Search - 2020

 
 
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2021

Has the world had enough of the Olympics?

The Olympics are an easy target for criticism, never more than now. Do they still matter? Or have they lost their way and strayed from whatever ideals they purport to embody?
OLYMPICS
Jul 7, 2021

Risako Kawai aiming for second straight Olympic wrestling gold

The 26-year-old will be competing in a new weight class at the Tokyo Games, stepping down to 57 kg after winning the 63-kg category in Rio de Janeiro.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 7, 2021

Trouble stirs amid the quest for gold and glory

Was it an ominous premonition or just another blunder by a gaffe-prone politician?
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 7, 2021

About that ancient Japanese curse that looms over the Tokyo Olympics…

The “phantom” 1940 Olympics, a haunted tunnel and scandals that rocked Tokyo 2020 — are the games cursed by the ghosts of Japan's feudal lords?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
May 1, 2021

Rising NPB stars making strong case for spots on Japan's Olympic team

The postponement of the games has given manager Atsunori Inaba more things to think about as he goes about building a squad that can capture Japan's first Olympic gold medal in baseball.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 24, 2021

Is the IOC putting a torch to ‘freedom of speech’?

Press outlets that are not affiliated with the Summer Games are calling foul on a number of directives issued by Olympics bodies.
MORE SPORTS / FOCUS
Apr 19, 2021

Women say it's time to focus on structural issues that perpetuate sexism in sports

Female athletes call for reforms of outdated structures that hurt women's career prospects and present a challenge for young athletes unwilling to follow the footsteps of their seniors.
OLYMPICS
Mar 21, 2021

Japanese fans have attended sporting events since July. Will they be safe at the Olympics?

Thorough countermeasures and restrictions on active support introduced by the country's professional sports leagues have allowed large crowds back into stadiums.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2021

Virus concerns loom for Japan with Olympic torch relay a month away

The relay begins March 25 in Fukushima Prefecture and what's normally a time of excitement and hope ahead of an Olympics will instead be held under the shadow of a pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2021

IOC calls remarks of Tokyo Games chief Yoshiro Mori 'absolutely inappropriate'

The IOC did not mention any further action against Mori but said the Tokyo Organising Committee also considered its own chief's comments as inappropriate.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2021

Olympics as game changer for Japan’s LGBT rights

Japan is a democracy with an active civil society, yet Olympic athletes and visitors may be surprised to learn that there are no national anti-discrimination laws on sexual orientation.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2021

U.S. watchdog to probe whether DOJ helped Trump effort to overturn election

The inquiry adds to the increasing scrutiny on Trump's attempts to wield the power of the Justice Department to advance his false claims about the election.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2021

Shadow hangs over Olympics once more with Japan virus surge

Japan is one of several countries where the virus has made a comeback in winter months with Tokyo finding a record 2,447 cases on Jan. 7.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Dec 31, 2020

2020 was a watershed year for Japan's foreign residents

Increased discussion on the status of biracial Japanese, media misinterpretations of foreign communities and a bungled border policy made up our 2020.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2020

The lesson of 2020: Security doesn’t mean what you think it does

Science and technology will only take us so far when it comes to future threats, conventional or otherwise.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2020

Domestic sponsors agree to extend contracts for delayed Tokyo Games

Tokyo 2020 organizers expect more than u00a522 billion in additional contributions from them.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 10, 2020

Kanoa Igarashi poised to ride wave of momentum into Tokyo Olympics

The Japanese surfer and Olympic medal hopeful was preparing for the biggest year of his life when 2020 decided it had other plans.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 3, 2020

2020 likely world's second hottest year, U.N. says

Five data sets currently place 2020, a year characterized by heat waves, droughts, wildfires and raging hurricanes, as the second warmest since records began in 1850.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 19, 2020

Tokyo Olympics in the balance as COVID-19 surges around world

Proceeding with plans to host the postponed 2020 Games during what could be an ongoing pandemic is, at best, a gamble with increasingly high stakes and a dubious payoff.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Nov 17, 2020

Pandemic-era Japan Series has more than a title chance on the line

The migration of players, fans and officials across the country will serve as a test of Japan's ability to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2020

Ad behemoth faces claims of conflict of interest in Tokyo Olympic campaign

“Adult understanding” investigated as a potential conflict of interest for the Japanese advertising giant.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 8, 2020

Climate change-hit nations say survival hangs on tougher 2020 action

The world is set for warming of close to 3 degrees Celsius over preindustrial times even if emissions-cutting pledges made so far are delivered.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 11, 2020

Supersonic 2020 postponed due to COVID-19 concerns

Event company Creativeman announced that this year's replacement for Summer Sonic will be postponed until 2021.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.