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The head of an official inquiry into the deadly collapse of a Bangladesh factory complex said the building’s owner was the “main culprit” for the disaster because he violated construction codes. The cave-in of the eight-story Rana Plaza outside the capital last month killed ...
Throughout most of Japan, June is the rainy season. While all that rainfall is great for rice paddies so that we can have delicious new harvest rice in the fall, it makes it a rather dull month for seasonal produce: The summer’s bounty of ...
“I was stopped by two men in a government-registered vehicle, blindfolded and dragged off the street. They took me away to a house in a place I did not know. I was forced into a room with blood all over the walls and floor, ...
Claude Regy says the team at the Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) threw him the “best birthday party ever” when he arrived in Japan just days after the actual May 1 occasion. The 90-year-old French director is hoping for an even better birthday gift, ...
As far as debuts go, Shohei Otani's delivered. The celebrated rookie pitched fairly well on Thursday night, and though he finished outside the decision, he left the mound with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters well within striking distance of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
Wladimir Balentien’s cousins began calling him “Coco” when he was 4-years old, because it was easier to say than his name, and the moniker stuck. The way he’s swinging the bat, opposing pitchers are now probably busy trying to come up with easier methods ...
After last season’s Japan Series, there were questions about whether or not Tony Blanco would be back with the Chunichi Dragons this year. When the club signed veteran first baseman Takeshi Yamasaki, who spent years starring for other teams after coming up in the ...
Toshiya Sugiuchi is a former Pacific League MVP and Sawamura award winner and has been among NPB’s elite pitchers for years. As good as he is under normal circumstances — and a 110-56 record with a 2.84 ERA and 1,677 career strikeouts say that’s ...
Chunichi Dragons reliever Takuya Asao gave up an earned run against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows during the eighth inning of Thursday’s game at Nagoya Dome. After allowing four all of last season, Asao has given up four earned runs — five overall — this ...
In October the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pulled off a minor shocker by drafting highly-touted Tokai University pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano. Sugano had previously stated it was his dream to play for the Yomiuri Giants, managed by his uncle Tatsunori Hara. With this known, most ...
The 2012 NPB season opened Friday and it wasn’t bereft of a little bit drama on Opening Day. The fans at Tokyo Dome nearly saw a bit of history as Tokyo Yakult Swallows pitcher Masanori Ishikawa flirted with the first no-hitter in Opening Day ...
Yu Darvish and Tsuyoshi Wada have been spoken for, but there are still two high-profile NPB pitchers looking to make the jump to the majors next season. With the majority of the baseball world caught up in the hoopla surrounding Darvish’s posting, and the ...
The gauntlet the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles faced the past 11 games, could’ve all-but ended their season. Instead, it might have been just the push they needed. Once in fifth place and all but left for dead in the playoff race with nine consecutive ...
Takeya Nakamura is making a mockery of the NPB’s new ball. Earlier this year, one Central League slugger wondered aloud whether or not anyone would make it to 30 home runs. The better question is, can Okawari-kun hit 50? While many players are struggling ...
The Pacific League, led by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, got the best of the Central League on the field, but couldn’t keep pace in the stands. The PL saw a 6.7 percent decline in average attendance during interleague play this season compared with last ...
Another interleague season is in the books and, as has been the case in each of the previous seven years, a Pacific League team is raising the interleague pennant. Pa. League teams rolled over their Central League counterparts, combining to finish with an above ...
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks reliever Brian Falkenborg raised a few eyebrows with his performance on the mound last season. And not just in Japan. The 200-cm right-hander caught the attention of a few major league clubs after making 60 appearances for the Hawks and posting ...