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May 06, 2024
 

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Kaz Nagatsuka

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Kaz Nagatsuka
Kaz Nagatsuka is a staff writer covering Japanese sports, including Japanese professional baseball, basketball, American football and individual sports. He has covered big sporting events such as the World Baseball Classic, the NFL Super Bowl and soccer's World Cup.
For Kaz Nagatsuka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 15, 2021
Tom Hovasse pushing Akatsuki Five hard ahead of Olympics
The American coach saw plenty of things to fix within his squad during last week's three-game exhibition series against Portugal.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jun 14, 2021
Japan's players brace for final push to make Olympic basketball team
The battle to make Japan's 12-man roster will begin in earnest from Wednesday during the final window of FIBA Asian Cup qualifying.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jun 9, 2021
New national 100-meter record-holder Ryota Yamagata sets sights on Olympics
The 'sprinting philosopher,' who only hired a coach this year, feels confident in his ability to peak at the Tokyo Games after setting a new mark of 9.95 seconds in Tottori on Sunday.
Japan Times
PARALYMPICS / Summer Paralympics
Jun 6, 2021
Successful World Grand Prix a boost for blind soccer ahead of Paralympics
Tokyo hosted the IBSA-sanctioned event in a bubble environment, enacting strict protocols to ensure the safety for the participating teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jun 5, 2021
SeaHorses' Kosuke Kanamaru takes home first B. League MVP award
The Fukuoka Prefecture native averaged 16.8 points and 1.2 assists per contest across 53 games this season.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jun 5, 2021
Ryusei Shinoyama not sure if constant roster shuffling is good for B. League
The B. League, which began play in 2016, has seen a multitude of moves across the league each offseason since its inaugural season.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jun 4, 2021
Kai Toews and J.R. Sakuragi honored at B. League awards show
Utsunomiya Brex guard Toews was named the Rookie of the Year for the 2020-21 season.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jun 2, 2021
Jets end long wait for B. League glory
Chiba, which lost the last two finals to the Alvark Tokyo, put down feisty Utsunomiya in Tuesday's decisive Game 3 to claim its first-ever league championship.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 31, 2021
Japan's women punch Olympic ticket in 3x3 basketball
Japan’s women’s 3x3 basketball team punched its ticket to a Summer Games that will be held on home soil with a dramatic 20-18 win over Spain in overtime of the third-place game at the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Graz, Austria, on Sunday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 31, 2021
Brex get back to basics to set up winner-take-all contest for B. League title
The Brex and Jets will return to Yokohama Arena for the decisive third game of the B. League Finals on Tuesday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 30, 2021
Ryan Rossiter-led Brex smash Jets to set up climactic Game 3
The Eastern Conference champions recovered from Saturday's lackluster performance to even the series at Yokohama Arena.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 29, 2021
Chiba Jets move to within a game of elusive B. League title
The Jets, who have come up short twice before in the finals, pulled away in the second half to top the Utsunomiya Brex by an 85-65 score.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 28, 2021
Brex and Jets set for showdown in B. League Finals
The finals will feature the two top teams from the regular season. Utsunomiya led the league with an .817 winning percentage while the Jets were second at .754.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 26, 2021
Japan's Olympic delegation to receive vaccinations from June 1
The Japanese Olympic Committee says it will avoid using public health officials in order to reduce the strain on the country's medical system amid efforts to vaccinate senior citizens.
Japan Times
Rugby
May 25, 2021
Retiring Kenki Fukuoka given MVP sendoff at Top League awards
The former Brave Blossoms star, whose Wild Knights won the league's last championship final over Sungoliath, received one last honor at Monday's event after bringing his five-year career to a close.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 25, 2021
Jets down Golden Kings to set up finals showdown with Brex
The Chiba Jets Funabashi will play at Yokohama Arena with the B. League title on the line for a third time after they defeated the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the playoff semifinals.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 24, 2021
Brex make title statement with sweep of rival Brave Thunders
Among the B. League's elite teams, Utsunomiya is probably the most cohesive unit, with playing time spread out and little reliance on particular star players.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 24, 2021
Brex punch ticket to B. League finals
The Utsunomiya Brex punched their ticket to the B. League Finals with a 96-78 win over the Kawasaki Brave Thunders in Game 2 at Brex Arena on Saturday that earned the club a sweep of their semifinal series.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 23, 2021
Regular contract not enough for Raptors’ Yuta Watanabe
The former two-way signing wants to increase his offensive production next season in order to keep his spot on the squad.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 18, 2021
Ira Brown sees potential in Evessa despite playoff exit
The power forward, a candidate for Japan's Olympic basketball 3x3 team, believes that creating a consistent squad will allow Osaka to compete with elite clubs in the East Conference.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
Kishida talks up bolstered Latin American ties as China cements position
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

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