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PARALYMPICS
Aug 24, 2021

Athletes to watch at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

A primer on 10 Paralympians who are poised to make their mark on the Games.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / The week in NPB
Jul 19, 2021

NPB rolls into Olympic break after eventful first half

Every NPB player on a first-team roster was deactivated on Thursday in one mass transaction. It was just a procedural move — because there are no games scheduled for the next 10 days — but many fans still got a kick out of the rare sight of the rosters emptying all at once in the middle of the season....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 3, 2021

More than four months into his term, Suga's popularity ebbs as tough decisions await

From controversial coronavirus legislation to the fate of the Tokyo Games, the prime minister's leadership ability and style is under increased scrutiny and criticism.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 8, 2020

'King Kohei' Uchimura highlights Friendship and Solidarity meet

Thirty athletes representing four nations participated in the event at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, which served as a test for virus countermeasures ahead of next year's Olympics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 22, 2020

Channeling that 1964 spirit amid the pandemic

Sacrifice, dedication and training — these were the pillars that supported athletes in the 1964 Olympics. They might help during the pandemic, too.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 24, 2020

Javelin thrower Genki Dean finds footing at National Stadium

The Golden Grand Prix was the first senior track event since the completion of the new National Stadium, and most athletes praised the facilities.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jun 22, 2020

Japan ends bid to host 2023 Women's World Cup, citing Olympic delay

The 37-member FIFA Council will now choose between Colombia and a joint Australia-New Zealand bid on Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2020

Hilton chases post-Olympic gold by bringing new luxury hotel brand to Kyoto in 2021

The Hilton group said Tuesday it will open a hotel under its newest luxury brand in Kyoto in autumn 2021, counting on a further upswell in lodging demand from tourists even after the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jan 28, 2020

Japan coach Julio Lamas outlines goals for team before upcoming Asia Cup qualifiers

Japan men's national team head coach Julio Lamas said that it wasn't a surprise that his team didn't play as well as it had hoped to at last year's FIBA World Cup.
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 1, 2020

Paralympians hope to bring event out of Olympic shadow with Tokyo Games

Sprinter Shunsuke Itani is young, tall, handsome and a contender to win a medal on the track in Tokyo this summer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 17, 2019

What would a 'kanji of the decade' say about the state of Japan?

This year's kanji of the year is 'u4ee4,' but writer Paul Dargan posits a guess as to what the kanji of the decade might be while looking back on the annual tradition and what the top picks say about the state of the country.
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Jul 21, 2019

Torch relay aims to better connect people

As a company involved in the torch relay for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, NTT Corp. hopes to involve a wide variety of people who contribute to their regional communities as torchbearers. The organization also seeks to showcase its latest technology to help provide convenience and excitement at the 2020...
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2019

Blundering minister's downfall reignites criticism of Japan's seniority-based Cabinet decisions

Yoshitaka Sakurada has repeatedly made headlines by making gaffes that have significantly damaged the reputation of Abe's administration.
Ilia Malinin of the U.S. celebrates after winning the men's free skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Grenoble, France, on Saturday, alongside second-place finisher Yuma Kagiyama (left) and third-place finisher Shun Sato, both from Japan.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Dec 8, 2024

U.S. skate stars Malinin and Glenn sweep Grand Prix Final titles

Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed ice dance gold to make it a clean sweep for the United States on the closing day of competition in Grenoble.
Actor Sadao Abe accepts the 2024 U-Can New Word and Popular Phrase Award for ふてほど (futehodo), the abbreviated title for his series, “Futekisetsu nimo Hodo ga Aru!” (“Extremely Inappropriate!”).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 12, 2024

How often do Japan's buzzwords make it into the vernacular?

We crown a new one every year, but trendy terms tend to disappear from public consciousness if they're related to pop culture.
After a dramatic 2024, where Japan saw political upheaval, a record stock market, a major quake and a plane crash and dramatic escape, 2025, with events like major anime sequels, the Osaka World Expo, rising foreign acquisitions, we should expect a transformative year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 2, 2025

Anime, M&A and the expo: What to watch for in Japan’s 2025

No doubt 2025 has more surprises in store for Japan after an unusually intense 12 months.
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart testifies before U.S. Congress during an anti-doping hearing on June 24, 2024.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 9, 2025

U.S. withholds payment to WADA amid dispute over Chinese doping tests

The move to hold back 2024 WADA dues comes in the wake of WADA's controversial handling of positive doping tests by 23 Chinese swimmers who were later allowed to compete.
Bristol's Ilona Maher poses for selfies with fans after a match in Bristol, Britain, on Jan. 5.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 16, 2025

Ilona Maher urges rugby to do more to grow game ahead of Women's Rugby World Cup

Maher urged rugby to break free from its self-imposed shackles.
Lara Gut-Behrami celebrates with her team after winning the women's World Cup super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Alpine skiing
Jan 27, 2025

Lara Gut-Behrami wins super-G in Garmisch; Lindsey Vonn 13th

Gut-Behrami, who won gold in the event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, finished 0.35 seconds ahead of Norwegian Kajsa Vickhoff Lie.
Though vegan restaurants have been on the upswing since 2017, Japanese vegans still lack a wide variety of options.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Jan 29, 2025

In meat- and fish-loving Japan, veganism is making a comeback

Tourism, climate goals and animal rights concerns are sparking a plant-based renaissance in a country famous for sushi and pork ramen.
South Korea's Choi Min-jeong (center) competes in the women's short track speedskating 1,000-meter final during the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 10, 2025

Choi Min-jeong grabs three golds for South Korea at Asian Winter Games

Short track is one of the few sports with genuine world class competition at the Winter Asiad.
Ethiopia's Tadese Takele wins the the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Mar 2, 2025

Tadese Takele wins Tokyo Marathon

Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta was second in 2:03:51, with Kenya's Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich third in 2:04.
Orix Buffaloes pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka speaks to reporters in the city of Osaka on Friday for the first time since he was reported to have participated in a poker tournament run by a foreign casino website.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 21, 2025

Cabinet approves strategy to battle illegal online casinos

A National Policy Agency survey released earlier this month showed that nearly 3.37 million Japanese are estimated to have used overseas online casinos to illegally gamble.
Gold medalist Alysa Liu (center) is flanked by silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto and bronze medalist Mone Chiba during the medal ceremony for the women's singles event at the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Mar 30, 2025

Resurgent Liu wins women's figure skating world title over Sakamoto

Liu, who walked away from the sport in 2022 at the age of 16 and returned just a year ago, defied the pressure Sakamoto piled on with a brilliant free skate of her own.
Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Apr 11, 2025

Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.

On a man-made island in Osaka Bay, Japan stages a grand vision of the future — and a quiet test of relevance.
Carlos Alcaraz hits a shot against Lorenzo Musetti during the Monte Carlo Masters final in Monte Carlo on Sunday.
TENNIS
Apr 14, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz caps 'difficult week' with first Monte Carlo Masters title

The 21-year-old Spaniard, already a four-time Grand Slam winner, dropped the opening set but came back to take the next two.
Ado opened her Sunday night concert at the 2025 Osaka Expo with “Shin Jidai” (New Genesis)” after a rain-soaked lead-up to the show’s 7:45 p.m. start.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 18, 2025

Japan wanted a cultural do-over. Ado gave it one.

The 22-year-old J-pop singer cast a spell on the first weekend of the Osaka Expo

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.