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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.
The nerves began to kick in shortly after Ryosuke Miyaguni’s first pitch to Jemile Weeks. The Yomiuri pitcher tried to shake the feeling, but the enormity of the moment refused to be ignored. A little over two years ago, Miyaguni was playing among his ...
When you have been in this business for a long time, it’s easy to become jaded. Players, coaches, executives and trends come and go. But every once in a while, someone extraordinary hits the scene and makes you take notice. Just 10 short days ...
The Yomiuri Giants hit fewer singles, doubles, triples and home runs in 2011 than they did in 2010. The Kyojin also drove in fewer runs and struck out more. Being that the Giants are the Giants, it was hardly surprising they would, fairly or ...
It’s doubtful Hisashi Iwakuma’s debut in the major leagues with the Seattle Mariners will make a big splash in many locales outside Seattle, unless of course it comes against the Oakland A’s at Tokyo Dome in March. Though in that case, outfielder Ichiro Suzuki ...
The worst way to start a new relationship of any kind is with a lie. I think most people would agree with this observation. Yet there it was, front and center and about as subtle as a cockroach on a white rug, at the ...
Yu Darvish got his wish, the Texas Rangers got their man and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters got their money. Hopefully, somewhere in there the NPB got a clue. Once the Rangers agreed on a six-year $60 million deal with Darvish, the curtain finally ...
Hiroyuki Nakajima is one of the top shortstops in Japanese baseball, possibly even the best at the moment. A versatile infielder with a good bat and a slick mix of power and speed, Nakajima would seem to have the tools necessary to carve out ...
A picturesque start by Tsuyoshi Wada in Game 1 of the Japan Series in November was marred by one bad pitch to Kazuhiro Wada that allowed the Chunichi Dragons to steal a win in the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks’ home park. Wada stewed over the ...
If Seiichi Uchikawa’s win in the race for the Pacific League MVP award says anything, it’s that the ultimate individual honor is really a team award in disguise. Uchikawa had a strong season, leading Japan with a .338 average, hitting 12 homers, driving in ...
As soon as wood met rawhide, Seiichi Uchikawa sped out of the batter’s box. He struck the ball well, and it had to be a relief, as he watched it sail to wall in center field, to finally have something go right at the ...
Katsuki Akagawa, Ryoji Aikawa and Ryosuke Morioka stood on the podium near home plate as the cheers of Tokyo Yakult supporters rang out through the night air at Jingu Stadium on Monday night. The Swallows had just earned their biggest win in years — ...
There were all sorts of strings attached to Hisayoshi Chono’s last at-bat of the regular season. For starters, his pinch-hit, come-from-behind grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday gave the Yomiuri Giants a win in their final game of the ...