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April 03, 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
Aug 19, 2010
Frontale run roughshod over J. League-leading Grampus
KAWASAKI — Kawasaki Frontale shredded Nagoya Grampus' hopes of opening up a gap at the top of the J. League table with a clinical 4-0 win on Wednesday night.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Aug 12, 2010
S-Pulse, Grampus prove championship credentials
Neither Shimizu S-Pulse nor Nagoya Grampus have ever won a J. League title, but both clubs are giving off serious signals that this could be their year.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 29, 2010
Steady Japan works balancing act
With co-hosting in 2002 still fresh in the memory, Japan's bid to stage the World Cup for a second time in 2022 was always going to be a hard sell.
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 29, 2010
FC Tokyo squanders opportunity at home
FC Tokyo failed again to win at home as striker Masashi Oguro had a hand in goals at both ends in a 1-1 draw with Jubilo Iwata on Wednesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 22, 2010
Clubs cope with roster changes as season resumes after World Cup
The World Cup was always going to cast a long shadow over this year's J. League championship, and how teams now deal with the fallout will play a significant part in the destination of the title.
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 18, 2010
Kennedy provides spark for Grampus
Nagoya Grampus shrugged off a first-half red card for Igor Burzanovic to grab a 1-0 away win over Omiya Ardija on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 2, 2010
Japan impressed despite falling short of Okada's goal
In the end, national team manager Takeshi Okada got neither the semifinal he craved nor the quarterfinal that looked there for the taking. When the dust settles on Japan's 2010 World Cup campaign, however, the overall feeling will be one of pride rather than regret.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 27, 2010
Victory over Denmark gives Japan inspiration
On a night when a positive result was more important than a positive performance, Japan emphatically delivered both.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 22, 2010
Attack as well as defense needed to secure qualification
Japan's disappointment at losing to the Netherlands on Saturday was understandable, but Thursday's final group game against Denmark was always going to be the one that mattered most. With only a point now needed to secure qualification for the knockout phase, Takeshi Okada's side stands on the verge...
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 17, 2010
Bold changes rewarded as Okada gets team tactics right
Japan's hard-boiled victory over Cameroon on Monday was never going to win Takeshi Okada's side any new friends, but confidence, respect and three crucial points are a far more valuable reward.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 10, 2010
World Cup gets ready for kickoff
The World Cup breaks new ground on Friday as the world's top soccer tournament will be held in Africa for the first time. South Africa plays host to the monthlong competition, where 32 teams will compete for a place in the final in Johannesburg on July 11.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 3, 2010
Battling performance leaves Nakamura's place in doubt
After the trauma of last week's defeat to South Korea, Japan salvaged some much-needed confidence — if not a result — against England. But if manager Takeshi Okada decides to stick with the revamped formation that served him so well on Sunday, where does that leave Shunsuke Nakamura?
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 27, 2010
Okada's moment of weakness sets worst possible example
Whether Takeshi Okada's offer to resign as national team manager immediately after this week's defeat to South Korea was serious or merely a gesture of apology, the effect is still the same: The growing sense that Japan is heading for World Cup humiliation has now been endorsed by the team's own leader....
SOCCER / World cup
May 26, 2010
Okada denies he offered to resign
National team manager Takeshi Okada insists he did not offer to resign in the immediate aftermath of Japan's 2-0 defeat to South Korea on Monday night.
SOCCER / World cup
May 25, 2010
Japan stumbles in World Cup tuneup
SAITAMA — South Korea sent Japan off to the World Cup with plenty to think about after a 2-0 defeat on Monday night.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 20, 2010
S-Pulse beating strong going into World Cup break
Shimizu S-Pulse's momentum may have faded in recent weeks, but manager Kenta Hasegawa has plenty to smile about as his side heads into the two-month World Cup shutdown on top of the J. League.
SOCCER / World cup
May 18, 2010
Technology fuels Japan's 2022 bid
Japan is banking on its reputation for technological innovation to win hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 13, 2010
No room for sentiment as Okada separates men from boys
In the end it was simply a matter of fine-tuning for national team manager Takeshi Okada as he named a familiar squad for the World Cup on Monday. Of the few rabbits he did pull out of the hat, however, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi should be regarded as anything but a sentimental choice.
SOCCER / World cup
May 11, 2010
Kawaguchi returns as Okada announces World Cup squad
Veteran goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and striker Kisho Yano were the biggest surprises in an otherwise familiar selection as national team manager Takeshi Okada named his squad for the World Cup on Monday.
SOCCER / J. League
May 9, 2010
J. League's Australians keeping fingers crossed for World Cup callup
National team manager Takeshi Okada will end months of speculation when he names his World Cup squad on Monday, but for some J. League players hoping to make it to South Africa the wait must go on for one more day.
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
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.
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.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
The U.S. says Japan has a 700% tariff on American rice. Is that the case?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds up a piece of paper with information about tariff rates at the White House on Tuesday.
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.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.
No longer a 'bridesmaid': Yuki Tsunoda prepares for the Red Bull pressure cooker
All eyes will be on Yuki Tsunoda as he makes his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.

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
By Johan Brooks

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