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Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 11, 2012

Evessa claim star Washington has decided to 'retire'

Osaka Evessa power forward Lynn Washington has been the most recognizable player in bj-league history.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 24, 2012

Nadeshiko Japan eyes London Olympic gold

Japan's overtime defeat of the United States in the 2011 women's World Cup soccer finals inspired a nation suffering from the March 11 disaster and ensuing nuclear crisis. This year will see the club dubbed Nadeshiko Japan attempt to repeat their success at the Summer Olympics in London. Following are...
COMMUNITY
Jan 21, 2012

Aussie takes slippery slope to Hokkaido

Matt Dening, 44, grew up on sunshine in a small beach town south of Sydney. Like most Australian youths, Dening played "all the regular sports — swimming, cricket, rugby — but not really well."
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 25, 2011

Problems plague every level of game

Without drastic changes in the way it operates — and stuck with a mentality that is out of date with current reality — the Japan Basketball Association (JBA) will continue to be a deterrent to success and progress in men's and boys basketball at all levels.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 15, 2011

Rogge says Pyeongchang win will not affect Tokyo's bid for 2020 Summer Games

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge lauded Pyeongchang, South Korea's victory in the race for the 2018 Winter Olympics as a win for Asian sport.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / ICE TIME
Jul 3, 2011

Desire to inspire prompted Ito's return

With her storied career part of figure skating history, 1989 world champion and 1992 Olympic silver medalist Midori Ito has nothing to prove, but her wish to influence others was the prime motivation behind her recent comeback.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jun 15, 2011

NSK gets a glimpse of a (potentially) bright future

In May the English soccer team Manchester United won their 19th English league championship to date — and the world watched on TV, the Internet and via a wealth of other media sources.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
May 4, 2011

Scandals offer a silver lining

Over 20 rikishi have thus far been expelled. Some have gone quietly picking up very nice severance packages on the way out the door. Others have promised legal battles ahead that will, in all likelihood, be timed to avoid a clash with a particular basho. Wherever the yaocho allegations, dismissals and...
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Mar 9, 2011

A brighter side: amateur sumo

Given the dark days for the world of professional sumo and the suspension of the Haru Basho, Sumo Scribblings is turning its focus the amateur sumo season, which is just getting underway. To learn more about the landscape, we spoke with Katrina Watts, who serves as a board member of the International...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Feb 9, 2011

Shut sumo down for the rest of 2011, put its future in private hands

Where will it all end?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 4, 2010

CrossFit pushes exercise buffs to their limits

The grunting gets louder the further I walk down the path. It's somewhat synchronized, and suddenly I hear a buzzer and everything is quiet — for 10 seconds.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 27, 2010

Sumos and the yakuza

OSAKA — Perhaps no other sport is pursued as religiously as sumo wrestling. Before a match, referees — who double as Shinto priests — purify the seaweed, salt and sake. Wrestlers wash their faces, mouths and armpits before entering the dohyo (ring), on whose sacred sand neither shoes nor women...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 20, 2010

Who pays for sumo?

Sumo wrestlers don't make huge salaries but they can get a lot of yen in other ways.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 11, 2010

NPB commissioner Kato has big plans for game

Nippon Professional Baseball commissioner Ryozo Kato has a vision for Japanese baseball that stretches far beyond the nation's borders.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 20, 2010

Wenger must recognize Arsenal's trouble in goal

LONDON — There are times when I wonder whether Arsene Wenger is blind to the realities of his team or just plain obstinate.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 16, 2010

Steeped in tradition, Shinto, sumo is also scandal-stained

The national sport of sumo traces its origins to an early Shinto ritual to pray for a bountiful harvest, and the professional tournaments of today date to the 17th century during the Edo Period.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 9, 2010

Japan team has foot in World Cup door but can it kick?

Japan established its presence in the baseball universe after winning the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 and repeating the feat in 2009. But when it comes to soccer, the national squad is seen by many as a nonfactor heading into June's World Cup in South Africa.
JAPAN / Media
Dec 20, 2009

New Year's Eve party, anyone? Nah, put your feet up and enjoy a Japanese tradition on the TV

Sport, sex, thrills: It was back in 1945 that radio producer Tsumoru Kondo declared that these were the three essential ingredients for successful entertainment. He called them the "three S's," even though they were two S's and a T. The producer obviously knew more about entertainment than he did about...
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Dec 1, 2009

Hakuho notches another, while Kaio once again raises eyebrows

With the presentation of the Emperor's Cup to yokozuna Hakuho on Sunday evening Nov. 29, the first decade of sumo in the 21st century came to a thundering close. Hakuho (15-0) had just dispatched fellow yokozuna Asashoryu with a wonderful uwatenage throwing technique to claim his 12th top-flight trophy...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 20, 2009

Chances for Sojourner to play this season look dim

After a decade in Japan, much of it devoted to spreading his love of basketball to the masses, Isaac Sojourner is without a team for the upcoming season.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 28, 2009

Dejima bows out as Hakuho picks up another Emperor's Cup

In July 1999, longtime Musashigawa Beya sekitori Dejima Takeharu won his first and only career Emperor's Cup after defeating former yokozuna Akebono in a play-off victory.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Apr 1, 2009

Ota regains focus to win

After earning a silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, foil fencer Yuki Ota said he struggled to elevate his motivation level.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Sep 10, 2008

Sumo struggles as Aki Basho approaches

In the days leading up to the Aki Basho, sumo is on the ropes.
OLYMPICS / 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS
Aug 22, 2008

Japan outplays U.S. to win softball gold

BEIJING — This was on-field drama at its best: workhorse pitcher Yukiko Ueno playing the starring role, Ayumi Karino and Eri Yamada shining in their supporting roles and Japan destroying the U.S. softball team's aura of invincibility.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Apr 6, 2008

Japan IBL team set for 2009

Life is full of surprises, isn't it?
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Mar 25, 2008

Hakusho Part II raises more questions marks

In the run-up to the Osaka Haru Basho, all eyes were on the "Hakusho" pair; a combination of the names of yokozuna Hakuho and Asashoryu that is increasingly being using to describe the recent era of sumo titans.
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Mar 8, 2008

Will 'good guy-bad guy' faceoff revive sumo?

The sacred sport of sumo boasts a history of 1,300 years, but recent scandals and undignified exploits of some of its champions are threatening to reduce its status to heresy.

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