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February 22, 2025
 

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OBITUARY

Swallows mascot Tsubakuro performs during a game at Jingu Stadium in June 2023.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 21, 2025
Swallows employee who portrayed popular mascot Tsubakuro dies
Tsubakuro became a ubiquitous presence at Jingu Stadium after his debut in 1994.
Akihiro Arimoto (left), accompanied by his wife, Kayoko, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in 2002. Arimoto, the father of a girl who was spirited away to North Korea more than four decades ago and remains unaccounted for, died late Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2025
Akihiro Arimoto, father of girl abducted by North Korea in 1983, dies
His death at the age of 96 is a sign of how long the issue has dragged on, with most parents of abductees having now died without finding out what happened to their loved ones.
Tigers players toss manager Yoshio Yoshida into the air after the club clinched its first Japan Series title, on Nov. 11, 1985.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 5, 2025
Hanshin Tigers legend Yoshio Yoshida dies at 91
During his 17-year playing career, Yoshida appeared in 2,007 games and recorded 1,864 hits. But he was perhaps most notable for leading the Tigers to the 1985 Japan Series.
Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu, who was hugely popular across Asia for her leading role in the 2001 television drama "Meteor Garden," died from a respiratory illness during a family trip to Japan over the Lunar New Year holiday.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Feb 3, 2025
Taiwan's 'Meteor Garden' star Barbie Hsu dies at 48
The actor, who rose to fame as the romantic lead in a 2001 television drama based on a manga series, died from a respiratory illness during a family holiday in Japan.
German President Horst Koehler makes a speech at an event in Leipzig on Oct. 9, 2009.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2025
Horst Koehler, former German president and IMF chief, dies at 81
Despite being a largely unknown figure before assuming the presidency, Koehler quickly proved himself in opinion polls to be one of Germany's most popular political figures.
Former U.S. figure skaters Dick Button and Tenley Albright are introduced during an exhibition event after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston in January 2014.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Jan 31, 2025
U.S. figure skating great Dick Button dies at 95
Long before he became known for his on-air observations, Button dominated the figure skating world with his athleticism.
Rodgers (right) was a longtime managing editor of Kyoto Journal and, alongside colleagues like Susan Pavloska (left) and John Einarsen (center), helped make it one of Japan’s leading English-language publications.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 27, 2025
Ken Rodgers, a fixture of the Kyoto literary scene, dies at 72
Hailing from Australia, Rodgers made a home and community for himself in Japan’s ancient capital across more than four decades.
Bob Uecker gestures after throwing out the first pitch before the Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Brewers and Diamondbacks on Oct. 1, 2011.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 17, 2025
Beloved Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker dies at 90
"Ueck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers, the laughter in our hearts, and his passing is a profound loss," the team said in a statement.
Filmmaker David Lynch at his Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles in 2002. The painter turned avant-garde film artist, whose fame, influence and distinctively skewed worldview extended far beyond the movie screen, died on Thursday at 78.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 17, 2025
David Lynch, maker of florid and unnerving films, dies at 78
A painter turned artist whose films included “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive,” Lynch also brought his visionary view to the small screen with “Twin Peaks.”
Agnes Keleti performs a split in front of young gymnasts at a training center in Budapest on Jan. 16, 2016. Keleti, a 10-time Olympic medalist, died on Jan. 2 at the age of 103.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jan 3, 2025
World's oldest Olympic champion Agnes Keleti dies at 103
Keleti's life story, including surviving the Holocaust and Olympic glory, reads like a gripping Hollywood film script.
Composer Toru Fuyuki died of aspiration pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo on Thursday. He was 89.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 31, 2024
Toru Fuyuki, composer of 'Ultraseven' theme song, dies at 89
The "Father of Ultra Music" is known for his contributions to the special effects series, including the theme for "Return of Ultraman."
Former U.S. President Jimmy in 1996. Carter, who rose from Georgia farmland to become the 39th president of the United States on a promise of national healing after the wounds of Watergate and Vietnam, then lost the White House in a cauldron of economic turmoil at home and crisis in Iran, died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 30, 2024
Jimmy Carter, president known as a peacemaker, is dead at 100
While Carter's presidency was remembered more for its failures than for its successes, his post-presidency was seen by many as a model for future chief executives.
One of conductor Seiji Ozawa’s most enduring contributions is the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, which brings together young musicians and seasoned artists. The maestro passed away in February.
CULTURE / Entertainment news / 2024 in Review
Dec 27, 2024
The cultural luminaries we lost in 2024
While Japan’s culture marked notable triumphs at home and overseas, the year also saw the passing of many greats in the arts.
Osamu Suzuki, a former president of Suzuki Motor, in October 2016
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 27, 2024
Osamu Suzuki, who ran Suzuki Motor for five decades, dies at 94
Suzuki is known for spearheading the carmaker’s entrance in the Indian market, starting manufacturing there in 1983.
Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday at the age of 92, was arguably one of India's most successful leaders.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 27, 2024
Manmohan Singh, India's reluctant prime minister, dies age 92
He is credited with steering India to unprecedented economic growth and lifting hundreds of millions out of dire poverty.
MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Mariners and the Athletics in Seattle on Sept. 29.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 22, 2024
Rickey Henderson, baseball’s flamboyant ‘Man of Steal,’ dies at 65
Henderson holds the MLB career record for stolen bases with 1,406 — a mark unlikely to be swiped from him anytime soon, or perhaps ever.
Tsuneo Watanabe (center) attends a gathering with former prime ministers Yasuhiro Nakasone (right) and Toshiki Kaifu in Tokyo in 2009.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 19, 2024
Tsuneo Watanabe, editor-in-chief of Yomiuri Shimbun Group, dies at 98
Watanabe was an influential figure in Japan's political and professional sports arenas.
Indian musician Zakir Hussain performs during a concert at the Indian Music Experience in Bangalore in 2019
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2024
Zakir Hussain, peerless Indian tabla player, dies at 73
Considered a national treasure in his homeland, the percussionist brought classical Indian music to a global audience
Yutaka Mataebara (second from left) dines with his managerial colleagues at an event celebrating the 100th anniversary of The Japan Times.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2024
Here's to Yutaka Mataebara, the 'iron man' of The Japan Times
Mataebara was a pillar of the JT: During his 44 years at the paper until he retired in 2006, he worked in a variety of departments, including as the editor in chief.
Freelance television announcer Tomoaki Ogura took the role of presenter of Fuji Television Network's morning show "Tokudane!" from 1999 to 2021, gaining popularity for his frank comments.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2024
Japanese announcer Tomoaki Ogura dies at 77
Ogura became famous for his unique narration style and trademark high-pitched voice.
Yen advances past ¥150 per dollar as BOJ rate-hike bets ramp up
The Japanese currency climbed as much as 1% to ¥149.95 against the dollar on Thursday, a level it hasn’t touched since Dec. 9.
Japan release of Shiori Ito's documentary in limbo
Shiori Ito, who won a civil suit over a rape case against a TV reporter, in 2018. Her former lawyers claim her documentary includes footage used without the consent of sources.
Record percentage of Japanese firms plan wage hikes, survey shows
Some 61.9% of over 11,000 surveyed companies intend to pledge pay increases as part of annual wage negotiations culminating in March, according to a survey by Teikoku Databank.
Japan’s inflation speeds up, keeping BOJ on rate hike path
A customer visits a store along the Togoshi Ginza shopping street in Tokyo on Jan. 23. Rising fresh food prices contributed to the acceleration in overall inflation in January, as vegetable prices, including cabbage, soared.
Victor Wembanyama expected to miss remainder of regular season with blood clot
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (right) is expected to miss the rest of the NBA season, the team announced on Thursday.
Japan release of Shiori Ito's documentary in limbo
Shiori Ito, who won a civil suit over a rape case against a TV reporter, in 2018. Her former lawyers claim her documentary includes footage used without the consent of sources.
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown ready to sprint past Paris disappointment
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (center) runs during a 100-meter heat at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.
What is the ceiling for sumo’s newest yokozuna?
Newly promoted grand champion Hoshoryu (center) performs a dedication ceremony at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Jan. 31.
‘Yasuko, Songs of Days Past’ puts overlooked star in the spotlight
“Yasuko, Songs of Days Past” centers on a real-life love triangle between poet Chuya Nakahara (Taisei Kido, left), actor Yasuko Hasegawa (Suzu Hirose, center) and literary critic Hideo Kobayashi (Masaki Okada).
Japan’s English-language education doesn’t pass the test
One-third of elementary school students in Japan do not like learning English, according to a 2021 poll, an 8% rise since 2013. The pressure of taking proficiency tests is eroding children's engagement with studying English and its benefits.

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