Japan has set lofty goals for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, but by aiming for packed venues and a top-seven finish on the medal table, organizers are seeking far more than national pride and prestige. With sports an important arena in the fight for social equality, ...

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are closing in on a precedent-setting deal with amateur pitcher Carter Stewart, a No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball's 2018 draft, a source knowledgeable of the negotiation said Wednesday. If the 19-year-old Stewart signs with SoftBank, he will be the ...

If things keep going the way they are, Kodai Senga will make opposing batters hope the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks become flexible enough to let him move to the major leagues. The 26-year-old Senga, who has consistently been rated highly by major league scouts and is ...

The art of pitching past one's prime is being flexible — even when one's body isn't, Tokyo Yakult Swallows right-hander Ryota Igarashi said Sunday. Igarashi, who will turn 40 next month, is tied for third-oldest pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball after the Yomiuri Giants' Koji ...

While it may look out of sync with its surroundings, model and radio-controlled car giant Tamiya's Plamodel Factory (Plastic Model Factory) flagship store has a happy home amid the office buildings and dining establishments of Tokyo's Shinbashi district. "Being in Shinbashi seemed like quite a ...

Within the span of a few years, Japanese pitcher Shohei Ohtani has had a dramatic impact on the thinking of some major league clubs. Even after Ohtani hit 22 home runs in a two-way role for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2016, major league ...

Those who doubted the value of Nippon Professional Baseball's video review system a year ago have officially left the building. On Tuesday, NPB announced a few tweaks to a system that got some negative press last year, but was — on the whole — considered ...

Although Yusei Kikuchi is arriving in the major leagues with less fanfare than Shohei Ohtani did a year ago, the lefty could — like Ohtani did — help change people's minds about Japanese pitching. Kikuchi, who has reportedly reached a deal with the Seattle Mariners, ...

Yusei Kikuchi's impending move to the major leagues this winter has been planned out long in advance, according to sources close to the left-handed pitcher. From the instant the Seibu Lions announced they would be willing to post their No. 1 pitcher this offseason, Kikuchi ...

Hotaka Yamakawa may be Japan's premier home run hitter, but this past week has taught him how much more he has to learn. After leading both of Japan's elite leagues this year with 47 home runs, the 26-year-old Seibu Lions first baseman was looking to ...