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September 03, 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 16, 2008
Okada unveils Kirin Cup squad
Japan manager Takeshi Okada called up Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura for the first time Thursday as he prepares for June's do-or-die World Cup qualifying matches with two friendly matches later this month.
SOCCER / J. League
May 11, 2008
Edmilson lifts Reds over Frontale
KAWASAKI — A single moment of skill lit up an otherwise dreary game to give Urawa Reds a 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 11, 2008
JEF United shows commitment with hiring of Miller
Given the state JEF United Chiba finds itself in, the club has pulled off a real coup in snaring Alex Miller for its vacant manager's job.
SOCCER / J. League
May 8, 2008
Kuze sacked after just four months at helm of JEF United
JEF United Chiba fired manager Josip Kuze on Wednesday, a day after the Croatian insisted the club wanted him to stay in the job.
SOCCER / World cup
May 6, 2008
Verbeek vows to keep Aussies competitive in World Cup qualifying
Australia manager Pim Verbeek insists his side has a better understanding of Asian soccer since last year's Asian Cup, but is taking nothing for granted ahead of next month's crucial World Cup qualification matches.
SOCCER / J. League
May 4, 2008
Reysol dismantles struggling JEF
CHIBA — A first-half goal from Alex gave Kashiwa Reysol a 1-0 win over JEF United Chiba on Saturday, and consigned its beleaguered local rival to a sixth-straight league defeat in the process.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 3, 2008
Some Japanese referees just don't get it
The referee is never the most popular person on a soccer pitch, but the man in charge of Tuesday's J. League clash between Oita Trinita and FC Tokyo certainly didn't do himself any favors.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 27, 2008
Verdy halts Nagoya's run at six
Tokyo Verdy killed off the unbeaten start of Nagoya Grampus to the J. League season with a shock 2-0 win at Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2008
Oliveira miffed about schedule
Kashima Antlers manager Oswaldo Oliveira has launched an angry tirade against his club's hectic schedule ahead of Wednesday's Asian Champions League clash with Beijing Guoan.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 20, 2008
Tough day for Antlers as Fujigaya hurt in draw with Gamba
KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Gamba Osaka survived a first-half injury to goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya to claim a point from a scrappy 0-0 draw against Kashima Antlers on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 19, 2008
Antlers logical destination for rehabbing Ronaldo in Japan
Whether there's truth in reports this week suggesting Ronaldo may be headed to the J. League, it is certainly a compelling story.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 13, 2008
Resurgent Reds ready for Antlers
Urawa Reds manager Gert Engels is confident his resurgent side can maintain its push up the J. League table when unbeaten champions Kashima Antlers visit Saitama Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 13, 2008
Verdy's late own goal gives FC Tokyo victory in capital city derby
A last-minute own goal gave FC Tokyo a 2-1 win and bragging rights over Tokyo Verdy in a frantic capital city derby on Saturday.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 7, 2008
Ono quietly reviving career with VfL Bochum in Bundesliga
While Urawa Reds storm up the J. League table after a disastrous start to the season, one former player is quietly rebuilding his own reputation abroad with slightly less fanfare.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 6, 2008
Aggressive Frontale fail to capitalize on numerous chances
KAWASAKI — Kyoto Sanga launched an astonishing smash-and-grab raid on Kawasaki Frontale to claim a 1-0 win at Todoroki Stadium on Saturday evening.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 30, 2008
Okada should call up Tulio to help solidify shaky backline for Oman match
Japan's disappointing 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Bahrain this week came with no foreign-based players on the field, but it was the absence of one J. League stalwart that hit the hardest.
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 28, 2008
Bahraini muscle frustrates Japan
Japan's 2010 World Cup qualification hopes hit a snag on Wednesday as Bahrain grabbed a late goal to send Takeshi Okada's men crashing to a 1-0 defeat in Manama.
SOCCER / World cup
Mar 26, 2008
Nakamura's absence not a concern for Okada in Bahrain game
Japan takes the field with an entirely home-based team against Bahrain for its second 2010 World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, but manager Takeshi Okada is confident his side is strong enough to do the business.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 23, 2008
JFA gives cold shoulder to Premier League proposal to play games overseas
From a soccer perspective, the upcoming Major League Baseball season-opening series between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome feels like a glimpse into a parallel universe.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 21, 2008
Leandro's early strike prolongs misery for Reds, new coach
Urawa Reds' early season nightmare continued on Thursday as Vissel Kobe claimed a 1-0 Nabisco Cup win in new Reds manager Gert Engels' first match in charge. Leandro's third-minute strike was enough to send the J. League's biggest club crashing to its third defeat in three games, setting the seal on...
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.
Woman dies after possible knife attack in Setagaya
Police investigate the scene where a woman was found bleeding on a street in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on Monday.
Suntory CEO Takeshi Niinami resigns over alleged possession of illegal drugs
Takeshi Niinami, then-chief executive officer of Suntory Holdings, in May 2024
Xi — joined by Kim and Putin — delivers stark warning at military parade
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ’90s nostalgia
The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.
Why Stalin didn’t invade Hokkaido still largely unknown, 80 years after WWII
During a survey to collect the remains of victims from the Taito Maru, one of the vessels involved in the Three Ships Incident, a metal helmet was found near the stern of the vessel on Aug. 5, 1984, at Rumoi Port. No human remains were discovered.
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.

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

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