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April 05, 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.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 7, 2013
Grampus secures draw against Reysol
Keiji Tamada denied Kashiwa Reysol an unlikely win after playing the entire second half with 10 men as Nagoya Grampus came back to rescue a 3-3 draw in the J.League on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 4, 2013
Marinos turn back time with perfect start to new season
Yokohama F. Marinos may have one of the oldest teams in the J. League, but the three-time champions are aiming to have a vintage year after winning their first four games of the season.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 31, 2013
Ardija hand Antlers first loss of J. League campaign
Omiya Ardija come from behind to end Kashima Antlers' unbeaten start to the J. League season with a 3-1 win on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 30, 2013
FC Tokyo's Lee not lacking confidence as he seeks return to national team
Tadanari Lee is determined to use his loan move from Southampton to FC Tokyo as a springboard to return to the national team, but club manager Ranko Popovic has warned his new striker not to try too hard to impress.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 21, 2013
Strength in depth gives Japan chance to clinch World Cup place
National team manager Alberto Zaccheroni will be without two of his most important players when Japan attempts to book its ticket to the 2014 World Cup against Jordan next Tuesday, but the Italian still has enough quality in reserve to get the job done.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 16, 2013
Striker Davi looking to continue Brazilian success at Kashima
New Kashima Antlers striker Davi has wasted little time in making an impact at the seven-time J. League champions, but the Brazilian will not be satisfied until he has stamped his name on club history forever.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 10, 2013
Ugajin sends Reds to second consecutive triumph to start season
Urawa Reds maintained their strong start to the new J.League season with a 1-0 win over Nagoya Grampus on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 7, 2013
Tradition there to be broken as new season gets started
The start of the 2013 J. League season last Saturday brought with it the chance for a new beginning, but some teams were more determined than others to break with tradition on the opening day.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 3, 2013
Marquinhos scores twice as Marinos rally past Bellmare
Yokohama F. Marinos spoiled Shonan Bellmare's return to the J. League first division with a late comeback for a 4-2 win as the 2013 season got under way on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League / 2013 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 2, 2013
Hiroshima, Sendai won't contend for title
Highlighting the top nine finishers from the J. League last season in the second part of this two-day preview.
SOCCER / J. League / 2013 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 1, 2013
Tokyo, Antlers hoping to climb ladder
FC Tokyo leads a host of teams looking to improve their fortunes during the 2013 J.u2009League campaign.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 28, 2013
Cerezo on familiar ground after return to Antlers hot seat
Just over seven years have passed since Toninho Cerezo ended his first glittering reign as Kashima Antlers manager, but after returning to the club for a second stint, the Brazilian is pleased to find that not everything has changed in his absence.
SOCCER
Feb 27, 2013
Shimizu's Ghotbi confident young squad will excel
S-Pulse manager Afshin Ghotbi aims to take club to a higher level this season.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 26, 2013
Culpi pining for Kagawa as Cerezo target J. League title
Cerezo Osaka manager Levir Culpi believes his team is capable of challenging for the J. League title this season, but the Brazilian wishes former protege and current Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa was still around to help him.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 25, 2013
Stojkovic looking for fresh start after painful year for Grampus
Nagoya Grampus manager Dragan Stojkovic insists he never considered quitting after a traumatic 2012 season for the former J. League champions, preferring instead to concentrate on reclaiming the crown over the coming campaign.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 24, 2013
Sato strike sends Sanfrecce past Reysol in Xerox Super Cup
Reigning J. League player of the year Hisato Sato lit up the Xerox Super Cup with a spectacular goal to give league champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima a 1-0 win over Emperor's Cup holders Kashiwa Reysol in the 2013 season curtain-raiser on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 23, 2013
Sanfrecce, Reysol ready to sqare off in Xerox Super Cup
Sanfrecce Hiroshima manager Hajime Moriyasu urges his team to forget last year's historic J. League title triumph and start afresh in Saturday's 2013 season curtain-raising Xerox Super Cup match against Kashiwa Reysol.
SUMO
Feb 20, 2013
Harumafuji dreaming big after overcoming early setback
Yokozuna Harumafuji insists the prospect of being forced to retire never once crossed his mind ahead of last month's dominating victory at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, but the Mongolian refuses to speculate on how much more success he can achieve before he calls it a day.
Japan Times
SUMO
Feb 19, 2013
Harumafuji saddened by bullying incidents
Yokozuna Harumafuji on Monday condemned the recent incidents of corporal punishment that have shocked Japanese society, but insisted parents must take responsibility for ensuring their children are able to stand up for themselves.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 8, 2013
Firebrand Okubo targeting title at new home Frontale
Yoshito Okubo is looking forward to a new challenge after joining Kawasaki Frontale ahead of the new J. League season, but the fiery forward is not about to tone down his style just because of a change in surroundings.
U.S. tourist arrested after bringing a handgun into Japan
Hyogo police believe the handgun a U.S. tourist inadvertently brought into Japan slipped through security procedures at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture.
3D printer used to construct train station building in Japan
A train station building (front) is assembled from parts printed using 3D printer technology, in Arida, Wakayama Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Japan’s leader didn’t read the job description
Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba is facing a political funding scandal that has damaged his reputation and sparked speculation that internal efforts to remove him are underway.
Japan promises 'bold and speedy' response to Trump’s surprise 24% tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump unveils new U.S. tariffs at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Tokyo’s KK Line to close for decadelong overhaul as public greenway
People enjoy running and yoga on Tokyo Expressway’s KK Line, a 2-kilometer elevated expressway cutting through the capital’s commercial Ginza district, when it was opened as a pedestrian space in May last year.
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.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
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