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Australia's soccer chief James Johnson believes his country can help FIFA turn its new Club World Cup into a global success.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2023

Australia aims to follow U.S. in 'building' FIFA's Club World Cup

Australia last month opted not to bid for the 2034 World Cup after facing competition from Saudi Arabia.
Rory McIlroy lines up his putt during the Ryder Cup in Rome on Oct. 1. The popular golfer has made no secret that the PGA Tour's secret talks with Saudi Arabia had blindsided and stung him.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Nov 15, 2023

Rory McIlroy resigns from PGA Tour board

The decision by one of golf's most popular athletes is a particularly public blow to the tour and its board.
Naomi Osaka speaks during a news conference at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 12.
TENNIS
Feb 11, 2024

Naomi Osaka explains why she’s investing in women’s sports

Osaka, one of the world's most marketable athletes, plans to stay involved in the world of sports even after her tennis career ends.
Japan's Hanako Utsumi is tackled by Fiji's Adi vani Buleki during a women's rugby sevens quarterfinal match at the HSBC Rugby Sevens Singapore tournament in Singapore on May 4.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
May 24, 2024

Women's rugby in Japan braces for a boom

The club game is getting stronger as teams move toward a more professionalized model.
Kauli Vaast of France competes in the Olympic men's gold-medal match in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, on Monday.
OLYMPICS / Surfing
Aug 6, 2024

Vaast takes men's surfing gold for France and Tahiti

Caroline Marks of the United States added Olympic gold to her 2023 world title with a tight victory over Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb in the women's final.
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.
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 13, 2025

Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms

With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
Sara Errani (left) and Andrea Vavassori playing Donald Young and Taylor Townsend in the mixed doubles final on Day 11 of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament.
TENNIS
Feb 12, 2025

Fury as U.S. Open chiefs announce mixed doubles revamp

In a dramatic move that was greeted with criticism, U.S. Open organizers said the mixed doubles event would take place over two days of competition with an amended rulebook.
BYD's large cylindrical cell batteries are pictured at Smart Energy Week in Tokyo on Feb. 19.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 18, 2025

How BYD’s five-minute charging stacks up against the competition

The Chinese firm is now staking claim to a system it says will make it as quick to charge an electric vehicle as to refuel a gasoline car.
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda is a lot calmer than he was as a hotheaded rookie in 2021.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 4, 2025

How Yuki Tsunoda’s new attitude helped him land a seat with Red Bull

Those close to Tsunoda are adamant that Red Bull is getting a new and improved version of the hotheaded rookie from 2021.
Shohei Ohtani and Mamiko Tanaka announced the birth of their first child on April 19.
BASEBALL
Apr 28, 2025

Shohei Ohtani's example could change Japan's views on paternity leave

The Dodgers star went on MLB’s paternity list for the birth of his daughter. MLB is the only major North American sports league that guarantees paternity leave to its players.
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 winners trophy is displayed in Times Square, New York City, on May 20.
SOCCER
Jun 3, 2025

FIFA's inaugural Club World Cup set to kick off in the U.S. amid challenges

The tournament has had to contend with the prospect of empty seats, controversial qualification rules and player welfare concerns.
Bristol Bears and U.S. star Ilona Maher during the warmup before a match against Gloucester-Hartpury in Gloucester, England on March 2
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 22, 2025

England names strong side for Women's Rugby World Cup opener against U.S.

The Red Roses have lost only once in their past 58 matches — a defeat by New Zealand in the COVID-delayed 2022 World Cup final.
Venus Williams plays a backhand during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday in New York.
TENNIS
Aug 24, 2025

'It's in my DNA': Venus Williams relishes U.S. Open return at 45

The 45-year-old U.S. tennis icon is poised to make what could be her farewell singles appearance at Flushing Meadows on Monday.
Novak Djokovic prepares to throw signed balls into the crowd after beating Learner Tien in the first round of the U.S. Open in New York on Sunday.
TENNIS
Aug 25, 2025

Novak Djokovic overcomes blisters to get off to winning start at U.S. Open

Djokovic won 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to launch his latest quest for a record 25th major title.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 29, 2023

Kirishima takes Emperor’s Cup and yokozuna hopes from Takakeisho

As Takakeisho heads back to the starting line, Kirishima steps into the spotlight and will feature in most sumo-related content in the near term.
After becoming a TikTok trend in Japan in 2022, artist imase’s song “Night Dancer” found popularity abroad in 2023, particularly in South Korea, where it became the first Japanese song to ever enter the nation’s Melon Top 100 Song Chart.
CULTURE / Music / 2023 in Review
Dec 8, 2023

J-pop's global ambitions came closer to reality in 2023

Duo Yoasobi's "Idol" was a true international breakout, while a viral trend turned imase into a pop ambassador between Japan and South Korea.
BYD exhibits its cars ahead of the Munich Motor Show in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 27, 2023

China's BYD set to overtake Tesla as world’s most popular EV maker

Its ascent will be both a symbolic turning point for the market and further confirmation of the growing Chinese clout in the global automotive sector.
NBA players take part in a training session in Johannesburg in 2015. The Basketball Africa League, now entering its fourth season, is the NBA’s sole professional league outside the U.S., and its most ambitious international expansion since it attempted to break through in China two decades ago on the coattails of Hall of Fame center Yao Ming.
BASKETBALL
Jan 14, 2024

NBA’s Africa league struggles to find fans as it faces mounting losses

The Basketball Africa League is the NBA’s sole professional league outside the U.S., and its most ambitious international expansion in years.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in December at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
BASEBALL
Apr 12, 2024

How Ippei Mizuhara allegedly wired millions from Shohei Ohtani’s account

Crucially for Ohtani, a U.S. investigation clearly paints him as a victim without any involvement in or knowledge of his interpreter's gambling woes.
Katie Ledecky competes in the women's 400 freestyle swim during preliminaries for the Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 15.
OLYMPICS
Jun 25, 2024

Dressel and Ledecky lead U.S. Olympic swim team with eyes on Australia

The intense nine days of the U.S. trials concluded Sunday and produced a team of 46 swimmers.
Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
BUSINESS / Companies / Longform
Jan 17, 2025

Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go

The CEO and president of Rapidus says the chip venture in Hokkaido is key to Japan's fortunes.
Next year’s FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., will test whether America — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2025

The White House just kicked a World Cup own-goal

Next year’s FIFA World Cup will test whether the U.S. — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Aug 10, 2025

Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer

Giant umbrellas, mist fans and human-sized ice boxes are some of the many ways organizers are offering respite to visitors.
A friendly between England and the United States drew a crowd of 78,000 at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 7, 2022.
SPORTS
Jul 20, 2023

Women's sports experiencing steady growth in popularity and value

Women's sports are growing in popularity and value. Better yet, that growth is no longer dependent upon quadrennial events like the Olympics or World Cups.
The children of some of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies are also listed as participants at the four-day St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), including Roman Rotenberg, whose father was among the Russian president’s childhood judo partners.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 5, 2024

Children of Russia's elite take center stage at Putin’s flagship forum

Once touted as a "window” into Russia, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is increasingly becoming a generational showcase.
Students sit under a misting system during recess at Hikarigaoka Haru no Kaze Elementary School in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Society / Boiling Point
Sep 16, 2024

Japan’s schools battle to keep kids cool, with or without AC

With extreme heat affecting both health and study, schools are racing to plug AC gaps while experimenting with creative, cheaper solutions.
Tesla has been boasting this week about its U.S. credentials, saying in a post on X that its models "are the most American-made cars.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2025

Musk’s Tesla one of the only winners from Trump’s car tariffs

The U.S. president insists that there’s no conflict of interest despite the Tesla chief executive’s prominent role in his administration.
Lei Jun introduces the Xiaomi YU7 sport utility vehicle during a launch event in Beijing on June 26.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 7, 2025

Xiaomi founder’s bold EV bet is paying off where Apple’s failed

The tech firm's success in the EV space has burnished founder Lei Jun’s reputation, making it one of the most valuable companies in China.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 9, 2023

Japan’s 'four-eyed tax hiker' and the curse of Colonel Sanders

Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight