that have mired the upcoming games in controversy.
Rugby
Oct 13, 2015
Brave Blossoms return to hero's welcome
Japan's Rugby World Cup heroes returned home on Tuesday with a vow to continue their new "winning culture" when the country hosts the event in four years' time.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 10, 2015
Paire ousts Nishikori in semis
Defending champion Kei Nishikori crashed out of the Japan Open after a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 semifinal defeat to his U.S. Open conqueror Benoit Paire on Saturday.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 9, 2015
Nishikori battles past Cilic
Defending champion Kei Nishikori fought back from a set down to reach the Japan Open semifinals after a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Croatia's Marin Cilic on Friday.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 7, 2015
Nishikori overcomes Querrey for place in quarterfinals
Kei Nishikori tamed big-serving American Sam Querrey 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Japan Open on Wednesday.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 5, 2015
Japan eyes World Cup heroes for Super Rugby's Sunwolves
Japan's new Super Rugby franchise is hoping to ride the wave of the national team's World Cup success when it enters the competition next season.
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 3, 2015
Reds, Tosu settle for 1-1 draw
Urawa Reds moved a step closer to the J. League overall points title despite squandering a lead in a 1-1 draw with Sagan Tosu on Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2015
New sports agency chief Suzuki pledges 'new direction' for 2020 Olympics preparations
Former Olympic swimming champion Daichi Suzuki believes the launch of Japan's new sports agency can help lift the gloom surrounding Tokyo's preparations for the games.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 26, 2015
Reds' Koroki delivers winning strike against Antlers
Shinzo Koroki hit the winner against his former club as Urawa Reds beat Kashima Antlers 2-1 on Saturday to stay two points clear at the top of the overall J. League table.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2015
Thinking inside the box: Cardboard cubicles offer entertainment, privacy at home
Manufacturers are thinking inside the box to offer stressed-out consumers a personal sanctuary in Japan's notoriously cramped homes.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 4, 2015
Japan took past lessons to heart in win over Cambodia
National team manager Vahid Halilhodzic believes Japan owes Singapore a debt of gratitude for providing the wake-up call that fueled Thursday's World Cup qualifying win over Cambodia.
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 3, 2015
Japan overcomes slow start to put away Cambodia
Japan got its 2018 World Cup qualification campaign up and running with a 3-0 win over Cambodia on Thursday night.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 30, 2015
Japan looking to draw strength from off-field rugby turmoil
Japan captain Michael Leitch fears that Japanese rugby is in danger of squandering the momentum it has built up in recent years following a harrowing week for the sport.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 29, 2015
Japan throttles Uruguay in final home match before Rugby World Cup
Japan wrapped up its home preparations for next month's Rugby World Cup with a morale-boosting 40-0 win over Uruguay on Saturday night.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 19, 2015
Microsoft says Line's popular Rinna character is new way to engage customers
Microsoft is hoping to revolutionize the way that companies use messaging service Line to promote their products, with the help of an artificial intelligence program last seen posing as a high school girl.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 16, 2015
Jones confident Japan can improve before Rugby World Cup
Japan coach Eddie Jones believes his side is capable of making the step from Rugby World Cup pretenders to genuine dark horses, but warns time is running out to improve before the tournament kicks off next month in England.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 15, 2015
World XV squad overpowers Japan in second half en route to convincing victory
Japan kept pace with a strong World XV side before succumbing in the second half to lose 45-20 in a warmup for the Rugby World Cup on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Aug 12, 2015
Mood turns against Halilhodzic after East Asian Cup debacle
If a scoreless draw with Singapore in Japan's opening World Cup qualifier in May marked the end of manager Vahid Halilhodzic's honeymoon period, last week's East Asian Cup has had critics wishing for a divorce already.
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 8, 2015
Okubo rips Halilhodzic on selections
World Cup striker Yoshito Okubo has branded Japan's East Asian Cup squad a bunch of nobodies and is not surprised by the team's dismal showing at the tournament in China.
Nissan says it will not take new U.S. orders for Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs
A Nissan manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Nissan says it will not take new orders from the United States for two Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs following new auto tariffs levied by the U.S.
Japan digs deep to address 'national crisis' caused by Trump tariffs
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on April 1. He has said that Japan is facing a "national crisis" following the introduction of new tariffs by the United States.
'Hang tough, it won't be easy': Trump defiant on tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he walks to deliver remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Ishiba says he plans to speak to Trump about tariffs in coming days
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Nissan considers transferring some domestic production to U.S., report says
Nissan plans to reduce production at its Fukuoka factory and shift some manufacturing of its Rogue SUV to the United States to mitigate the impact of Trump's tariffs.
‘Let’s make it practical’: NATO chief eyes greater defense-industrial ties with Japan
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte plans to visit Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday — his first to the Indo-Pacific region since taking office in October, as he seeks to implement lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.

Podcast

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Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
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