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Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 13, 2021

Ready or not, Hideki Matsuyama is now a national hero in Japan

With his dramatic win at the Masters, the glare of fame will be inescapable for the 29-year-old, who has preferred to focus on improving his game.
SPORTS
Mar 19, 2021

Foreign athletes and coaches will be allowed to enter Japan from Monday

Dozens of players and coaches will have missed the start of the J. League and NPB seasons due to travel restrictions that went into effect in January.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2021

The beautiful game has turned ugly in China

Pressure on embattled retailer Suning Appliance Group Co. forced the conglomerate to reconsider its investment in the team. China's soccer bubble is rapidly deflating.
OLYMPICS
Feb 5, 2021

Barcelona silver medalist Noriko Mizoguchi slams Yoshiro Mori's comments

The former judoka, now a sports sociology professor, is concerned over how the former prime minister's controversial statements on women could impact public opinion toward the Tokyo Games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jan 30, 2021

Afghanistan's first female breakdancer sets sights on Paris Olympics

Many conservative Afghans frown on dancing of any description, and even more vehemently object to a woman's public participation — some of them violently.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 6, 2021

Hakone ekiden's stubborn crowds cause for Olympic concern

The 2021 Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race concluded as a last-mile thriller between the eventual winner Komazawa University and runner-up Soka University.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 2, 2020

Japan Nike ad on bullying and racism sparks fiery online response

The commercial shows several teen girls bullied in school over their race or other differences, but who ultimately find confidence through soccer prowess.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 21, 2020

Venerable Ryogoku Kokugikan has allowed sumo to successfully cope with pandemic

Possessing its own full-size arena has allowed the Japan Sumo Association to easily switch tournaments scheduled for other cities to its home base in Tokyo.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / The week in NPB
Oct 19, 2020

NPB stars prepare to say goodbye as season winds down

It's retirement season in NPB.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 30, 2020

JSA pulls off another successful tournament in COVID-19 era

After managing a second basho with fans at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the Japan Sumo Association still faces a number of challenges going forward.
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.
SPORTS
Sep 11, 2020

Could COVID-19 have long-term effect on athletes' health?

Most elite athletes have avoided serious symptoms after testing positive, but evidence of long-term heart and lung issues has some officials concerned.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Sep 4, 2020

Premier League cuts off Chinese broadcaster over payments

England's Premier League terminated its lucrative broadcast agreement in China, a move that could exacerbate the financial fallout one of the world’s most-watched sporting competitions is already seeing from COVID-19.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 21, 2020

Airing games in U.S. only first step in Pacific League's plan to take Japanese baseball abroad

For a nation so famous for its baseball exports — from Hideo Nomo to Shohei Ohtani — Japan hasn’t done a very good job at promoting Nippon Professional Baseball outside its own borders.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Aug 7, 2020

Serie A still attracts investors despite decline

Serie A is sometimes seen as the fallen giant of Europe's top soccer leagues, based in a country where a stifling bureaucracy has prevented its clubs from competing on level terms with rivals from England, Spain and Germany.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 3, 2020

BayStars starters setting tone on mound

For all of the noise that's surrounded the Yokohama BayStars recently — namely people taking swipes at the manager and closer Yasuaki Yamasaki's troubles — the team is keeping its head above water.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 1, 2020

New Zealand becomes latest nation to face claims of abuse from gymnasts

Gymnastics New Zealand has launched "urgent inquiries" into allegations of systemic psychological and physical abuse of its athletes, media reports said, echoing similar complaints in other countries.
SUMO
Jul 29, 2020

History shows Abi's flouting of virus protocols will likely be last straw for Japan Sumo Association

Many of those who have transgressed against the JSA's myriad rules (whether official or unwritten) in the past have found themselves out of the sport in short order.
SOCCER
Jul 28, 2020

WE League chair plots ambitious, progressive path for women's game

After spearheading the growth of Japanese women's soccer in the 80s, Kikuko Okajima hopes to make the new league a force for social change.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 15, 2020

JSA's decision to let fans attend July Basho catches everyone off guard

Few insiders had expected sumo's governing body to allow the public back in so soon.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / The week in NPB
Jul 13, 2020

Yuki Yanagita powers Hawks past Eagles in six-game series

With no All-Star Game, Yuki Yanagita held his own personal home run derby last week in Fukuoka.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jul 10, 2020

Brave Thunders' plans for new arena undaunted by pandemic

The Kawasaki Brave Thunders plan to build a new home arena capable of generating a more professional sports atmosphere.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 1, 2020

Heart by far most important factor toward achieving success in grueling world of sumo

In a sport where bouts are over in a matter of seconds, any kind of doubt or hesitation inevitably leads to a loss.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 22, 2020

NPB, J. League looking to admit limited number of fans in July

Fans may be allowed to attend pro baseball and soccer games in Japan beginning in July.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 10, 2020

Coronavirus will force sumo fans and wrestlers to adjust to new normal

Things won't be the same when sumo resumes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
MORE SPORTS
May 18, 2020

Takuma Sato revved up for upcoming start of IndyCar season

Takuma Sato and the rest of the IndyCar stars will begin their season on June 6 at the Genesys 300 in Texas.
Founded with a mission of promoting electric vehicles, Formula E has always placed sustainability at the forefront of its raison d’etre.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
May 18, 2025

For Formula E, ‘sustainability is at the heart’

Now in its 11th season, Formula E's efforts to reduce emissions and promote electric vehicles are paying off.
Arsenal players and fans celebrate outside Emirates Stadium in London after winning the Women's Champions League  on May 26.
SOCCER
Jun 17, 2025

Nielsen projects women's soccer to become top-five most popular sport

Women's soccer is already one of the top 10 most followed sports globally, and momentum appears to be building.

Longform

A mushroom cloud from the atomic bombing on Hiroshima taken from a U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 6, 1945. Copying the photo without permission is prohibited.
80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped