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Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 29, 2021

Men's Olympic soccer and the struggle for legitimacy

Poor performances by some of the sport's powerhouses, including France — who were beaten by Japan 4-0 on Wednesday — are a reminder that the Olympic tourney is a different beast.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jul 28, 2020

WE League chair plots ambitious, progressive path for women's game

After spearheading the growth of Japanese women's soccer in the 80s, Kikuko Okajima hopes to make the new league a force for social change.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup / From the Spot
Jun 23, 2020

Japan must build foundation for women's game after withdrawing bid

The Japan Football Association has lost its easy route to building momentum for the sport after dropping out of contention for the 2023 World Cup.
Japan Times
SOCCER / From the Spot
Jun 5, 2020

JFA's vision for new pro women's league ambitious, but Women's World Cup bid remains pragmatic

The WE League has the right message, but delivering on its promises for the sport will take more than a slogan.
Japan Times
SOCCER / From the Spot
Feb 4, 2019

Restrictions on Japan's soccer media lead to frayed relations with players

In the days since Japan's 3-1 defeat to Qatar in the 2019 Asian Cup final, Japan's soccer media has had plenty of time to unload its takes, whether first, second or simply hot.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 5, 2019

Takehiko Nakamura: Kicking around the U.S. for a career in soccer

A U.S. education, says sports fan Nakamura, helped him score a goal in life.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2015

Soccer still a refuge for BOJ staff

The Bank of Japan officials huddle: they're planning a counterattack.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 10, 2010

Why I like Japanese soccer fans

The rainy season is my favorite time of the year. I just love to walk out the door and see the flowers in my garden wearing those big huge grins. But that's not the only reason I like the rainy season — it's a great excuse to stay inside and watch sports. The fact that the World Cup always falls during...
EDITORIALS
Aug 20, 2004

Iraq's soccer magic

On the evening of Thursday, Aug. 12, Baghdad's Sadr City, a Shiite Muslim slum that has been the scene of pitched battles between supporters of rebellious cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and U.S. and Iraqi troops, lay strangely quiet and still. Where were the armed militiamen of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, usually...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 12, 2002

Chewing the cud with cheap shots at soccer

Here's a confession for you -- a self-insight I discovered just the other night:
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jul 9, 2023

U.S. women's star Megan Rapinoe to retire at end of season

The winger currently has 199 caps over a span of 17 years playing for her country and also won an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 10, 2022

U.S. soccer journalist dies in Qatar after collapsing during World Cup game

In recent days, longtime soccer writer Grant Wahl wrote about struggles with his health during a run of coverage that, he said, typically left room for about five hours of sleep a night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 23, 2022

A Saudi soccer victory rings out across the Arab world

Few had given the Saudis a chance of winning a game at the tournament, much less overcoming the might of Argentina and Lionel Messi, arguably the finest player the sport has ever seen.
Japan Times
SOCCER / From the Spot
Aug 16, 2022

WE League aims to build on first-season challenges

After a challenging debut season, Japan's professional women's soccer competition will return to action on Saturday with the first edition of the WE League Cup.
Japan Times
JAPAN / New Normal 2.0
Jun 24, 2022

Japan begins return to business-as-usual at big events — but slowly

Recent trials of allowing cheering at soccer games are indicative of the approach toward large events in the coming months: a slow, highly cautious return to some aspects of normalcy.
Japan Times
PARALYMPICS
Aug 28, 2021

American Nick Mayhugh goes from soccer to track to the top of Paralympic podium

Mayhugh was a soccer player a little over a year ago and admits he's still learning how to be a track and field athlete. Luckily, he's a fast learner.
Japan Times
SOCCER / From the Spot
Feb 12, 2021

WE League chair 'grateful' for Yoshiro Mori's sexist remarks

Kikuko Okajima is pleased that the now-former Tokyo 2020 president brought attention to the issue of gender equality in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2014

Germany's triumph in Brazil was no surprise

Everything about the 7-1 German victory over Brazil in a World Cup semifinal was logical and even overdue. The entire German soccer system has been working toward this moment since 2001.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2014

Chinese World Cup woes provoke self-doubt

China's long-suffering soccer fans keep looking for proxies at World Cup time, all the while grumbling under their breaths about the government's control-freak approach to choosing athletes for the national team and a lack of youth developmental leagues outside of the official system.
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.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2002

Soccer teams show the power of reform

The drama of the World Cup has implications for politics in Japan and South Korea. To be sure, soccer and politics are two different games, one a competition for skill and physical stamina and the other a struggle for power and interests. Nevertheless, we can draw lessons from the performances of the...
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2001

IMG delves into soccer, Japan

IMG, the largest sports management and marketing company in the world, is planning to get even bigger.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Aug 24, 2001

Brazilian scores with high school soccer

Akita Prefecture has traditionally been famous for its rice. But, in recent years, the quality of young soccer talent coming out of the area's high schools has caught the media spotlight.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2000

2002 World Cup: Soccer without fear?

BRUSSELS -- The first world cup of the new millennium is to be staged in Japan and South Korea in the summer of 2002. Both countries want to use this billion-dollar sporting showpiece as a global shop window allowing those watching, both in the stadiums and on TV, to see the real Japan and the real South...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 18, 2023

How Japan's top soccer league is striving to become a climate leader

As the league continues to grow, and as climate change wreaks havoc on operations, its quest to bring healthier lifestyles to the Japanese public has expanded into environmental issues.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jun 13, 2023

Posh Miami enclave to become U.S. soccer hub

Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s highly-connected president, is expected to relocate to Miami in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup.
Lassana Diarra in Paris in May last year. Diarra was at the center of a high-profile case that could shake up the transfer market in European soccer.
SOCCER
Oct 4, 2024

Top EU court rules against FIFA in key transfer market ruling

In a landmark decision, the EU's top court has ruled some international soccer rules regulating player transfers are contrary to the bloc's laws.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?