author

 
Menu
Search
 
September 07, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Andrew MCKIRDY

Meta

Twitter

@Andrew_McKirdy

Andrew MCKIRDY
Andrew McKirdy is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His main beat is soccer, but he has also covered rugby, tennis, volleyball, golf and even tug-of-war. A native of the Scottish Borders, he has written for The Scotsman newspaper and organized filming for a program on Japanese soccer for ITV television.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 24, 2015
Urawa responds to 2014 heartbreak in rampant style
After throwing away the J. League championship last season, few could have expected Urawa Reds to respond so emphatically.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 20, 2015
Antlers click on offense in rout of Marinos
Caio and Shoma Doi scored in the first half and Shuhei Akasaki added a late third as Kashima Antlers put Yokohama F. Marinos to the sword 3-0 in the J. League on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 17, 2015
Japan takes booing on chin after Singapore stalemate
Keisuke Honda believes fans were right to boo him and his Japan teammates after Tuesday's shock World Cup qualifying 0-0 draw with Singapore, and insists he would have had no complaints had they voiced their displeasure louder.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 16, 2015
Japan held to scoreless draw by 154th-ranked Singapore
Japan got its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign off to an embarrassing start after being held to a 0-0 home draw by Singapore on Tuesday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 15, 2015
Japan has room for improvement at Women's World Cup
Japan has made it through to the knockout phase of the Women's World Cup with the minimum of fuss, but the reigning champions will have to move up a gear if they are serious about defending their title.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 12, 2015
Cronut master is concocting new pastries for Tokyo store
Cronut fans in Japan can swap local imitations for the real thing when the creator of the croissant-doughnut hybrid, pastry chef Dominique Ansel, opens his new bakery in Tokyo on June 20.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jun 12, 2015
Win over Iraq helps Samurai Blue rebuild confidence
Keisuke Honda admits Japan is still suffering mental "damage" from last year's World Cup and needs more wins like Thursday's 4-0 thrashing of Iraq to exorcize the demons.
SOCCER
Jun 11, 2015
Japan trounces Iraq in friendly
Japan warmed up for the start of its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with a ruthless 4-0 win over Iraq in a friendly on Thursday night.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 10, 2015
Halilhodzic looking to build on strong start as qualifiers begin
It would be unthinkable for Japan to begin its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with anything other than a win at home to Singapore next Tuesday, but manager Vahid Halilhodzic will be looking for more from his team than just three points.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2015
National Stadium architects reject reports they may be fired
The architects behind Tokyo's new National Stadium deny reports that they may be fired from the project as criticism mounts over the building's cost and appearance.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 7, 2015
Reds close in on first-stage title
Urawa Reds as good as wrapped up the J. League first-stage title but were forced to leave the champagne on ice after beating Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 on Sunday.
SOCCER / J. League
May 30, 2015
Patric's late goal gives Gamba a draw with Marinos
Gamba Osaka substitute Patric scored in the 95th minute to claim a 1-1 draw and deny Yokohama F. Marinos a fifth straight J. League win on Saturday.
JAPAN / Society
May 28, 2015
Early summer shifts have merit but experts see overtime, family disruption risks
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is hoping to kick-start a summer of love by shifting work hours forward in order to free up time in the evenings for families to spend together.
SOCCER / J. League
May 23, 2015
Urawa shows mettle in victory over Kashima
Urawa Reds took a significant step toward the J. League first stage title after coming from behind to beat Kashima Antlers 2-1 on Saturday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2015
Astroscale opens lab in Tokyo in bid to clean up space junk
A Singapore-based company that aims to sweep junk from space has expanded to Tokyo and has handed its biggest broom to 32-year-old female President Miki Ito.
SOCCER / J. League
May 6, 2015
Streaking Sanfrecce beat Frontale for fifth straight win
Sanfrecce Hiroshima picked up their fifth straight win with a smash-and-grab 1-0 victory over Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday to move one point off the top of the J. League table.
SOCCER / J. League
May 2, 2015
Reds beat Gamba in showdown between J. League's top two teams
Zlatan Ljubijankic scored with six minutes remaining to keep Urawa Reds on top of the J. League with a 1-0 win over closest rival Gamba Osaka on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 25, 2015
Reds build three-point cushion atop J. League table
Urawa Reds extended their lead at the top of the J. League table with a comfortable 2-1 win over Nagoya Grampus on Saturday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 24, 2015
Apple Watch debuts in Japan with little fanfare
The much-hyped Apple Watch went on sale to a muted fanfare Friday as shoppers came to terms with limited availability of the tech giant's first wearable gadget.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 22, 2015
Gamba, Reds force way to top again
The J. League season is only six games old, but already there is a familiar look about both the top and bottom of the table.
‘Confugenics’ and East Asia's demographic crisis
East Asia’s fertility plunge is driven not just by financial costs but by perfectionist cultural expectations that burden parents with intense educational and social demands.
Japan prince comes of age as succession crisis looms
Prince Hisahito concludes his his elaborate "kakan no gi" coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
Bangladesh is a South Asian time bomb
Many Bangladeshis hoped that the overthrow of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina last year would revitalize the country’s democracy after an authoritarian lurch under the “iron lady.” Instead it has led to proliferating human-rights abuses, intensifying repression and widespread Islamist violence.
Japan to experience blood moon lunar eclipse on Monday
A blood moon is seen during a partial eclipse in the sky over Lake George near Canberra on March 14.
Japan's $550 billion investment pledge outlined in MOU
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, sign trade agreements on Thursday in Washington.
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.
London’s calling and sumo’s top division — along with Hello Kitty — are ready to answer
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
Resonac creates 27-member consortium to pursue advanced chip developments
Representatives from member companies of JOINT3, a consortium working together on semiconductor-related developments announced by Resonac, pose for a photo in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Haru Nemuri’s radical new album refuses easy listening
Musician Haruna Kimishima, better known as Haru Nemuri, confronts Japan’s politics, nationalism and censorship on her recent output.
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER