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September 01, 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 / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 17, 2008
Onfield results, off-field strife behind Osieck's sudden firing
Two defeats from their opening two J. League games hinted that something was seriously wrong at Urawa Reds. Now the crisis has been made official.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 16, 2008
Grampus thump disjointed Reds
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds slumped to their second straight defeat of the new J. League season on Saturday as Nagoya Grampus hit them with a high-tempo onslaught to claim a 2-0 win at Saitama Stadium 2002.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 15, 2008
Brazilian players changing countries not good for game
The news this week that Kawasaki Frontale's Brazilian striker Juninho hopes to gain Japanese citizenship and play for the national team will not have been music to FIFA president Sepp Blatter's ears.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 9, 2008
F. Marinos shock Reds in 2008 opener
YOKOHAMA — Yokohama F. Marinos handed Urawa Reds an opening day shock on Saturday with a 1-0 win that made sure Reds started the 2008 J. League season as badly as they finished 2007.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / 2008 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 7, 2008
Osieck convinced Reds are on the right track
No one is looking forward to the start of the J. League season more than Urawa Reds.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / 2008 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 6, 2008
Consadole shoot for immediate success in top division
The legacy of the 2002 World Cup has given many Japanese cities state-of-the-art stadiums, and Sapporo is no different.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / 2008 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 5, 2008
JEF boss Kuze optimistic despite player exodus
Many soccer teams around the world recover from losing their captain and midfield inspiration between seasons, and many would even shrug off the departure of their best defender soon after.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / 2008 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 4, 2008
Stojkovic delighted to be back in Nagoya
The early years of the J. League saw many world-class stars arrive in Japan, but few, if any, gave as good service as Dragan Stojkovic.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 2, 2008
Sanfrecce beat Antlers in controversy-marred match
A hugely controversial performance from referee Masaaki Iemoto overshadowed an unlikely penalty-shootout win for second-division Sanfrecce Hiroshima over J. League champion Kashima Antlers in the Xerox Super Cup on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 1, 2008
Antlers back in action in Xerox Super Cup
Club soccer returns to Japan on Saturday as reigning J. League champion Kashima Antlers take on Emperor's Cup runnerup Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the traditional curtain-raising Xerox Super Cup match.
SOCCER / World cup
Feb 7, 2008
Japan freezes out Thailand in World Cup qualification opener
Japan kicked off its bid for a place at the 2010 World Cup with a 4-1 win over a stubborn Thailand at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Wednesday night.
SOCCER / World cup
Feb 6, 2008
Japan begins campaign for fourth straight trip to World Cup
The long road toward the 2010 World Cup begins for Japan on Wednesday night with a first qualification match against Thailand at Saitama Stadium 2002.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 31, 2008
Osim watches as Yamase double helps down Bosnia
Japan coach Takeshi Okada notched the first win of his second spell in charge of the national team with a 3-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina at National Stadium on Wednesday night.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 30, 2008
Okada: Osim won't cast shadow over team
Japan coach Takeshi Okada insists the presence of predecessor Ivica Osim, will not cast a shadow over his team against Bosnia-Herzegovina at National Stadium on Wednesday night.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 27, 2008
Japan, Chile scoreless in Okada's return
Japan kicked off coach Takeshi Okada's second spell in charge of the national team with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Chile at National Stadium on Saturday night.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 26, 2008
Okada's second era begins against Chile
Japan goes back to the future on Saturday night as Takeshi Okada oversees his first match back in charge of the national side with a friendly at National Stadium against Chile.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 2, 2007
Inspired Antlers squad captures J. League title
KASHIMA — Kashima Antlers pulled off an unbelievable J. League title triumph on Saturday with a 3-0 demolition of Shimizu S-Pulse, as championship rival Urawa Reds blew the defense of their crown with a stunning 1-0 defeat to Yokohama FC.
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 25, 2007
Antlers shock Osieck's Reds
SAITAMA — Nine-man Kashima Antlers stunned Urawa Reds on Saturday with a 1-0 win that takes the 2007 J. League title race down to the wire.
SOCCER
Jul 19, 2007
Sir Alex: Trip's timing not sign of disrespect
SAITAMA — Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed accusations of disrespect for Asian soccer on his club's current tour of the region.
SOCCER
Jul 18, 2007
Reds pull out draw with mighty United
SAITAMA — Urawa Reds spoiled Manchester United's party by claiming a battling 2-2 draw at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Tuesday night.
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
‘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.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
The Nobel Prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi relationship unraveled
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet one another at the start of a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington in February.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
Can anime carry the memories of World War II?
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.

Podcast

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

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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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