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SPORTS
Jun 19, 2020

Survey finds Japanese fans willing to wait for sports to resume

Over half of those who responded to the Waseda University poll approved of NPB and the J. League's decision to restart their seasons behind closed doors.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2019

Fans toast beer hawkers' debut at Rugby World Cup

Dilemma: You are watching a Rugby World Cup game at a stadium and you fancy a beer, but you don't want to take your eyes off the action.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2018

Sports agency's recommendation of downtime for student athletes draws mixed response

The Japan Sports Agency has introduced a policy of granting at least two days of rest per week for sports teams at public and private junior high schools, in hopes of reducing the risk of injury for students by shortening their practice hours.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 21, 2017

Late slugger Daryl Spencer brought passion, pride, power to Hankyu Braves

The Baseball Bullet-In this week remembers Daryl Spencer, the former Hankyu Braves slugger who died Jan. 2 in Wichita, Kansas, at the age of 88.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 22, 2016

Hiroshima mayor Matsui calls Carp an integral part of city

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui was there in person at Tokyo Dome to see the Carp capture the Central League pennant. The baseball-mad residents of his city might make it hard for him to do the same should the Carp be on the verge of a Japan Series title.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 22, 2016

Veteran pitcher Standridge's life, family enriched by adopted Japanese daughter

Joy Standridge posted on social media Oct. 6 that her husband, Jason Standridge, "pitched his last game last night — maybe forever." The Chiba Lotte right-hander started the Marines' final game of the 2016 season at home, and he won, beating the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, 7-1.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 24, 2016

Making a toast to retiring beer girl Misato

The intai jiai (retirement game) is a significant event in Japanese pro baseball for long-time star players about to hang up their spikes and call it a career. It usually occurs at the end of a season after it has been announced the player is leaving the game and after league standings have been decided....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 8, 2016

True meaning of Ichiro even greater than 3,000-hit milestone

There were a lot of people in Japan who awoke early April 3, 2001 (the night of April 2 in the U.S.), with a mix of anticipation and wonder as they watched new Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki's first game in the major leagues. Ichiro was hitless after three at-bats. Then, in the seventh, he...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 1, 2015

The Vancouver Asahi: Angels are not in the outfield for immigrants

Of making baseball films there is no end. The sport provides an endless supply of ready-made narratives: from a fight to win the pennant ("Damn Yankees") or to simply win ("Major League"), to a player's struggle with illness ("Pride of the Yankees"), or an oversized ego ("Mr. Baseball").
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Jun 3, 2014

'Million Dollar Arm' details search for Indian prospects

Exiting the theater after viewing "Million Dollar Arm," MAS had a strange urge to break out in song — in this case, "It's a Small World," the melody they play on the Disneyland kiddie ride of the same name.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 31, 2014

Events of 10 years ago still reverberate today

Ten years ago this month, Japanese baseball went into its deepest and most memorable crisis. In case you were not in Japan then — or have forgotten — here is a brief review of what happened.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 17, 2014

Foreign fans revel in ballpark fun

A beat writer for one of the Japanese papers called the other day and said, "I am seeing a lot of foreign fans at Japanese baseball games recently. What's going on?"
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 9, 2013

2014 NPB season-opening series in California appears unlikely

Reader and fan of Japanese baseball Leon DeHaven in Arizona wants to know if the proposed 2014 season-opening series between the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers in Southern California (Baseball Bullet-In, April 28) is still going to happen. "I'm ready to rent a room in Anaheim," he wrote in an email....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 5, 2013

Antics of 'Animal' hard to forget more than 25 years later

He wasn't the best foreigner to ever play in Japanese baseball, but Brad "The Animal" Lesley was surely one of the most colorful and unforgettable characters to ever put on the uniform of a Central or Pacific League team.
Reader Mail
Mar 15, 2012

No cheerleading for Wall Street

Regarding economist Kenneth Rogoff's March 13 article, "Public acceptance of high salaries for athletes contrasts with low regard for finance superstars": Rogoff is overlooking several comparison factors that most people regard as natural markers in determining the justice of financial rewards based...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 11, 2012

Disaster had major impact on NPB

Here we are, exactly one year after the Great East Japan Earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011. Japanese baseball has been greatly affected by the quake, the tsunami triggered by it and the subsequent radiation threats from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift delighted fans at her sold-out Tokyo Dome show on Wednesday by confidently telling the audience, “Eras Tour e yokōso!” (“Welcome to The Eras Tour!”)
CULTURE / Music
Feb 9, 2024

Taylor Swift slays her Tokyo era

Pop's reigning queen gets sold-out crowd singing along to her hits for the Japan leg of the global Eras Tour.
Sunrockers fans at a game in Tokyo in March.
BASKETBALL / B. League
Apr 20, 2024

'Mr. Incredible' and Japan’s improbable bid to compete with the NBA

Japan is a latecomer to basketball’s global expansion, but it has stratospheric expectations for its future.
Everyone should relax as Japan’s capital, Tokyo, isn’t ripping out thousands of trees to redevelop the famed Jingu Gaien park. Quite the opposite is planned.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 12, 2024

Tokyo's Jingu Gaien is at the center of an urban debate amid a redevelopment rift

Concerns about plans for Tokyo's Jingu Gaien may be exaggerated, as key trees will be preserved and more green space will be created post-development.
Shunya Takahashi (center) and Nihon Fukushi University professor Toshihito Mitsui (right) during an event in 2019.
PARALYMPICS
Sep 4, 2024

From Koshien to the Paralympics: Javelin thrower realizes dream long in the making

Born in the city of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, Takahashi developed a right arm impairment at the age of 3 due to myelitis and finished sixth in his event in Paris.
NFL referee Shawn Smith reviews video of a coaches challenge during a game between the Chiefs and Chargers in Los Angeles on Sept. 29.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 7, 2024

Pro sports heading toward robotic future

Leagues insist that these systems are not meant to eliminate officials.
Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, leaves the courthouse in Santa Ana, California, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 7, 2025

Ohtani's ex-interpreter Mizuhara sentenced to nearly five years in prison

The case involved the illegal transfer of nearly $17 million from the star's account to pay off gambling debts.
Rescue teams work at the Jet Set nightclub following the collapse of its roof in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Apr 10, 2025

Dominican Republic ends search for survivors after scores killed in nightclub collapse

Emergency personnel late Wednesday reported 60 more deaths, with the total confirmed tally reaching 184.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji