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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
Oct 2, 2019
Brave Blossoms play down comments on officiating
Japan defense coach Scott Hansen put aside reports that World Rugby has admitted the referee got three out of four offside calls wrong in the Brave Blossoms' 19-12 defeat of Ireland last weekend in Shizuoka, saying his team "were only looking forward."
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 2, 2019
Japan's heroes looking to down Samoa's villains
Much has been made of the Japan players singing along to "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys as a way of bonding, but a more appropriate song for coach Jamie Joseph to play for his team this week would be "Heroes" in the hope of proving David Bowie wrong.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 25, 2019
Japan exploring all options ahead of match against Ireland
Japan coach Jamie Joseph has spent the week trying to work out how to get four into three in the back row as he finalizes his lineup for Saturday's Rugby World Cup clash with Ireland, and it seems Michael Leitch could be the one to lose out.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 25, 2019
Pressure increases on Rugby World Cup referees
Japan assistant coach Tony Brown weighed in on the latest referee controversy Wednesday when he asked reporters at the Brave Blossoms hotel if they had heard any feedback following the previous night's game between Samoa and Russia.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 24, 2019
Brave Blossoms' Ryohei Yamanaka relishing opportunity to play on global stage
Ryohei Yamanaka's first experience of World Cup rugby may have come eight years after he had initially hoped, but the 31-year-old back is relishing every minute.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 23, 2019
Plenty for Brave Blossoms coach Jamie Joseph to ponder ahead of Irish clash
On the day Rugby World Cup organizers opted to change their policy and allow fans to bring their own lunches and dinners to games, there was plenty of food for thought for Japan coach Jamie Joseph following Sunday's Scotland vs. Ireland game in Yokohama.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 22, 2019
Wales looks to put past behind as it faces Georgia
Wales will look to put its rollercoaster start to the Rugby World Cup behind it Monday when it take on Georgia in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 16, 2019
Brave Blossoms taking different approaches to preparation, playing ahead of World Cup
Japan heads into their opening game of the Rugby World Cup knowing its strategy off the field in terms of preparation needs to be the exact opposite of how the team plays its Pool A matches.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 12, 2019
Whistle for RWC opener arrives in Japan after epic journey
The whistle to be used by referee Nigel Owens when the Rugby World Cup kicks off on Sept. 20 in Tokyo arrived in Japan on Thursday following a roughly 20,000-km journey by bicycle and ferry from London.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 4, 2019
Jamie Joseph names side to take on Springboks in final RWC tuneup
Japan coach Jamie Joseph named his side Wednesday for what he described as a "must perform" rather than "must win" game against South Africa later this week, the Brave Blossoms' final warm-up before the Rugby World Cup kicks off this month.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 24, 2019
'Drive and ruthless commitment' key to playing Eddie Jones in 'The Brighton Miracle,' actor Temuera Morrison says
Actor Temuera Morrison said playing former Japan coach Eddie Jones in the movie "The Brighton Miracle" — the official trailer of which was released Friday — gave him real insight into "the drive and ruthless commitment and passion" behind one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Aug 23, 2019
New No. 1 ranking for Wales means little before RWC
The rugby number crunchers have been out in full force in the past week both in terms of what goes on off the field and on it.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Aug 9, 2019
Risk of injury real concern before final squads named
With less than three weeks to go before the 2019 Rugby World Cup coaches name their final squads, and 41 days before the tournament kicks off in Tokyo, it is a nervous time for players.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 4, 2019
Japan continues to show mettle with impressive win over Tonga
The mental toughness Japan has been developing over the last few years — first seen in a 2013 win over Wales in Tokyo — once again came to the fore on Saturday as it kept alive its hopes of winning some silverware even before the Rugby World Cup kicks off.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 2, 2019
Japan-Tonga rugby relationship steeped in history and culture
Japan's first international foe may have been Canada, and its most regular opponent South Korea, but it is Tonga with whom it has the closest rugby relationship, a rapport that would never have existed without one man's love of the abacus.
Japan Times
Rugby
Jul 29, 2019
'Attention to detail and luck' will decide World Cup winner, says rugby great John Eales
With Japan set to host what many are calling the most open Rugby World Cup in the tournament's 32-year history, two-time winner John Eales said Monday "attention to detail and luck" will ultimately determine who walks away with the Webb Ellis Trophy.
Japan Times
Rugby
Jul 28, 2019
Japan showing off new tricks ahead of World Cup
The tone for Japan's win over Fiji on Saturday was set as early as the third minute when match captain Pieter "Lappies" Labuschagne overruled the wishes of Yu Tamura and told his flyhalf to take the points on offer rather than kick for the corner.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Jul 26, 2019
Busy weekend sets stage for final preparations ahead of Japan's Rugby World Cup
Preparations for the Rugby World Cup step up a level this week with 10 of the participating sides playing test matches, as players look to impress coaches ahead of the announcement of the final tournament squads at the end of August.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Jul 12, 2019
Rugby World Cup fever set to bring masses to Japan
The 2019 Rugby World Cup has been dubbed by organizers as a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. And for many of the more than 400,000 foreigners expected to travel here, it will be their one and only chance to visit Japan.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Jul 5, 2019
New JRFU boss Shigetaka Mori faces uphill battle to initiate needed reforms
As a player Shigetaka Mori, the new president of the Japan Rugby Football Union, knew all about success at the domestic level.
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
By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

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