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November 21, 2025
 

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John Gunning
Yoshinofuji (left) beats Onosato by <i>oshidashi</i> at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 19, 2025
Onosato stumbles in quest for first perfect championship
It was a stunning upset given the manner in which the yokozuna had steamrolled the competition over the first nine days of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
Onosato (right) beats Wakatakakage via <i>oshidashi</i> at the Fukuoka International Congress Center on Tuesday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 12, 2025
Onosato dominates in early days of Kyushu tournament
Ex-ōzeki Takayasu, rising talent Hakuoho and former Emperor’s Cup winner Wakatakakage were successively brushed aside with ease.
Yokozuna duo Onosato (right) and Hoshoryu clash for the title on the final day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sept. 28 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
SUMO
Nov 7, 2025
Yokozuna duo Onosato and Hoshoryu poised for another clash of titans
Should fans be treated to another Emperor’s Cup-deciding yokozuna showdown on Nov. 23, it’s a toss-up for who would come out on top.
Fukazaki (right) grapples with Enho at the IG Arena in Nagoya on July 13.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 5, 2025
These are the hottest lower-division rikishi to watch right now
There are potential superstars and immense talent to be found up and down the banzuke.
Onosato ahead of his bout against Aonishiki at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Oct 29, 2025
Kyushu banzuke sets the stage to cement 2025’s sumo narratives
If Onosato triumphs again to make it four titles in five basho, any remaining doubt about his status as a surefire future dai-yokozuna will likely melt away.
Japan's Michael Leitch controls the ball during the match against Australia on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 26, 2025
Loss to Wallabies doesn't dampen Japan’s optimism
For Japan coach Eddie Jones, a second half turnaround against Australia was a sign of growth.
With the recent sumo jaunt to London being essentially a goodwill exercise, <i>rikishi</i> were far more outgoing and relaxed than normal.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 22, 2025
London exhibition perhaps sumo's most successful trip abroad
Over the course of the tournament, sumo received wall-to-wall coverage in mainstream British media.
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 15, 2025
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
The British capital is playing host to the Japan Sumo Association’s first European exhibition in over three decades.
Top sumo stars, including yokozuna Hoshoryu, perform the goningakari contest, which pits five top-division wrestlers against one yokozuna.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 8, 2025
Japan Sumo Association’s 100th anniversary bash mixes the ancient with the modern
A multitude of historical ceremonies and arcane aspects of the sport, each one rarely performed, were all on display over the space of a few hours at Tokyo’s Kokugikan.
Onosato's victory at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament gave him his fifth Emperor’s Cup at the age of 25.
SUMO
Sep 29, 2025
Onosato’s fifth title cements preeminent position in Japan’s national sport
The question now is just how many Emperor’s Cups can the massive yokozuna win?
Kellyann Ball competes at the Venus Sumo Festival in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, on Saturday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 24, 2025
Rising U.S. women's sumo team hopes to spread the word about Japan’s national sport
American sumo star Kellyann Ball was impressed by a major Japanese tournament for women held this past weekend. Now she's working on creating a similar future in the United States.
Hoshoryu shoves down Hakuoho to move to 3-0 on Day 3 of the Autumn Basho at Kokugikan in Tokyo.
SUMO
Sep 17, 2025
Onosato and Hoshoryu off to hot starts as other contenders fall
Onosato has been dominant while Hoshoryu, who is returning from injury, has had to work harder for his wins.
Hakuyo at Kokugikan in Tokyo the day before his first tournament in professional sumo in May 2014.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 10, 2025
What drives sumo journeymen to endure one of the world's most grueling sports
Professional sumo is one of the harshest environments in sports. Yet many toil away in the sport's lower-tier divisions for years or even decades.
Aonishiki (left) finished 11-4 in his first three tournaments in the top division
SUMO
Sep 5, 2025
Rising star Aonishiki set for another chance to strengthen promotion bid
Yokozuna duo Onosato and Hoshoryu still have to be considered the front-runners to lift the Emperor’s Cup in the upcoming autumn meet.
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 3, 2025
London’s calling and sumo’s top division — along with Hello Kitty — are ready to answer
Ahead of professional sumo's highly anticipated return to Europe, the release of the September rankings confirms who will be on the plane to England.
Wrestlers approach the ring during a regional sumo tour in Misato, Saitama Prefecture in April 2016.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 27, 2025
Sumo’s grueling summer tour reveals wrestlers' true condition
The heat and length makes the summer tour by far the most physically taxing in sumo, giving fans greater clarity regarding the health of their favorite rikishi.
A training session at Shikoroyama stable in June 2016. Sumo training sessions are increasingly simulated or the preserve of group tours.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 20, 2025
Is sumo becoming a victim of its own popularity?
In 2025, fans and tourists alike are all too often getting an experience that pales in comparison to what was previously possible.
Wakatakakage during a ring entering ceremony in February 2020
SUMO
Aug 13, 2025
Will Wakatakakage bring balance to the banzuke?
Recent performances and sumo’s need for two ōzeki should help the veteran’s promotion hopes.
Otake <i>oyakata</i> and his wrestlers at Otake stable in April 2018
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 6, 2025
Fresh start for stable founded by legendary yokozuna Taiho
In a historically significant move, the Otake sumo stable will be taken over by someone without a direct connection to its founder.
Kotoshoho celebrates winning his first Grand Sumo Tournament at IG Arena in Nagoya on Sunday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jul 30, 2025
Kotoshoho's shock first Emperor's Cup could reinvigorate his career
Kotoshoho's first Grand Sumo Tournament win in Nagoya on Sunday was perhaps even more surprising than early leader Ichiyamamoto’s would have been.
Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million over manga piracy
Cloudflare has been ordered to pay ¥500 million after four major publishing firms accused the firm of copyright infringement for its role in hosting sites that distribute pirated copies of manga titles.
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
Yen rout brings talk of ¥160 to the dollar and possible intervention
The yen has been weak against the U.S. dollar in recent weeks, with some analysts expecting the retreat to continue.
China to reimpose ban on Japanese seafood imports amid row over Taiwan, reports say
A sign reading, "Suspend the sales of all fish products imported from Japan" is displayed in an area home to Japanese restaurants in Beijing in August 2023. China will reimpose a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, media reports in Tokyo said Wednesday, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.
First foreign president of Hosei University looks abroad for change
Hosei University President Diana Khor, who herself was an international student, aims to encourage students to look outward and cultivate a global mindset.
Japanese companies advised to change mindset about investment in Africa
Bernard Laurendeau, chief of Enkopa Lab Japan, in Tokyo last month
Munetaka Murakami headlines quartet looking to move to MLB via posting system
The Swallows' Munetaka Murakami has 246 career home runs in eight NPB seasons.
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
Why we can’t get enough of the sham of the rental family
“Rental Family,” directed and co-written by the single-named Hikari, follows out-of-work actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who is hired as the “token white guy” at a Tokyo agency called Rental Family.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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