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November 22, 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.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Oct 18, 2008
Japan's margin for error slim after draw with Uzbeks
Japan manager Takeshi Okada's assertion that there was "no problem yet" after his side had drawn 1-1 at home to Uzbekistan in Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier drew hoots of derision from many watching the match, but as a sound bite it neatly summed up the national team's philosophy.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Oct 16, 2008
Japan held by Uzbekistan
SAITAMA — Japan complicated its bid for a place at the 2010 World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Group A struggler Uzbekistan on Wednesday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Oct 13, 2008
Japan must forget about UAE game with Uzbekistan qualifier looming
If Japan's friendly against the United Arab Emirates was designed to give a confidence boost ahead of this week's World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan, it is difficult to see how it achieved anything but the opposite.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Oct 10, 2008
Japan held to draw
The United Arab Emirates stunned Japan with a goal from virtually its only attack of the game to claim a 1-1 friendly-match draw on Thursday night.
SOCCER
Oct 8, 2008
Reds shift focus to ACL showdown
Urawa Reds manager Gert Engels is staking his club's entire season on retaining its Asian Champions League title, starting with Wednesday's semifinal first-leg clash with Gamba Osaka.
TENNIS
Oct 4, 2008
Del Potro upsets Ferrer in quarters
Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro sent top seed and defending champion David Ferrer crashing out in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open on Friday, while American Andy Roddick continued his successful tour of Asia with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win over Serbia's Viktor Troicki.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Oct 3, 2008
Japan's soccer calendar sorely in need of a revamp
Last season's J. League title race was as notable for Urawa Reds' physical breakdown as it was for eventual champion Kashima Antlers' success, and one glance at the rest of this year's fixture list should be enough to send a familiar shiver running down Reds manager Gert Engels' spine.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Oct 2, 2008
Nishikori outlasts Garcia-Lopez in tense match
Teenager Kei Nishikori came out on top of an early battle of wills with Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Wednesday to move into a third-round matchup against Richard Gasquet at the Japan Open.
SOCCER
Sep 25, 2008
Reds cruise past Al Qadsia to set up ACL semifinal date with Gamba
SAITAMA — Defending champion Urawa Reds set up an all-Japanese Asian Champions League semifinal clash against Gamba Osaka with a comfortable 2-0 win over Kuwait's Al Qadsia on Wednesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 24, 2008
Lowly JEF United stuns Nagoya Grampus
A 60-second nightmare for Nagoya Grampus goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki dented his side's title aspirations and handed relegation-haunted JEF United Chiba a precious 2-1 win on Tuesday night.
TENNIS
Sep 22, 2008
Awesome Safina breezes to Toray Pan Pacific win
Russia's Dinara Safina hailed her "best ever tennis" as she swept past compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open final in straight sets on Sunday.
TENNIS
Sep 21, 2008
Safina overpowers Petrova in semis, awaits all-Russian final
Dinara Safina turned in a brutal display of power tennis Saturday to annihilate Nadia Petrova and set up an all-Russian final against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 20, 2008
Kuznetsova eliminates Jankovic in quarterfinals
Jelena Jankovic's bid to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking ended Friday when she joined Olympic champion Elena Dementieva in being bundled out at the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Sep 18, 2008
Mistake-aided Kashima salvage draw in first-leg
KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Kashima Antlers salvaged a draw but gifted a careless away goal to Adelaide United as their Asian Champions League quarterfinal first leg finished 1-1 on Wednesday night.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 18, 2008
Jankovic relishes chance to compete for top ranking
Jelena Jankovic is determined to draw strength from her U.S. Open final defeat and regain the top spot in the world rankings at this week's Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
TENNIS
Sep 17, 2008
Russian Olympians fight to stay focused after success in Beijing
Olympic gold-medal winner Elena Dementieva admits she is having trouble focusing on her game after the euphoria of Beijing, but losing finalist Dinara Safina has no such problems heading into this week's Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Sep 17, 2008
Oil wealth has big impact on Asia's soccer landscape
When the Asian Champions League began back in March, few outside of Uzbekistan had heard of Kuruvchi. Now, with the club preparing for Wednesday's Asian Champions League quarterfinals after an extraordinary summer, the world is certainly paying attention.
SOCCER
Sep 17, 2008
Engels worried about Reds making transition into ACL quarters
Urawa Reds manager Gert Engels is wary of culture shock as his side prepares to defend its Asian Champions League crown against Al Qadsia in Kuwait on Wednesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 14, 2008
Oita's stifling defense frustrates host Reds
Oita Trinita frustrated Urawa Reds with a stifling defensive performance to earn a 0-0 draw and stay firmly in the J. League title hunt on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 14, 2008
Bosnar confident JEF United can avoid relegation
JEF United Chiba defender Eddy Bosnar is adamant his side can escape relegation from J. League Division 1, despite lying eight points adrift of safety with just 11 games of the season left to play.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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