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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
Mar 18, 2012
Despotovic goal delivers victory for Reds against Reysol
Urawa Reds beat Kashiwa Reysol 1-0 on Saturday to leave the reigning J. League champions still searching for their first win of the new season.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 15, 2012
Opening day gives hint of things to come in 20th season
The future is hardly set in stone after one round of matches, but as the J. League kicked off its 20th season on Saturday, there were some tantalizing glimpses of what lies ahead.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 15, 2012
Japan punches ticket to London Olympics
Japan Under-23 manager Takashi Sekizuka allowed himself a moment to savor qualification for the London Olympic men's soccer tournament on Wednesday night, but the 51-year-old insists the real work begins now.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 11, 2012
Lucas gives FC Tokyo season-opening win over Omiya Ardija
FC Tokyo made a winning return to the J. League first division with a 1-0 victory over Omiya Ardija as the new season got under way on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 10, 2012
J. League big guns set sights on Reysol's crown
The following is the second of a two-part preview for the upcoming J. League season. Team-by-team previews of the nine highest-ranked teams competing in the first division are listed.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2012
Promoted sides seek to make mark against J. League powers
The following is the first of a two-part preview for the upcoming J. League season. Team-by-team previews of the nine lowest-ranked teams competing in the first division are listed.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 8, 2012
Jorginho returns to ease Antlers toward new beginning
Kashima Antlers head into the new J. League campaign at something of a crossroads after a disappointing sixth-place finish last season, but incoming manager Jorginho sees no need to start a revolution.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 7, 2012
Popovic thinking big in his first season with FC Tokyo
Kashiwa Reysol pulled off the unprecedented feat of winning the J. League only a year after claiming the second-division title last season, but FC Tokyo manager Ranko Popovic is hoping history will repeat itself with his newly promoted team.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 6, 2012
Ardiles ready to face new challenge
The coming J. League season will be a voyage into the unknown for Machida Zelvia, but the newly promoted second-division side couldn't wish for a more experienced hand on the tiller than manager Osvaldo Ardiles.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 5, 2012
Stojkovic focused on task despite distractions
Not much has changed for Nagoya Grampus ahead of the new J. League campaign, but after a troubled winter away from soccer, manager Dragan Stojkovic is thankful to return to a stable environment.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 4, 2012
Reysol capture Xerox Super Cup
J. League champion Kashiwa Reysol handed newly promoted FC Tokyo a reality check ahead of the new season with a 2-1 win in the Xerox Super Cup on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 3, 2012
Nelsinho, Popovic guide clubs into new season
Kashiwa Reysol manager Nelsinho is determined to carry last season's J. League title-winning form into Saturday's Xerox Super Cup match against FC Tokyo, but the Brazilian has warned not to expect too much from his ring-rusty side.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Feb 9, 2012
More to Europe than meets the eye for players moving abroad
Several players have returned to the J. League from frustrating overseas experiences this winter, but until Japanese soccer begins to appreciate the diversity of the European game, more are likely to come unstuck in the future.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 2, 2012
Reysol not content to bask in memory of glorious 2011
It would take a Herculean effort for Kashiwa Reysol to match their 2011 achievements over the coming season, but the reigning J. League champions see no reason why they cannot raise the bar and go even higher.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 29, 2012
Frontale counting on Nakamura to fill leadership role
An 11th-place finish last season suggests Kawasaki Frontale's days as a J. League championship contender are over, but playmaker Kengo Nakamura is refusing to go quietly as the club prepares for another tilt at a first-ever title.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 23, 2012
Makino determined to get career back on track at Urawa
Last year was one to forget for both Urawa Reds and Tomoaki Makino, but the national team defender believes 2012 will be a different story after joining the fallen Saitama giants on a season-long loan.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 19, 2012
Strikers looking to blaze new goal trail in European leagues
Ryoichi Maeda will be disappointed that his proposed move to West Ham United broke down last weekend, but the growing overseas interest in Japanese strikers is nevertheless an encouraging sign for the national team.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 12, 2012
Sawa's achievement sets new benchmark for Japanese game
There was never any doubt that Homare Sawa would be named Women's World Player of the Year on Monday, but the significance of the award to the Japanese game still cannot be overstated.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 5, 2012
First-class final caps fine year for second tier
FC Tokyo and Kyoto Sanga's all-J2 Emperor's Cup final on Sunday was a high-profile showcase for the J. League second division, but away from the spotlight there is plenty to suggest the lower tier is in rude health.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 20, 2011
World champions Barcelona still hungry for more silverware
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has warned rivals that the newly crowned world champions have the desire and commitment to stay on top for many more years to come.
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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