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May 19, 2024
 

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Rich Freeman
For Rich Freeman's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
MORE SPORTS
Jan 26, 2004
Steelers capture first Top League rugby crown
The Kobe Kobelco Steelers were crowned the inaugural champions of the Top League, when they defeated the NEC Green Rockets 31-21 at Kobe Wing Stadium on Sunday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 25, 2004
Ricoh gets to fight on by ramming Sanyo
The Ricoh Black Rams ensured they avoided one of the two automatic relegation spots from the Top League when they not only beat the Sanyo Wild Knights 45-15 at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya on Saturday, but also earned a valuable bonus point in the process as a result of the seven tries they scored.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 24, 2004
All will be decided on Top League's final day
It's often said you shouldn't leave things to the last minute, but the Japan Rugby Football Union will be delighted that its new competition, the Top League, has gone right down to the wire.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 18, 2004
Kanto freezes Waseda for title
What a difference a year makes.
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Dec 21, 2003
Secom's escape is Sanix's heartbreak
Rugby fans in Tokyo found out on Saturday what Tongans and New Zealanders have known for years -- just how inspirational a player Inoke Afeaki is.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 21, 2003
Olympic champ really was the full Monti
The news that Eugenio Monti had committed suicide on Dec. 1 at the age of 75 (brought about by his battle with Parkinson's disease) probably didn't raise too many eyebrows, but for those in the know the Italian was the very epitome of sportsmanship.
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Dec 14, 2003
Rugguts shock Green Rockets
On paper this game should have been a formality. The NEC Green Rockets -- the All Japan champion of 2003 and riding high in third place in the Top League against the Secom Rugguts, winless in this year's competition and without so much as a bonus point to show for their efforts.
MORE SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 29, 2003
Top League looking to emulate World Cup final
While the rest of the world was watching the final stages of the action Down Under at the Rugby World Cup, it was business as usual for the players in the Top League.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 3, 2003
All Blacks pushed to limit by brave Wales
SYDNEY -- In the 40th and final pool game of the 2003 Rugby World Cup played at a cold Telstra Stadium on Sunday night, New Zealand beat Wales 53-37 in a cracker of a game.
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Oct 31, 2003
Rugby world takes notice of Japan's inspirational performance
SYDNEY -- They came, they saw and they conquered the hearts of rugby fans from all over the world, but ultimately the Cherry Blossoms left Australia on Wednesday without the one thing they were craving for -- a win in Rugby World Cup 2003.
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Oct 30, 2003
Canada posts solid victory over Tonga
WOLLONGONG, Australia -- Following on from games in cities such as Perth, Adelaide and Townsville, the 2003 Rugby World Cup hit another non-rugby union town when the steel city of Wollongong hosted the game that decided which team would finish last in Group D.
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Oct 28, 2003
U.S. muscle proves too much for speedy Japan
GOSFORD, Australia --They say good things come in threes. Following Sunday's games that saw England and Ireland win two wonderfully competitive games, the United States and Japan produced a pearl of a match at a sold-out Central Coast Stadium on Monday evening.
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Oct 27, 2003
Cherry Blossoms plan to leave Rugby World Cup in style
SYDNEY -- Japan coach Shogo Mukai and a number of his staff will bid the national team farewell on Monday when the Cherry Blossoms take on the U.S. in Gosford in their final game at the Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 24, 2003
Fiji routs Cherry Blossoms to keep quarterfinal hopes alive
TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- Japan's honeymoon in North Queensland came to an abrupt end at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Thursday as Fiji used its in-depth knowledge of Japanese rugby to defeat the Cherry Blossoms 41-13.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Oct 19, 2003
Unconvincing France struggles by upstart Japan
TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- Japan may have lost its second game in the 2003 Rugby World Cup but the Cherry Blossoms produced a performance against France that surpassed even their heroics of last week when they lost to Scotland, but won over a nation.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 16, 2003
Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom Down Under
TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- Three days on and Australia is still abuzz with the performance of the Cherry Blossoms.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 13, 2003
Brave Japan goes down to Scotland
TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- The New Zealand and Australian influence on the Japan rugby team seems to have had an added influence off the field as well as on.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Oct 12, 2003
Australia living up to its 'lucky country' nickname
TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- Talk about living up to your nickname!
MORE SPORTS
Oct 8, 2003
Carrying Asian hopes
Like its opponent in its opening game, Japan goes into the World Cup knowing that the tournament marks the end of an era.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 8, 2003
Experts tip All Blacks or England for World Cup
Former All Black legend Colin Meads recently caused a stir when he said that he thought England would beat New Zealand in the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup. For a New Zealander to admit such a thing was considered by some in the land of the silver fern to be treasonous!
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
U.S. envoy to Japan makes landmark visit to front-line island near Taiwan
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with members of the Self-Defense Forces stationed on Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday.
Japan passes bill to introduce 'blue ticket' fines for cyclists
A new system under which bicycle riders pay fines for minor traffic violations to escape criminal punishment is expected to be introduced in Japan no later than 2026.
Japan changes law to allow joint custody after divorce
Legislation that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce is passed at the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
Can AI-generated inventions be patented? A Tokyo court says no.
The Tokyo court's ruling comes amid ongoing debates on how to regulate generative AI and is part of a transnational class action lawsuit.
A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts
The colored patterns of Tsuguru "nuri," made in Aomori Prefecture, are achieved by applying multiple coatings of lacquer, which are later polished down to reveal layers of colors beneath.
Xi and Putin mark ‘new era’ amid efforts to counter U.S. ‘containment’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an event in Beijing on Thursday. During Putin's visit, the leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
Unraveling the Japanese prose of Yukio Mishima
Author Yukio Mishima accepts the Arts Festival Award in the drama category at the 20th Arts Festival Award Ceremony on Jan. 22, 1966.
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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