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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 / World cup
Oct 11, 2009
Late goals give Japan triumph over Scotland
YOKOHAMA — Japan needed a late own-goal to open the door to a 2-0 win over Scotland on Saturday, as Takeshi Okada's side struggled to find its rhythm in what had effectively become a B international.
SOCCER / World cup
Oct 10, 2009
Okada miffed about Scotland's lineup changes
National team manager Takeshi Okada has accused Scotland of short-changing his side ahead of their friendly on Saturday, after the Scots arrived in Yokohama minus 10 players selected for their original squad.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Oct 8, 2009
Fletcher, Adebayor set example for Okada's men to follow
The national team's three opponents over the next seven days may not present as severe a test as the Netherlands did last month, but that is not to say they have nothing to teach Takeshi Okada's men.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 3, 2009
Sugiyama reaches doubles final in last tournament of pro career
Maria Sharapova moved within one win of capping her comeback from injury with a title by reaching the Toray Pan Pacific Open final on Friday.
TENNIS
Oct 2, 2009
Sharapova, Jankovic advance to semifinals
Former world No. 1s Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic remained on course for a final showdown with quarterfinal wins at the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Thursday, while Ai Sugiyama raged against the dying light to move into the semifinals of the doubles competition.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 27, 2009
Wilkie says J. League refs need to slow pace of game
Referees are rarely out of the spotlight in the J. League, but the recent rain-abandoned game between Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale has turned up the glare.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 27, 2009
Chiba falters, moves closer to relegation
CHIBA — JEF United Chiba slipped closer to the relegation trapdoor with a 2-1 loss to fellow strugglers Montedio Yamagata on Saturday, on a night when Kashima Antlers' stumbling pursuit of the title took yet another wrong turn.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Sep 24, 2009
Rally gives Frontale slight advantage over Grampus
Kawasaki Frontale came from behind to take a slender lead into next week's Asian Champions League quarterfinal second leg after beating Nagoya Grampus 2-1 in Wednesday's opening encounter.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 20, 2009
Antlers stumble again; Frontale fail to capitalize
YOKOHAMA — Kashima Antlers' stranglehold on the J. League title race slipped again after a 2-1 defeat by Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday, but best-placed challengers Kawasaki Frontale failed to capitalize by losing to Urawa Reds later in the evening.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 19, 2009
Resolving Antlers-Frontale match fairly presented tough dilemma
Faced with a minefield in the aftermath of last weekend's abandoned top-of-the-table clash between Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale, the J. League deserves credit for guiding a sure-footed path toward steadier ground.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Sep 14, 2009
Japan shows flaws, mettle in friendlies
National team manager Takeshi Okada was hoping his squad's recent tour of the Netherlands would give him food for thought ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 14, 2009
Reds end seven-game losing streak
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds finally snapped their seven-game losing streak on Sunday with a 4-1 win over Montedio Yamagata that was not quite as convincing as the final score might suggest.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 8, 2009
Captain Suzuki finds peace at eye of Urawa's storm
SAITAMA — Less than two years ago, it was almost impossible to imagine a national team without Keita Suzuki.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 3, 2009
Frontale take control of semifinal
KAWASAKI — Kawasaki Frontale planted one foot in the Nabisco Cup final with a disciplined 2-0 semifinal first-leg win over Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 30, 2009
Ardija rout first-place Antlers
SAITAMA — Omiya Ardija raised hopes of a genuine J. League title race with a comprehensive 3-1 win over league leaders Kashima Antlers on Saturday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 29, 2009
Omiya's Neretljak makes it clear that compensation comes first
SHIKI, Saitama Pref. — As the European transfer window slams shut for another summer, Omiya Ardija's Croatian defender Mato Neretljak can afford himself a wry smile.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Aug 27, 2009
Double Dutch challenge too good an opportunity to waste
Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto looks set for his first national team callup when Takeshi Okada names his squad for next week's tour of the Netherlands on Friday, but don't expect many more new faces.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 23, 2009
Rafael's equalizer spoils chance of JEF victory
JEF United Chiba missed a chance to bolster their bid for first-division survival by conceding a second-half equalizer to fellow strugglers Omiya Ardija in a 1-1 draw on Saturday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Aug 22, 2009
Nakamura in running for ACL's top player honor
For all his 37 international appearances and iconic status as Kawasaki Frontale's poster boy, Kengo Nakamura's career has never quite escaped the shadow of his more illustrious contemporaries.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 20, 2009
Kennedy, Tamada score as Nagoya ends two-game skid
CHIBA — Josh Kennedy and Keiji Tamada combined to halt Nagoya Grampus' slide with a 2-0 win over JEF United Chiba, but there was no such joy at the top of the J. League table as all four leading teams lost on Wednesday night.
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.

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