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May 05, 2024
 

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Rich Freeman
For Rich Freeman's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
Rugby
May 22, 2020
JRFU hopes to be key to more unified rugby world
Chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi hopes Japan can help steer rugby toward a global calendar and develop the sport in Asia.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
May 1, 2020
Rule change leaves trio of naturalized Top League players in limbo
The group, which includes two players who have represented Japan in sevens, is petitioning the Japan Rugby Football Union to recognize their status as local players.
Japan Times
Rugby
Apr 17, 2020
Agustin Pichot looking to change sport's mindset through run for World Rugby chairman
The former Argentina captain believes that strong emerging nations such as Japan deserve to participate in high-level international competitions.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Mar 28, 2020
Odd decisions, big questions amidst crises in Japanese rugby
With rugby seemingly done for the season, it is time to look back on a crazy few months that have seen Japanese rugby go from the highs of the 2019 Rugby World Cup to a state of confusion in which even a former Brave Blossoms captain is questioning what is going on.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Feb 28, 2020
Asian rugby tested as COVID-19 wipes out schedules
Rugby across Asia is feeling the full brunt of the coronavirus outbreak with games and tournaments getting called off at a rate of knots.
Japan Times
Rugby
Feb 10, 2020
Brave Blossoms head coach Jamie Joseph in middle of conflict between JRFU, World Rugby
An escalating spat between World Rugby and the Japan Rugby Football Union was behind Brave Blossoms coach Jamie Joseph's recent comments about the timing of a new domestic league, a source close to the matter has told Kyodo News.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Jan 31, 2020
Last dance for Sunwolves complicates matters in 2020 Super Rugby campaign
Lance Conrad wrote in "The Price of Nobility" that "only a fool would underestimate a man with nothing to lose."
Japan Times
Rugby
Jan 12, 2020
Top League kicks off in front of big crowds
The 2019-2020 Japan Rugby Top League season kicked off Sunday with a plethora of world superstars and Rugby World Cup winners playing in front of big crowds across the nation.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Dec 27, 2019
Matching magic moments to karaoke classics in a historic year for Japan rugby
With the bōnenkai (year-end party) season in full swing, it is time to look back at a special year of rugby in Japan while also trying to predict what the future holds.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 6, 2019
Japan's World Cup will be remembered as wild success
Former Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock said in 2007, "The Rugby World Cup isn't just a celebration of rugby, it's a celebration of the host nation."
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 29, 2019
Suntory Sungoliath players helping England train before Rugby World Cup final
If England beats South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday it would be appropriate if it celebrates not with a few Heinekens, the tournament's official beer, but with some Suntory brews.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 23, 2019
Japan stalwart Thompson departs international scene
In a world where stats abound, it's somewhat ironic that the favorite saying of one of the major reasons behind Japan's success on the international rugby field in recent years is "It's only a number, mate."
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 21, 2019
Japan needs to prove Rugby World Cup's 'Once in a Lifetime' catchphrase wrong
The catchphrase of the ongoing Rugby World Cup in Japan is "Once in a Lifetime." The big question, a day after the Brave Blossoms were knocked out of the competition by South Africa, is will Japanese rugby be able to prove that wrong and make reaching the knockout stage a regular occurrence.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 21, 2019
Japan players and coach praise team unity after run to quarterfinals at Rugby World Cup
Japan coach Jamie Joseph said Monday the team's impressive work ethic played a major role in the hosts making a run to the Rugby World Cup's last eight for the first time.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 19, 2019
Brave Blossoms-Springboks match could boil down to battle of wits
Japan's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa on Sunday could well end up being determined by which coach is the better poker player.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 14, 2019
Collective unity behind Japan's remarkable run
The defining moment during Sunday's enthralling Rugby World Cup game between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama was not Kenki Fukuoka's superb second try. Nor was it any of the umpteen tackles put in by Luke Thompson or Ryoto Nakamura.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 14, 2019
Japan captain Michael Leitch looking for All Blacks' help to beat Springboks
Japan captain Michael Leitch said Monday he would be asking for help from a trio of former All Blacks in the build-up to next weekend's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal with South Africa.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 12, 2019
Japan-Scotland clash living up to hype at Rugby World Cup
The Japan vs. Scotland clash in Yokohama was always one of the most talked about fixtures when the draw for the Rugby World Cup was made in Kyoto in 2017.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 7, 2019
South Africa coaches trying not to think too far ahead
With so many permutations as to which teams from Pool A will reach the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup — made more complicated by the possible intervention of Typhoon Hagibis — South Africa's coaching team is not looking too far ahead.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 4, 2019
At Rugby World Cup, Japan hopes to continue recent history against Samoa
Japan will head into its Rugby World Cup Pool A game with Samoa this weekend hoping to repeat recent history.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
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