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October 11, 2025
 

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John Gunning
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 22, 2023
Takakeisho falters as sumo’s wait for next superstar continues
The good news for Takakeisho is that slip-ups elsewhere mean he remains in the title race.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 15, 2023
Top wrestlers' hot starts set stage for dramatic Kyushu tourney
The opening three days of action at the Fukuoka International Center has seen the six highest-ranked wrestlers that are taking part go a combined 17-1.
SUMO
Nov 10, 2023
Young ozeki duo may be ready to step into spotlight at Kyushu Basho
Kirishima and Hoshoryu have generated much of the excitement in Japan’s national sport over the past 12 months.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 8, 2023
Tigers’ triumph resonates in a sumo world full of Kansai natives
As Hanshin fans celebrate a long-awaited championship, it's timely to look back at what sumo looked like when Hanshin last won it all in 1985.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 1, 2023
The risers — and fallers — in the latest sumo rankings
The sumo rankings ahead of the upcoming Kyushu Basho produced its share of winners and losers.
SUMO
Oct 26, 2023
Takakeisho heads to Kyushu Basho with yokozuna promotion in sight
The 27-year-old has put himself in line for elevation to the sport’s highest rank following the upcoming Kyushu meet.
Without the World Games, the Sumo World Championships remain amateur sumo's top-level international competition.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 18, 2023
Sumo's Olympic dream requires fresh approach
A new variant of the sport wouldn't replace the professional or amateur versions, but would instead create a new path to participation and fandom.
U.S. wrestlers (from left) Christina Griffin, Madison Guinn, Etan Perez and Kellyann Ball celebrate after winning bronze in the women's team competition at the Sumo World Championships in the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa on Sunday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 11, 2023
American women make history at Sumo World Championships in Tokyo
The achievement by the U.S. team, two of whom are new to the sport, ended a 22-year wait for American women to reach the podium at the worlds.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 4, 2023
JSA on right track with new rules to increase pro sumo participation
Revisions to the tsukedashi system will see more spots reserved for top amateur performers in the third and fourth divisions.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 27, 2023
Frustrating September tournament contained silver linings
The worst possible outcome for a playoff has set up an even more intriguing storyline for the final grand tournament of the year in November.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Sep 21, 2023
Eyes on Atamifuji for possible record at autumn sumo tournament
The 21-year-old wrestler enters Day 12 of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament having won 10 of his first 11 bouts.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 13, 2023
Hokutofuji shines early as sumo's English streaming era begins
The Day 2 presentation by YouTube channel Sumo Prime Time was a welcome development for international fans.
Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa with his dog Sunny in Fukuoka
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 9, 2023
Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa: 'It’s better to live without being noticed everywhere.’
A former rikishi, Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa has swapped his sumo stable for the life of a salaryman.
Kotonowaka surely has his eyes on eventually emulating his grandfather, former grand champion Kotozakura.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 30, 2023
New sumo ranks highlight rise of next generation
Ahead of the autumn tournament in Tokyo, it's the up-and-coming wrestlers who are making waves.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 23, 2023
A closer look at sumo's 'hot hand' after Hokutofuji's Nagoya run
Hokutofuji’s career best 12-win outing in July not only came out of the blue, but was his first winning record of any kind since the previous September.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 19, 2023
Amateur sumo star embarks on journey made for Hollywood with NCAA football move
Hidetora Hanada will be joining the Colorado State Rams, marking another huge step in what has been a whirlwind 16 months for the university sumo superstar.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 12, 2023
Nagoya Basho roars back with early thrills and rocking atmosphere
With Terunofuji out, various promotion challenges figure to monopolize the headlines over the next 10 days.
SUMO
Jul 7, 2023
Terunofuji looking to take another step toward rarefied status at Nagoya Basho
One of the most highly anticipated grand sumo tournaments of recent times gets underway at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya on Sunday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 5, 2023
Heat is on for most anticipated Nagoya tournament in years
High temperatures combined with oppressive humidity and constant thunderstorms create a challenging environment for both rikishi and fans alike at the July Basho.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 28, 2023
Latest sumo rankings showcase sport's up and coming stars
Hakuoho, 19, is just the latest in a long line of young Japanese athletes to receive massive media attention. Can he live up to the hype?
Takaichi's PM bid faces further headwinds with coalition split
LDP leader Sanae Takaichi and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito attend a party leaders' meeting on Friday in Tokyo.
Powerful earthquake strikes off southern Philippines
Authorities inspect a damaged wall and a car outside a mall in Butuan, Philippines, on Friday, after a major earthquake struck the area.
Japan to move toward five-year integrated bachelor's-master’s programs
Japan plans to introduce nationwide five-year bachelor's-master's programs to raise graduate school enrollment and train more highly skilled professionals amid a shrinking workforce.
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.
A Japanese comedian walks into an Aussie bar … and stays there
Takashi “Waka” Wakasugi stopped by the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya Ward last month following his stint at Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing his show “Comedy Samurai.”
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.
University of Tokyo lands its highest spot ever in global higher education ranking
The University of Tokyo in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
With nuclear sub proposal, Japan faces array of political and tech challenges
The Jingei, the third of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Taigei-class submarines, was commissioned in March last year. It is equipped with lithium-ion batteries, enabling it to have a longer diving time and cruising distance than older models with lead-acid batteries.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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