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November 24, 2025
 

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Jason Coskrey

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Jason Coskrey
Jason Coskrey is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His primary focus is Japanese baseball, but he has also covered soccer, American football, boxing and basketball. He previously worked for the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, Ga. A native of Detroit, he is a graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
The Swallows' Munetaka Murakami has 246 career home runs in eight NPB seasons.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 20, 2025
Munetaka Murakami headlines quartet looking to move to MLB via posting system
Tokyo Yakult Swallows’ elite power hitter will be only 26 when he celebrates his next birthday on Feb. 2.
Japan's Ryuhei Sotani pitches against South Korea at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
BASEBALL
Nov 17, 2025
Japan uses series against South Korea to prep for World Baseball Classic title defense
The chance to play with the pitch clock and PitchCom — neither of which is used in NPB — was the main takeaway for Japan.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani was named National League MVP for the second straight season on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 14, 2025
Shohei Ohtani collects fourth MVP Award with 2025 NL honor
Ohtani joined Barry Bonds as the only players to win at least four MVP awards.
Hawks players celebrate winning the Japan Series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Thursday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 31, 2025
Hawks lay demons to rest with Japan Series win
Loss in the series last year has haunted the team and its fans, but the hardship has paid off.
The Hawks players throw manager Hiroki Kokubo into the air as they celebrate after defeating the Tigers in Game 5 of the Japan Series to clinch the title.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2025
Hawks rally past Tigers in 11th to win Japan Series
The Hawks won the final four games of the series after losing Game 1.
SoftBank pitcher Ryosuke Otsu is greeted by teammates at the bench in the fifth inning of Game 4 of the Japan Series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2025
SoftBank pitcher's Japan Series hit may be one of the last ever
Next year’s Japan Series will mark the final time a pitcher, at least according to the rules, will have to bat in an NPB game.
Hawks starter Ryosuke Otsu pitches against the Tigers during Game 4 of the Japan Series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 29, 2025
Hiroki Kokubo pushes right buttons as Hawks move to brink of Japan Series title
The Hawks are one win away from clinching the title.
SoftBank shortstop Imamiya (right) celebrates after making a catch off Hanshin's Sakamoto's hit in the sixth inning at Koshien Stadium on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 29, 2025
Imamiya's spectacular Game 3 catch may live on in SoftBank lore
​The veteran shortstop said the key to his performance is preparation, especially when it comes to playing on a surface as unfamiliar as Koshien Stadium’s all-dirt infield.
Hotaka Yamakawa celebrates with his teammates after hitting a home run against the Tigers in Game 3 of the Japan Series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 28, 2025
Hawks edge Tigers on road to grab lead in Japan Series
The Hawks lead the series 2-1.
Hawks players celebrate victory over the Tigers at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Oct 27, 2025
Hawks aim to bring energy from Japan Series blowout to Koshien
The Hanshin Tigers' famously fervent supporters will likely kick it up another few levels as the Japan Series shifts to their home park.
SoftBank's Ukyo Shuto rounds first base after hitting a double in the seventh inning at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 27, 2025
Ukyo Shuto's run into Japan Series history shows game is about more than speed
Shuto set a Japan Series record in the Hawks’ 10-1 rout of the Hanshin Tigers in Game 2 on Sunday.
Hawks slugger Hotaka Yamakawa (left) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a three-run home run against the Tigers during the second inning in Game 2 of the Japan Series in Fukuoka on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Oct 26, 2025
Hotaka Yamakawa powers Game 2 rout as Hawks get even in Japan Series
Yamakawa drove in five runs to help the Hawks even the series at 1-1.
Tigers starter Shoki Murakami pitches against the Hawks during Game 1 of the Japan Series in Fukuoka on Saturday. Murakami pitched seven innings, allowing just one run and six hits.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 26, 2025
Tigers pitcher Shoki Murakami perseveres in Fukuoka, turning rocky start into ‘amazing’ outing
Murakami did not have his best stuff and found it hard to get into a rhythm early, but he stuck to his guns and bounced back.
The Tigers' Teruaki Sato hits an RBI double against the Hawks during the sixth inning in Game 1 of the Japan Series in Fukuoka on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 25, 2025
Tigers slip past Hawks in Game 1 of Japan Series
Hanshin won its fourth straight postseason game.
Hikaru Kawase and the Hawks will try to finish the job in this year's Japan Series after falling short in 2025.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 24, 2025
Hawks motivated to take down Tigers after last year's Japan Series collapse
Fukuoka hosts Hanshin Tigers in Game 1 of the Japan Series on Saturday night — and is determined to finish the job this time.
Masanori Murakami became the first MLB player from Japan when he made his debut with the Giants on Sept 1, 1964.
BASEBALL
Oct 16, 2025
New film explores how Japan and the U.S. found common ground through baseball
Baseball has been a shared love between Japan and the United States for over 150 years — a sport that has connected the nations despite disagreements large and small.
The BayStars' Tatsuo Ebina (center) celebrates with his teammates after his walk-off hit against the Giants at Yokohama Stadium on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 12, 2025
BayStars reach final stage of Climax Series after dramatic sayonara win over Giants
The BayStars are trying to win back-to-back Japan Series titles.
The BayStars' Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, seen during a game on Oct. 1 in Yokohama, opened the Climax Series with a 4-for-4 day that included two home runs.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 12, 2025
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo produces vintage performance in Climax Series opener
BayStars manager Daisuke Miura credited Tsutsugo with giving the team momentum.
BayStars starter Anthony Kay pitches against the Giants in Game 1 of the CL Climax Series in Yokohama on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 11, 2025
BayStars take down Giants in Game 1 of Central League Climax Series
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo finished with two home runs in the victory.
Hanshin pitcher Hiroto Saiki (left) and infielder Teruaki Sato were among the Central League title winners this season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Oct 6, 2025
Hanshin star Teruaki Sato leads list of NPB title winners
Sato finishing with 40 homers and over 100 RBIs should make him the Central League MVP frontrunner.
Two men suspected of smuggling 1 ton of gold into Japan from South Korea
U.K. gold bullion bars and coins are displayed at Baird & Co. in Hatton Garden in London.
Americans with four-year degrees now comprise a record 25% of unemployed workers
A job fair in Fletcher, North Carolina. The unemployment rate for bachelor’s degree-holders in the U.S. rose to 2.8% in September, up a half-percentage point from a year earlier.
War refugee Aonishiki becomes first Ukrainian to win sumo tournament
Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki receives the Prime Minister's Cup from Takahiro Inoue, an adviser to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, on Sunday in Fukuoka after becoming the first from his nation to win a tournament in the traditional Japanese sport.
Japan plans higher visa fees for foreign residents
Along with planned higher fees for foreign residents to stay, Japan is looking to raise the ¥3,000 single-entry visa fee for inbound tourists to Western standards in the next fiscal year.
Top Chinese diplomat weighs in on Takaichi’s ‘shocking’ Taiwan remarks
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Lanting Forum in Beijing on Oct. 27.
TV icon Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's memoir paints a life of both war and glamour
“Totto” in “Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel” was the nickname young Tetsuko Kuroyanagi gave herself as a child, mispronouncing her first name.
The secret to 'Last Samurai Standing'? Treating live action like anime.
“Last Samurai Standing” centers on a mysterious fighting event in which participants must hack and slash their opponents apart to collect enough wooden tags to win a big-money prize.
‘Tampopo’ lives on in bowls of ramen around the world
Juzo Itami's 1985 movie "Tampopo" has inspired many restaurateurs around the world to open their own ramen shop with the same name, such as this establishment in Auckland, New Zealand.
All systems Go for upstart Machida Zelvia after landmark Emperor’s Cup triumph
Machida manager Go Kuroda lifts the trophy as the club celebrates its victory over Vissel Kobe in the Emperor’s Cup final at National Stadium on Saturday.
Japan plans higher visa fees for foreign residents
Along with planned higher fees for foreign residents to stay, Japan is looking to raise the ¥3,000 single-entry visa fee for inbound tourists to Western standards in the next fiscal year.

Podcast

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Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40
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