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Japan Times
JAPAN / WORLD FORUM ON SPORT AND CULTURE
Oct 19, 2016

An excellent opportunity to kick-start industry growth

The Japanese sports industry now has a great opportunity to become a growing industry.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 21, 2003

Sky's the limit for broadcaster in search of sporting excellence

A recent survey of 1,000 Japanese sports viewers who subscribe to JSky Sports showed that 25-30 percent enjoyed watching or wanted to watch baseball, sumo and soccer, 19 percent favored domestic rugby, 13 percent enjoyed cycling and 12 percent preferred international rugby, NBA and NHL.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 4, 2014

Sato shines as role model

With her clumsy but emotional and breathtaking presentation at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires for Tokyo's 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid in September 2013, Mami Sato became a household name in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 5, 2013

Dai Tamesue: Japan's 'samurai hurdler' keeps rising to new challenges

Though word-class track athlete Dai Tamesue may have hung up his spikes, he has plenty of insights to share on how sports can play a bigger role in society.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jul 11, 2015

Multisport culture failing to take root in Japan

Do we have anyone like Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders in Japan? Or the environment to potentially produce athletes like them?
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 2, 2022

Beijing 2022 — A second pandemic Olympics

This Friday, the 2022 Winter Olympics kick off in Beijing, the second Olympics to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first ever to be held on entirely artificial snow.
Athletes compete in the final of the women's 100 meter hurdles at the Paris Olympics in August last year.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Aug 16, 2025

New gene testing system in disarray ahead of world championships in Tokyo

With the world championships in Tokyo looming, athletics federations are struggling to comply with new rules concerning gene tests for female athletes.
Kardinia Park, home stadium of Australian Rules football team Geelong Cats, on Oct. 23, 2020
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Aug 22, 2025

AFL under fire as another player banned for homophobic slur

Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine became the sixth AFL player since April 2024 to be suspended for directing a homophobic slur at an opponent.
Tommy Fleetwood lifts the FedExCup trophy after winning the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 25, 2025

Tommy Fleetwood earns first PGA Tour win and FedEx Cup at Tour Championship

The win came in Fleetwood's 164th career start on tour, which included 30 top-5 finishes.
Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa celebrates after making the game-winning field goal against Stanford in Honolulu on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 29, 2025

Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa walks unique path in college football

The Chiba native picked up the sport just over five years ago as a 20-year-old, learning to kick through YouTube.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen during a practice on Saturday against of the Dutch Grand Prix.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Aug 30, 2025

Max Verstappen: Fan favorite but — for once — not race favorite for home GP

It is impossible to avoid Max Verstappen at Zandvoort during the Dutch Grand Prix. But for once, the Dutch start won't be the favorite at his home race.
Australia's Nina Kennedy (AUS) wins the women's pole vault at 4.90 meters during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Aug. 7, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 1, 2025

'Mongrel' spirit drives pole vault queen Kennedy in world title defense

Kennedy has not competed since becoming the first Australian woman to win Olympic gold in a field event in Paris last year.
The No. 2 field at the Hanazono Rugby Stadium complex in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. The field is slated to be upgraded into a 5,000-seat stadium but has faced lengthy construction delays.
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Sep 4, 2025

Upgrades for Osaka's Hanazono Rugby Stadium still mired in delays

The planned upgrades, featuring the construction of a new stadium by FC Osaka, is a condition for the third-tier J. League club to use Hanazono as its home ground.
The new Prelude model released by Honda, on Thursday in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2025

Honda to revive Prelude sports car after 24 years

The major Japanese automaker targets annual domestic sales of 3,500 units for the new Prelude, a hybrid coupe.
Montreal Canadiens legend Ken Dryden speaks at the funeral for former teammate Jean Beliveau in Montreal in December 2014.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
Sep 6, 2025

Legendary Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, a six-time Cup winner, dies at 78

Known for his intellectual pursuits off the ice, Dryden played only eight seasons in the NHL, but won the Stanley Cup in six of those seasons.
Pro-Palestinian protesters wave flags and shout as the Vuelta a Espana peloton rides by in Poio, Spain, on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Sep 10, 2025

Vuelta a Espana director vows to finish race despite pro-Palestinian protests

Stage 16 ended 8 kilometers before the finish after a large protest blocked the road 3 km from the scheduled stage end.
Defending champion javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi is likely to be the center of attention for Japanese fans during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 12, 2025

10 stars to look out for at the 2025 World Athletics Championships

The world championships are back in Tokyo for the first time since 1991.
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 16, 2025

Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships

The atmosphere at National Stadium has been raucous in the opening days of the championships, particularly when hometown heroes are on the track or field.
Sorato Shimizu competes at a meet in Hiroshima in July. Over the past few years, Shimizu has been like a superhero among teenage track and field athletes in Japan.
SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 11, 2025

The sky is the limit for Sorato Shimizu, Japan's great sprinting hope

The 16-year-old has already run the 100 in 10 seconds flat and could be an X-factor for Japan’s World Athletics Championships relay hopes.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden celebrates with fans after winning the women's 200-meter final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 21, 2025

How the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo delivered on the fan experience

After the Olympics, the fan experience at World Athletics Championships was arguably more important than any other event. So how did National Stadium fare with its big do-over?
Red Bull's Max Verstappen in action during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 22, 2025

Max Verstappen dominates in win at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

It was the second consecutive win for Verstappen, following his victory two weeks ago at the Italian Grand Prix, and his fourth of the season.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton calls plays during his team's game against the Bengals in Denver on Monday.
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Oct 3, 2025

Broncos coach Sean Payton set for duel with Eagles defensive mastermind Vic Fangio

The Broncos will face the unbeaten Eagles on Sunday.
European star Rory McIlroy and his teammates were subjected to verbal abuse from fans during the Ryder Cup in Farmingdale, New York.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Oct 3, 2025

PGA CEO to apologize to Rory McIlroy and European team over Ryder Cup abuse

The apology follows Europe's 15-13 victory over the United States at Bethpage Black, where the players were subjected to taunts and personal abuse by fans
Yotaro Sato and Tomoka Sato perform during the artistic swimming mixed duet competition at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on July 16, 2023.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Oct 3, 2025

Artistic swimming welcoming more men into pool ahead of LA Olympics

Yotaro Sato used to hide the fact that he’s an artistic swimmer. Now, he’s part of a growing number of men taking up a sport that was long exclusive to women.
Shrunali Ranade moved to Japan in 2015 and has carved a niche for herself as both an engineer and a cricket player.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 9, 2025

Shrunali Ranade: ‘Stepping back isn’t failure but another form of strength’

As an engineer and member of the women’s national cricket team in Japan, Shrunali Ranade has carved out her own niche over the past 10 years.
U.S. long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall celebrates with her gold medal at the World Athletics Championships at National Stadium on Sept. 15.
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Oct 10, 2025

Women's track-and-field startup Athlos eyes sustainable and durable growth

The concept, which is the brainchild of Reddit founder and women's sports entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, appears to be going from strength to strength.
Nagoya Deputy Mayor Hideo Nakata looks on as Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura waves a flag during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Oct. 8, 2023.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 15, 2025

Asian Games organizers work to boost appeal of esports

It will mark the first time that a large-scale international esports program spanning multiple categories, such as fighting and puzzle games, has ever been staged in Japan.
McLaren's Lando Norris drives during the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Oct. 5.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Oct 17, 2025

Norris faces 'repercussions' for clash with McLaren teammate Piastri

McLaren has been determined to keep the duel between its drivers a fair fight
Judi Oyama at Winchester Skatepark in San Jose, California, in January 1979. The Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee and Guinness World Record holder still skates and hopes to inspire older women.
SPORTS / Skateboarding
Nov 4, 2025

From 1973 to 2025: A Japanese American skater’s long ride to recognition

At 66, Judi Oyama would be considered a senior citizen by Japan’s official standards, but nothing about her life fits that description.
On Oct. 29, teams from 33 qualifying countries scoured the streets of Shibuya for all manners of trash as part of the Spogomi litter-picking competition.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2025

Cleanliness gets competitive at Tokyo’s Spogomi world cup

On Oct. 29, teams from 33 countries scoured Tokyo’s streets for discarded wrappers, crushed cans and cigarette butts.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years