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A sit-in by visa violators and their families entered its second day Tuesday in front of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau with protesters seeking government good will. The action at the bureau in Minato Ward is being organized by the Asian People’s Friendship Society, ...
Kazuhiro Shiraishi, 66, is a guest-house manager in the Izu-kogen Highlands, a famous resort area on the Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka Prefecture. Looking out onto the Pacific Ocean, and just 90 minutes by train from Tokyo, Izu has a warm climate all year round ...
“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, ...
Takashi Miike's blood-soaked vengeance tale, one of two Japanese films being shown in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, draws the biggest boos so far, with critics savaging it as overacted and cliched.
Have you ever given your best effort while striving to achieve something but felt like what you were doing was futile? That’s the feeling I’m getting about Tokyo’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics. With just over three months to go until the IOC ...
Since the interleague format was introduced in Japan in 2005, the Pacific League has gotten the better of the Central League. The PL is 520-487-25 against the CL in interleague play, with every title going to a PL team (Chiba Lotte Marines, 2005-06, Hokkaido ...
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters got next to nothing out of Sho Nakata for the better part of two seasons after selecting the heralded high school power hitter in the 2007 draft. Things just didn’t work out as planned initially as Nakata failed to ...
Trussville, Ala., is a typical southern U.S. city. Spread out along the Cahaba River with scenic streets lined by trees that help form a picturesque escape in the northern half of the state. Most in Osaka have never heard of the sleepy town that ...
Starting pitching had been pegged as one of the Yomiuri Giants’ problem spots prior to the beginning of the Japanese baseball season. With Shun Tono and Tetsuya Utsumi leading the way, the pitching staff’s cast of characters was largely already known. The question was, ...
As Japanese baseball heads into the third week of the 2011 season, the effects of the ban on night games has been felt by three Kanto-based franchises, the Chiba Lotte Marines, Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Yokohama BayStars. Attendance has been sparse for those teams ...
The Yokohama BayStars lost 95 games last season and it seemed like everybody in Japanese baseball got their licks in against the struggling team. This year, slugger Terrmel Sledge is helping the ‘Stars hit back. Sledge is off to a scorching start to the ...
Brian Bannister may not pitch a single regular-season inning for the Yomiuri Giants this year. Problem is, the right-hander probably won’t pitch for anyone else either. In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 and the radiation fears ...
Oakland Athletics slugger Hideki Matsui and Seattle Mariners superstar Ichiro Suzuki, have already contributed to the ongoing relief efforts in Japan. With the help of the A’s, they’ll be able to do a little more. Japan’s two biggest baseball stars were already scheduled to ...
While Tsuyoshi Nishioka prepares for his first year with the Minnesota Twins, the Chiba Lotte Marines are about to begin their season with a noticeable hole at shortstop. The former Lotte star was among the most valuable players in Japan last season, so the ...
The upcoming season figures to be an especially important one for Chunichi Dragons pitcher Chen Wei-yin, with many of his future options dependent upon his performance. Chen has been linked to a move to the majors for the past couple of years but enters ...
Hichori Morimoto has dressed as an alien, a muay thai fighter and a popular cartoon character over the past few years. Still, his most odd look might have come on Tuesday, when he hit the practice field in a Yokohama BayStars uniform after some ...
The next generation of NPB stars has hit the field. Throughout Japan, the 2011 rookies have moved into their dorm rooms and hit the practice field in preparation for the upcoming season. One of the more ceremonial parts of this annual rite is watching ...