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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.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 13, 2008
Challenges await new JFA president
As Motoaki Inukai settles into his new role as president of the Japan Football Association, he must contend with both the challenges ahead of him and the weight of the past on his shoulders.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 6, 2008
Reds striker Tanaka shines in first league appearance since April
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds striker Tatsuya Tanaka gave national team manager Takeshi Okada food for thought as he helped his side get back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over FC Tokyo on Saturday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 3, 2008
Bold Kobe bares its teeth to show Olympic soccer is just not worth it
Clubs grumbling over international callups is nothing new, but Vissel Kobe's decision last week to deny Japan the services of striker Yoshito Okubo for the Beijing Olympics may prove to be a watershed moment.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 29, 2008
Ota's 84th-minute tally propels Reysol to hard-earned win over Reds
A late goal from Keisuke Ota gave Kashiwa Reysol a well-deserved 2-1 win over Urawa Reds on Saturday as the J. League returned from its summer break in explosive style.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 27, 2008
Qualifying round shows talent gap narrowing in Asia
Japan national team manager Takeshi Okada will be aware his seat at Friday's World Cup final Asian qualifying round draw in Kuala Lumpur has not come easy, but he will not be the only man in the room irked by such thoughts.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 23, 2008
Japan exacts revenge, finishes first in group
SAITAMA — A freak injury-time goal gave Japan a 1-0 win over Bahrain on Sunday night to send Takeshi Okada's men through to the final round of World Cup qualifiers on a high.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 5, 2008
Japan's stylish display against Oman leaves critics little ammunition
If there was a question mark hanging over national team manager Takeshi Okada before Monday's World Cup qualifying match against Oman, his side's comprehensive 3-0 win went a long way toward providing the answers.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 3, 2008
Nakamura energizes triumphant Japan
YOKOHAMA — Japan got its bid for a fourth-straight World Cup appearance back on track with a commanding 3-0 win over Oman on Monday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 30, 2008
With trip to 2010 World Cup on line, time for Okada to be assertive
If national team manager Takeshi Okada has learned one thing from his side's recent Kirin Cup matches, it must be to trust his own instincts.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
May 28, 2008
Nakamura unable to give Japan scoring spark in return
Shunsuke Nakamura's return to international action was not enough to inspire Japan to victory as Takeshi Okada's men labored to a 0-0 draw with Paraguay on Tuesday night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
May 25, 2008
Tamada's 21st-minute tally gives Japan victory over Cote d'Ivoire
Japan got its warm-up for next month's crucial World Cup qualifiers off to a successful start with an impressive 1-0 win over Cote d'Ivoire on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 22, 2008
Spontaneous stupidity sparked violence after match
The shocking scenes of violence after last week's match between Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka were a worrying development for the J. League, but that does not mean an era of Japanese hooliganism is dawning.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 18, 2008
Gamba win marred by unruly behavior
SAITAMA — Ugly scenes on the pitch and in the stands marred Gamba Osaka's 3-2 win over Urawa Reds on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
May 16, 2008
Okada unveils Kirin Cup squad
Japan manager Takeshi Okada called up Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura for the first time Thursday as he prepares for June's do-or-die World Cup qualifying matches with two friendly matches later this month.
SOCCER / J. League
May 11, 2008
Edmilson lifts Reds over Frontale
KAWASAKI — A single moment of skill lit up an otherwise dreary game to give Urawa Reds a 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 11, 2008
JEF United shows commitment with hiring of Miller
Given the state JEF United Chiba finds itself in, the club has pulled off a real coup in snaring Alex Miller for its vacant manager's job.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 8, 2008
Kuze sacked after just four months at helm of JEF United
JEF United Chiba fired manager Josip Kuze on Wednesday, a day after the Croatian insisted the club wanted him to stay in the job.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
May 6, 2008
Verbeek vows to keep Aussies competitive in World Cup qualifying
Australia manager Pim Verbeek insists his side has a better understanding of Asian soccer since last year's Asian Cup, but is taking nothing for granted ahead of next month's crucial World Cup qualification matches.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 4, 2008
Reysol dismantles struggling JEF
CHIBA — A first-half goal from Alex gave Kashiwa Reysol a 1-0 win over JEF United Chiba on Saturday, and consigned its beleaguered local rival to a sixth-straight league defeat in the process.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 3, 2008
Some Japanese referees just don't get it
The referee is never the most popular person on a soccer pitch, but the man in charge of Tuesday's J. League clash between Oita Trinita and FC Tokyo certainly didn't do himself any favors.
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’

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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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