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April 26, 2024
 

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Tariq Panja
For Tariq Panja's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei poses with her gold medal after winning the women's 200-meter butterfly during the Tokyo Games.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Apr 22, 2024
Chinese doping case sends swimming world into uproar and exposes bitter rifts
The disclosure of an incident that had been a secret for more than three years has drawn strong reactions from athletes, coaches and others.
China's Olympic gold-medal winning 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay team celebrates on the podium at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 29, 2021. Zhang Yufei (third from left) is among 23 top Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in the lead up to the Games.
OLYMPICS
Apr 20, 2024
Top Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned drug, then won Olympic gold
The episode sharply divided the anti-doping world, where China’s record has long been a flashpoint.
English and Italian footballers observe a minute of silence for the victims of a deadly shooting in Brussels and of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine, at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023
Qatar-owned network altered broadcasts to avoid war references
Instead of tributes and moments of silence at recent games, beIN broadcasts aired extended studio discussions that hewed solely toward soccer.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jun 30, 2023
FIFA may allow players to wear rainbow armbands at Women’s World Cup
FIFA is planning to send a letter outlining its armband rules for the 32 teams that will participate in the tournament.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jun 22, 2023
Lionel Messi, Saudi Arabia and a deal that paid off for both sides
Messi's deal offers an inside glimpse of the oil-rich kingdom’s use of its wealth to enlist marquee athletes in its effort to burnish its global image.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 30, 2023
China’s soccer experiment was a flop. Now it may be over.
The expensive recruits have gone. Top teams have disappeared with alarming regularity. The national team shows little sign of improvement.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Feb 1, 2023
Barcelona goes to court to keep a star player on its roster
With the Spanish league unequivocal in its refusal to bend regulations to allow Barcelona to register any more players, the club’s board took its plea to the local court.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 30, 2022
Legendary Pele was Brazil’s ambassador to the world
Former Brazil star Pele was a man who moved in the company of celebrities and presidents and a player who could pause a civil war and then shake hands with a queen.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 19, 2022
Qatar got the World Cup it wanted
Qatar was perhaps among the most ill-suited hosts for a tournament of the scale of the World Cup, but it had a plentiful supply of money to propel its dream forward.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 11, 2022
Morocco stuns Portugal in a historic victory for Arabs and Africa
While Morocco celebrates its victory and ponders the next step of its magical journey, the result almost certainly means the end of an era for Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 20, 2022
On eve of World Cup, FIFA chief says: ‘Don’t criticize Qatar; criticize me'
In an extraordinary hourlong soliloquy delivered one day before the opening game, Gianni Infantino railed against critics of the tournament's first Arab host.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 22, 2022
Rainbow armbands are new flash point for FIFA and Qatar World Cup
Qatari officials have long said that all fans are welcome at the tournament, but security officials there also have warned supporters not to travel with the rainbow flag.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 12, 2022
Failed test casts shadow over figure skating, the Olympics’ showcase event
'It's either an intentional delay to allow her to compete or gross incompetence and has resulted in mayhem,' the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 23, 2022
China’s Games: How Xi Jinping is staging the Olympics on his terms
No longer needing to prove its standing, China now wants to project the vision of a prosperous, confident nation under Xi, the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Nov 27, 2021
In IOC’s ‘quiet diplomacy,’ critics see whitewash of China’s actions
For the its many critics, the guarded language the IOC used when referring to the Peng case was just the latest proof that it will not take any action that might upset China's government.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Oct 16, 2021
EA Sports making plans for FIFA without FIFA
At least two years of talks about renewing the contract that allows Electronic Arts, through its EA Sports division, to use the organization's name have hit the wall.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 9, 2021
Tokyo’s Olympic bubble? Wait till you see Beijing’s.
With the Winter Olympics in Beijing just six months away, the Chinese authorities are planning elaborate precautions against COVID-19.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2021
Paris 2024 presses on with Plan A, but studies Tokyo’s Plan B
The next Summer Olympics are less than three years away. Paris says it's prepared, but so was Tokyo.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 3, 2021
In weightlifting, a historic moment for transgender women
New Zealander Laurel Hubbard has become the first to participate in the Olympics, but her appearance has received a mixed response.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 3, 2021
A track built for speed is already producing records at the Tokyo Games
The springy surface at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo has been compared to a trampoline. “You can feel the bounce,” one runner said.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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