Olympics / Summer Olympics Jan 2, 2021

Tokyo facing many challenges on road to pandemic-era Olympics

Is it really a good idea to go ahead with the Olympics?

National Apr 7, 2020

Tokyo Games postponement to require Olympic-scale rethink

When Tokyo Games organizers, the International Olympic Committee and the world's premier athletes saw their July and August 2020 plans go up in a coronavirus-ignited puff of smoke recently, they began a journey into the unknown. No Olympics has been postponed before, so nobody knows ...

Basketball / NBA Jan 1, 2020

Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura fuels NBA boom in Japan

After becoming the first Japanese player to be chosen in the first round of the NBA draft, Rui Hachimura is the face of a basketball boom in his home country. Hachimura's progress in the NBA is getting wall-to-wall coverage in Japanese media and his face ...

National / Social Issues Sep 2, 2019

Muted in country of birth, three women fight for voice and choice in Japan

As Japan's demographic sands shift, with its graying population, declining regional communities and doors inching further open to immigrant workers, three young female Tokyoites are envisioning a new way forward. One is Korean, one is Chinese and the other is Japanese, but they all want ...

Basketball / NBA Jun 1, 2019

Hornets star Kemba Walker says Rui Hachimura will be 'a big name in the NBA'

While Rui Hachimura's immediate future in the NBA will be determined later this month, one established superstar believes the young forward will fit right in. Speaking to the media Friday night during a visit to Tokyo, Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker was happy to ...

Basketball / NBA Apr 23, 2019

Despite great expectations, Rui Hachimura faces big challenge in quantum leap to NBA

Rui Hachimura's decision to end his college career in hopes of making a splash in the world's premier basketball league caused quite a stir in his homeland, but Japanese fans must temper expectations for their ascendant star. After a stellar junior year at Gonzaga University, ...

Basketball Feb 20, 2019

Japan heading into World Cup qualifiers with ultimate goal still in sight

Japan's men's national team faces a simple calculation in its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Qatar — win to advance. But with the absence of both its U.S.-based talents — emerging Gonzaga University star and NBA draft hopeful Rui Hachimura and fringe Memphis ...

Soccer / World Cup Jun 25, 2018

Kawashima's error raises questions for Samurai Blue

Japan manager Akira Nishino said he will analyze goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima's situation after the FC Metz custodian made an error that led to Senegal's first goal in the teams' 2-2 Group H draw on Sunday. Speaking at the post-match news conference at Ekaterinburg Arena, Nishino ...

Music Dec 24, 2016

StarRo sees his star rising with Grammy nomination

Finding out that you have been nominated for a Grammy on Twitter is one thing, but when you did not even realize one of your songs was submitted for consideration, that is a surprise Shinya Mizoguchi — known by his stage name, starRo — ...

More Sports / Auto Racing Oct 7, 2016

Alonso feels Honda's all-Japanese approach bearing fruit

An underwhelming return to Formula One for Honda last year came to a head at the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix when McLaren's two-time world champion Fernando Alonso said his Japanese-built engine was "embarrassing" over team radio for all the world to hear. With McLaren-Honda returning ...