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Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 9, 2023

Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from Australian Open raises questions about star's future

Tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, who has authored a biography of Osaka due out later this year, believes she has already taken a 'meaningful step back' from the sport.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 5, 2023

NFL and medical experts caution against speculation about cause of Damar Hamlin's condition

'Reckless speculation on social media is a source of disinformation and could lead to other unintended negative consequences,' physicians wrote in an open letter.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jan 3, 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of Al Nassr unveiling

The 37-year-old, a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, touched down in the capital late on Monday, according to state-run television network Al Ekhbariya.
The Sapporo Snow Festival offers outdoor dining, markets, sports, ice sculptures and more across three event sites.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 6, 2024

Asia's winter festivals: Snow, fire and spectacle galore

The ancient city of Nara wards off the wintertime darkness with an unusual tradition: lighting a local mountain on fire.
U.S. golfer Tiger Woods reacts on the 9th green on day 2 of the British Open Golf Championship in 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2024

Tiger Woods and Nike end partnership after 27 years

Despite rumors, Nike maintains that it’s still committed to golf.
Older people take part in a rhythm game competition at Chiba City Hall on Oct. 17.
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2024

Esports gain traction at welfare facilities in Japan

Esports is being used in part with the aim of preserving cognitive functions in elderly people.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and his then-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, attend a news conference at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 16, ahead of the 2024 MLB Seoul Series baseball game between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 23, 2024

MLB launches investigation into scandal involving Ohtani and ex-interpreter

MLB is expected to request interviews with all parties, including Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara, the slugger's longtime interpreter and close friend.
Saudi Arabia fans cheer on the national team during a World Cup qualifying match in Riyadh on March 21.
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 27, 2024

Ten years from home World Cup, Saudi Arabia sizes up 'huge challenge'

As the only bidder, Saudi Arabia was anointed host of the 2034 World Cup last October by FIFA.
A mural showing Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani is seen on the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The mural, by artist Robert Vargas, is 150 feet (46 meters) tall and is titled "LA Rising."
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 30, 2024

Shohei Ohtani is home and focused on baseball. Dodgers fans are relieved.

Los Angeles finally got a close look at baseball’s megastar, as a gambling situation involving his former interpreter took a back seat to opening day.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in December at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
BASEBALL
Apr 12, 2024

How Ippei Mizuhara allegedly wired millions from Shohei Ohtani’s account

Crucially for Ohtani, a U.S. investigation clearly paints him as a victim without any involvement in or knowledge of his interpreter's gambling woes.
The Eiffel Tower Stadium, under construction for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Paris on April 13
OLYMPICS
Apr 16, 2024

Stadiums rise at Paris landmarks ahead of Olympics

"The city's being tidied up and the monuments are clean. It's going to be great," said one resident.
Ibuki Matsumoto competes at an event in Osaka on April 21.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
May 6, 2024

Japan’s tween skateboarders get head start on preparations for 2028 Olympics

Hikari Satake, 11, and Ibuki Matsumoto, 12, may not be household names just yet, but they are laying the groundwork for their Olympic ambitions.
Ippei Mizuhara, seen during Shohei Ohtani's introductory news conference with the Dodgers in December 2023, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of bank fraud and filing a false tax return.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 9, 2024

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter to plead guilty to bank fraud

Mizuhara agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, outside a U.S. federal court in Santa Ana, California, on Tuesday
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 5, 2024

Ohtani's ex-interpreter pleads guilty to stealing nearly $17 million

Ippei Mizuhara admitted to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence, and one count of filing a false tax return.
Amid the rising popularity of saunas, the Consumer Affairs Agency is urging users to exercise caution following a spike in the number of sauna-related accidents.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2024

Japan's consumer watchdog warns of accidents in the sauna

Users are urged to exercise caution to avoid severe injuries amid a spike in accidents as saunas become more popular.
Wrestler Yui Susaki, who won gold in the women's 50 kilogram weight class at the Tokyo Games, is among the Japanese athletes tipped to repeat as Olympic champions in Paris.
OLYMPICS
Jun 27, 2024

Japan predicted to finish sixth in Paris Games medal count

According to Gracenote's virtual medal table forecast, the Americans are favored to top the overall medal count with 123.
Russian Andrey Rublev holds his gold medal on the podium after the Tokyo Olympic mixed doubles competition in August 2021. Rublev declined an invitation to the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS
Jul 11, 2024

List of Russian athletes for Paris Games continues to shrink

Athletes from Russia and Belarus, Moscow's closest ally in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, are barred from the Paris Games unless they compete as neutrals.
Japanese businessman Kazunori Takishima, seen at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, has attended four Summer Games and four Winter Games since his first in 2006.
OLYMPICS
Jul 12, 2024

Japanese superfan with Olympic-sized wallet eager to make new memories in Paris

The 48-year-old Tokyo native spends large chunks of his disposable income on Olympic tickets.
Hedwig Schreck is a third-generation Tokyoite whose grandfather first arrived in Japan from Germany in 1920 as a submarine engineer.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 24, 2024

Hedwig Schreck: ‘Art has always been part of my life’

A third-generation Tokyoite, the former TV producer has pivoted to teaching others about Japanese culture in her retirement.
U.S. rugby player Ilona Maher poses for a portrait during the Team USA media summit ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, at an event in New York on April 15.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2024

Athlete influencers compete for likes as well as medals in Paris

In years past, athletes might have needed a manager to negotiate deals with brands. Now, a company will reach out directly to strike a deal.
French fans cheer on their team during an Olympic rugby sevens match on Sunday. Fans are back in force at the Games and providing a lively atmosphere for the competition after COVID-19 forced the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics to be mostly played without spectators.
OLYMPICS
Jul 29, 2024

The Olympic roar is back in Paris after two pandemic-hit Games

The sights and sounds of the Olympics have returned to normal this year, with fans able to attend the Games without restrictions for the first time since 2018.
Japan's Ryuju Nagayama (right) refuses to shake hands with Spain's Francisco Garrigos after a controversial decision in their under-60 kg quarterfinal bout at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 30, 2024

What’s in a handshake? In Olympic judo, quite a lot

In a sport that emphasizes respect, Japanese judo star Ryuji Nagayama made headlines after refusing to shake his opponent's hand after a controversial bout.
Mountain climber Kazuya Hiraide, from Nagano Prefecture. Hiraide and his climbing partner, Kenro Nakajima, fell 7,000 meters while climbing K2. He was 45.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2024

Rescue called off for two Japanese climbers falling from K2

The two were spotted from a helicopter, but it could not land to retrieve them due to the steep location and other logistical problems.
Members of the Romanian Olympic women's gymnastics team check their smartphones during a training session early last month.
OLYMPICS
Aug 2, 2024

Social media trolls beware: Olympic athletes have had enough

Online abuse has become such an issue that the Japanese Olympic Committee released a statement asking fans to mind their manners on the internet.
The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 19, 2024

It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers

Protecting beachgoers from drowning, heatstroke and possible tsunami, lifesavers are seeking formal recognition for what they do.
Rudy Garcia-Tolson (left) at the London Paralympics in September 2012. The American swimmer got a tattoo of the Olympic rings after first competing at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.
PARALYMPICS
Aug 25, 2024

Paralympics will drop ban on Olympic rings tattoos

Days before the start of the Paralympics, the IPC has suddenly, and without obvious explanation, reversed course on a rule that had banned tattoos of the Olympic rings.
Students sit under a misting system during recess at Hikarigaoka Haru no Kaze Elementary School in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Society / Boiling Point
Sep 16, 2024

Japan’s schools battle to keep kids cool, with or without AC

With extreme heat affecting both health and study, schools are racing to plug AC gaps while experimenting with creative, cheaper solutions.
Phillies players celebrate after a win over the Marlins in Miami earlier this month.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 18, 2024

DraftKings sued by MLB Players Union for using names and images

Revenue has expanded at DraftKings as it attracted more loyal bettors, even as it faced increased competition from online peers and legacy casinos.
Fluminense and Al Ahly players line up prior to a FIFA Club World Cup match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last year
SOCCER
Sep 25, 2024

LGBTQ fans welcome in Saudi Arabia, 2034 World Cup bid chief says

In August, Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia failed to meet FIFA’s own human rights requirements in their bid for the World Cup.
Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Mets in Game 4 of the NLCS in New York on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 18, 2024

Shohei Ohtani making major impact on viewership numbers during MLB playoffs

Game 5 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres was the most-watched MLB postseason game ever in Japan.

Longform

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