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September 09, 2025
 

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Andrew MCKIRDY

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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
May 26, 2013
Sanfrecce rack up third straight victory
Sanfrecce Hiroshima stepped up the defense of their J. League title with a comfortable 2-0 win over Shonan Bellmare on Saturday.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 25, 2013
Moriwaki enjoying challenge playing for Urawa brings
The 27-year-old defender says he was ready for a change of scenery after helping Sanfrecce Hiroshima win theJ. League title last season.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 23, 2013
Kagawa can become United star despite frustrating first season
Shinji Kagawa's debut season at Manchester United was a quiet one, but if luck goes his way the forward can play a major role for the Premier League champions next term.
SOCCER / J. League
May 16, 2013
Kawabuchi reflects on two decades of J. League action
Saburo Kawabuchi, the J. League's first chairman, looks back at the history of the league he helped create 20 years ago.
SOCCER / J. League
May 13, 2013
J. League's opening game stirs memories 20 years on
Players involved in the J. League's first-ever game share their recollections of the beginning of a new era for Japanese soccer.
SOCCER / J. League
May 12, 2013
Reds rally past Antlers as J. League celebrates 20 years
Shinzo Koroki punished his former teammates with a hotly disputed goal as Urawa Reds came from behind to beat Kashima Antlers 3-1 on Saturday night.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 9, 2013
Fans, players show class in reaction to serious accident
A serious accident that left two players in the hospital may have cast a pall over Monday's match between Omiya Ardija and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, but the reaction of both sets of fans and players was a credit to the Japanese game.
SOCCER / J. League
May 6, 2013
Reysol striker Kudo targets success at home and abroad
Kashiwa Reysol striker Masato Kudo admits his No. 1 target for the season is to win the Asian Champions League, but that does not mean he is about to give up on the J. League title.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 28, 2013
Aoyama gives Ventforet draw against Marinos
Naoaki Aoyama equalized with the last attack of the game to snatch a point for Ventforet Kofu and deny Yokohama F. Marinos a return to the top of the J.League table with a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 25, 2013
Ardija not prepared to fade from memory after day in sun
Omiya Ardija took center stage last Saturday after setting a new J. League record for consecutive unbeaten games, but the unheralded Saitama side can expect plenty more attention if it manages to maintain its impressive start to the season.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 21, 2013
Ardija establish J.League record for consecutive unbeaten games
Omiya Ardija set a new J.League record for consecutive unbeaten games in the sweetest way possible on Saturday, beating fierce local rivals Urawa Reds 1-0 to extend their streak to 18.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 7, 2013
Grampus secures draw against Reysol
Keiji Tamada denied Kashiwa Reysol an unlikely win after playing the entire second half with 10 men as Nagoya Grampus came back to rescue a 3-3 draw in the J.League on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 4, 2013
Marinos turn back time with perfect start to new season
Yokohama F. Marinos may have one of the oldest teams in the J. League, but the three-time champions are aiming to have a vintage year after winning their first four games of the season.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 31, 2013
Ardija hand Antlers first loss of J. League campaign
Omiya Ardija come from behind to end Kashima Antlers' unbeaten start to the J. League season with a 3-1 win on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 30, 2013
FC Tokyo's Lee not lacking confidence as he seeks return to national team
Tadanari Lee is determined to use his loan move from Southampton to FC Tokyo as a springboard to return to the national team, but club manager Ranko Popovic has warned his new striker not to try too hard to impress.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 21, 2013
Strength in depth gives Japan chance to clinch World Cup place
National team manager Alberto Zaccheroni will be without two of his most important players when Japan attempts to book its ticket to the 2014 World Cup against Jordan next Tuesday, but the Italian still has enough quality in reserve to get the job done.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 16, 2013
Striker Davi looking to continue Brazilian success at Kashima
New Kashima Antlers striker Davi has wasted little time in making an impact at the seven-time J. League champions, but the Brazilian will not be satisfied until he has stamped his name on club history forever.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 10, 2013
Ugajin sends Reds to second consecutive triumph to start season
Urawa Reds maintained their strong start to the new J.League season with a 1-0 win over Nagoya Grampus on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 7, 2013
Tradition there to be broken as new season gets started
The start of the 2013 J. League season last Saturday brought with it the chance for a new beginning, but some teams were more determined than others to break with tradition on the opening day.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 3, 2013
Marquinhos scores twice as Marinos rally past Bellmare
Yokohama F. Marinos spoiled Shonan Bellmare's return to the J. League first division with a late comeback for a 4-2 win as the 2013 season got under way on Saturday.
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.
Ishiba to quit as prime minister amid LDP discontent
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his decision to step down, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Sunday.
Japan eyes two types of 'hometown resident' registration
People buy groceries from a mobile supermarket in a rural area of Nagomi, Kumamoto Prefecture. The government is considering a new "hometown resident" registration system to help strengthen regional revitalization measures.
Race to become next LDP president kicks off again
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday became the first to enter the race to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
‘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.
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

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

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