Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Japanese Baseball Sep 27, 2013
Marines rout new PL champion Eagles
by Dave Hueston
A night after breaking out the bubbly to celebrate their first ever Pacific League title, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles were understandably in need of a collective pick-me-up during a sluggish performance against the second-place Chiba Lotte Marines. Left-hander Takahiro Matsunaga (4-1) allowed four ...
Japanese Baseball Sep 9, 2013
Furuya capitalizes on second chance to beat Lions
A night after having a dreadful start mercifully aborted by rain, Chiba Lotte lefty Takuya Furuya (7-1) allowed two runs in seven innings in the Marines’ 4-3 win over the Seibu Lions. By winning the game, a makeup of Sunday’s contest that ended with ...
Japanese Baseball Aug 23, 2013
Eagles ace Tanaka improves to 18-0
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles right-hander Masahiro Tanaka won his 22nd consecutive decision Friday, extending his own Japanese pro baseball record dating back to Aug. 26, 2012. Tanaka, 24, improved to 18-0 on the season after pitching seven shutout innings to open Pacific League leader ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 31, 2013
Fighters end six-game slide with offensive outburst
by Jason Coskrey
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie Shohei Otani wasn’t very good on Tuesday night, and the Chiba Lotte Marines’ Tomohisa Otani didn’t fare much better. Neither of the dueling Otanis went home with a decision, but Shohei Otani’s teammates made sure he left QVC Marine ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 28, 2013
Eagles rally to sweep Marines
Shintaro Masuda singled in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Pacific League-leading Tohoku Rakuten Eagles came from behind to beat the Chiba Lotte Marines 5-4 on Sunday. The Eagles overcame a four-run deficit after right-hander Manabu Mima’s first ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 27, 2013
First-place Eagles clobber Marines
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles stretched their Pacific League lead to four games on Saturday as right-hander Kenji Tomura worked eight innings in an 8-1 victory over the second-place Chiba Lotte Marines. Tomura (4-1) missed a shot at his first career complete game when ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 26, 2013
Shima delivers game-winning hit in ninth
Three outs from seeing their ace’s winning streak snapped, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth on Friday to beat the Chiba Lotte Marines 3-2. Eagles catcher Motohiro Shima’s one-out, line-drive single off Marines closer Naoya ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 17, 2013
Brazell smacks two HRs as Marines maul Hawks
New acquisition Craig Brazell hit a pair of impressive home runs and journeyman lefty Takuya Furuya had a solid outing as the Chiba Lotte Marines beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 7-3 on a rainy Wednesday night. Furuya (2-1), who came within one strike of ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 10, 2013
Buffaloes rally to beat Marines
by Kaz Nagatsuka
The first half of the game belonged to the Chiba Lotte Marines, but that wasn’t enough to get them out of the bog they’re stuck in right now. And their opponents, Orix Buffaloes, rose to the occasion at just the right time. The Buffs’ ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 4, 2013
Eagles soar past Marines, grab share of first place
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles moved into a tie for the Pacific League lead on Thursday following an 8-4 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines, who started the day with a one-game advantage. Cleanup hitter Andruw Jones hit two-run home runs in consecutive at-bats ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 3, 2013
Eagles' Tanaka improves to 11-0
Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka flummoxed another would-be lineup, continuing his stunning run from the start of the season by winning his 11th consecutive decision in the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles’ 7-0 triumph over the Chiba Lotte Marines on Tuesday night. Second-place Rakuten improved to a ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 1, 2013
Marines' bats come alive to sink Hawks
Shunichi Nemoto homered and drove in four runs and Daichi Suzuki went 4-for-5 with three RBIs as the Chiba Lotte Marines walloped the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 11-3 on Sunday afternoon. The Pacific League-leading Marines matched a season high with 17 hits and improved to ...