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 Kaz Nagatsuka

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Kaz Nagatsuka
Kaz Nagatsuka is a staff writer covering Japanese sports, including Japanese professional baseball, basketball, American football and individual sports. He has covered big sporting events such as the World Baseball Classic, the NFL Super Bowl and soccer's World Cup.
For Kaz Nagatsuka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 9, 2021
How we saw it: The Japanese Women's Olympics
Japan collected 58 medals, its most at a Summer Olympics, and more than half of the honors involved female athletes.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2021
With eye on gold, Japan women's basketball team looks to avenge first loss to U.S.
The previous best Olympic finish for the Japanese womenu2019s team, which now sits at No. 10 in the world, was fifth at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2021
Silver lining: Japan’s Kiyou Shimizu grateful to have competed in karate's Olympic debut
The Osaka native said that she was grateful that the sportu2019s profile was raised through the Games and that it was a privilege to be able to perform at Nippon Budokan.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2021
At the Tokyo Olympic marathons, all eyes are on the shoes
Interest in runnersu2019 shoes is part of a trend that has grown over the last few years with the emergence of thick-soled sneakers with embedded carbon plates.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 5, 2021
Japan's women's basketball team not satisfied with just being Cinderella
The Akatsuki Five are officially in uncharted territory. Can they reach the podium?
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 4, 2021
Japan wins thriller over Belgium to move into women's basketball semis for the first time
Saki Hayashi was the hero on the day, sinking a clutch 3-pointer with just 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter to put Japan ahead for good.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 3, 2021
Japan's Sena Irie punches her way to gold in women's boxing
Irie, a native of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, is the first athlete from the sparsely populated prefecture to win Olympic gold.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 2, 2021
Japan’s women’s basketball team drains 19 3-pointers in 102-83 win over Nigeria
The Akatsuki Five will now advance to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive Summer Olympics.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 1, 2021
Japanese basketball team ends Olympics knowing it has plenty of work to do
Japan made an early exit from the Games having gone winless, ending their tournament with a 97-77 loss to Argentina in their final Group B contest at Saitama Super Arena on Sunday.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 1, 2021
Japan confident heading into Olympic soccer semifinal against Spain
After squeaking past New Zealand, the team appeared unfazed by the down-to-the-wire drama, because, at the end of the day, winning was the ultimate goal in the knockout stage.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 1, 2021
Japan's 3x3 basketball Olympic teams left wanting more after turning heads in preliminary round
u201c3x3 will have a huge impact on Japanese basketball in the future and there is a good chance Japan becomes a 3x3 powerhouse,u201d said Torsten Loibl, the director/coach of the country's teams.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 30, 2021
Japanese skateboarders hope Olympics will mark a turning point
Skateboarding is often perceived as an activity for rebellious teenagers, but devotees of the sport hope that gold medals by Japanese athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will change that image.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 29, 2021
Japan's basketball team on the ropes after lopsided loss to Slovenia
Now Japan needs to defeat Argentina, the 2004 Olympic gold medalists, in their final Group B game on Sunday in order to give themselves a chance of advancing to the knockout stage.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 28, 2021
An injury almost ended Mikiko Ando's Olympics before they began. Now she's a bronze medalist.
Ando had severely hurt her knee when she dropped a 120-kg barbell just three weeks before the Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 28, 2021
Samurai Japan squeaks out walk-off win over Dominican Republic in Olympic baseball opener
The first game of any tournament is always tough, especially on one of the biggest stages in sports, and that was certainly the case for Samurai Japan on Wednesday.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 27, 2021
Japan's women's basketball team off to flying start with 72-68 win over France
The hosts and the French squad went toe-to-toe u2014 while employing completely different styles u2014 throughout a seesaw affair that saw 17 lead changes.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 27, 2021
Akatsuki Five show progress in defeat to world No. 2 Spain
Japan was unable to contain Timberwolves veteran Ricky Rubio, but held strong against the reigning FIBA World Cup champion in their Olympic group-stage opener.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 26, 2021
Yuto Horigome still in disbelief a day after winning Olympic skateboarding gold
The Japanese skater says he was honored to notch his name in the history book, having won the street competition in the newly added Olympic sport.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 25, 2021
Tokyo Games showcase the changing face of sports in Japan
From Naomi Osaka to Rui Hachimura, a generation of biracial athletes in the Olympics are helping shift perceptions of what it means to be "Japanese."
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / Faces of Tokyo 2020
Jul 23, 2021
Japanese athletes who have overcome adversity to be at the Tokyo Games
The miraculous return of Rikako Ikee might grab headlines, but the country's swimming star isn't the only athlete who needed to battle tough times to qualify for the Games.

Longform

Hideo Takayama (front) and Nama Yoshimura head down a narrow alley where a small stream used to run.
Tracing Tokyo’s hidden rivers