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SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 2, 2023

Hakuoho hints at what's to come with breakout makuuchi debut

Last month's Nagoya Basho may have just been the coming out party for sumo’s newest superstar.
Aoi Suzuki’s son runs past a home in Taketomi on Iriomote Island (not to be confused with Taketomi Island, which lies to the east of Iriomote). The Suzukis run the Takemori Inn, one of the few hotels on Iriomote.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Aug 14, 2023

My annual pilgrimage to Okinawa

Navigating between different ferries can open up whole new worlds in Japan's southernmost islands.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 23, 2023

A closer look at sumo's 'hot hand' after Hokutofuji's Nagoya run

Hokutofuji’s career best 12-win outing in July not only came out of the blue, but was his first winning record of any kind since the previous September.
A residential compound near the Orlen refinery on the outskirts of Plock, Poland
WORLD / Society
Aug 28, 2023

After weaponizing immigrants, Europe’s east finds it needs them

Economic reality has caught up with some of the most vitriolic anti-immigrant rhetoric on the continent.
Naomi Osaka participates in a forum on mental health during the U.S. Open in New York on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Sep 7, 2023

Naomi Osaka makes U.S. Open return. But not for tennis.

Naomi Osaka returned to the U.S. Open to participate in a forum on mental health and sports alongside former Olympian Michael Phelps.
Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final in New York on Sunday.
TENNIS
Sep 11, 2023

Novak Djokovic wins U.S. Open to capture 24th Grand Slam title

Djokovic matched Margaret Court's record haul of 24 Grand Slams victories.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson is aiming to end a 30-year drought for the Americans in Europe.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Sep 13, 2023

Zach Johnson ready for blame if U.S. should fall at Ryder Cup

Many of the U.S. players have visited the Marco Simone host course near Rome for a sneak peek at the challenging layout they will face.
Weightlifter Rim Un Sim is among the North Korean athletes scheduled to take part in this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 15, 2023

North Korea set to end sporting isolation at Asian Games in China

North Korea has 191 athletes signed up for the Asian Games, according to organizers.
Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton celebrates his try against Tonga during their 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match in Nantes, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 17, 2023

Johnny Sexton breaks records as Ireland eyes Springkoks at World Cup

The 38-year-old became his country's all-time top scorer in a convincing bonus-point win over Tonga.
North Korea's Ri Jo Guk (center) celebrates his goal against Taiwan in the men's soccer competition of the Asian Games in Jinhua, China, on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Sep 20, 2023

North Korea wins in international return as rival South hits nine

North Koreans are competing at the Hangzhou-hosted Asian Games in sports including athletics, gymnastics, basketball, football, boxing and weightlifting.
For all the scrutiny at home, many of China’s richest new grads are turning their backs on their lives abroad. Sometimes, they’re responding to the lure of China’s potential. Other times, it’s the alienation they feel overseas.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

China’s wealthy youth flock home as tensions with U.S. rise

For all the scrutiny at home, many of China’s richest new grads are turning their backs on their lives abroad.
Steve Kerr, who coached Team USA at the recent FIBA Basketball World Cup, is entering the final year of his contract with the Warriors.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Sep 26, 2023

Steve Kerr sees future at Warriors despite expiring contract

Kerr has led the Warriors to four NBA championships since taking over as coach in 2014.
A moment of silence is held for Robinson before the Orioles' game against the Nationals in Baltimore, Maryland, on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 27, 2023

Orioles' star third baseman Brooks Robinson dies at 86

Robinson won 16 Gold Gloves as the best at his position and was named an All-Star 18 times.
Students from Yanagawa High School and its Thai-affiliated junior high school pose for a photo during an exchange event in August.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Oct 2, 2023

Pioneering Thai-Japanese school aims to nurture global minds

Yanagawa Junior High School Thailand is affiliated with a school in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Singer Taylor Swift (right) watches the game with Donna Kelce, Travis’ mother, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 28, 2023

Travis Kelce's celebrity hits new level after brush with Taylor Swift

A spokesperson for Fanatics, the NFL’s official retailer, said that sales of Kelce’s jersey had spiked by 400% as of Monday.
Aoi Suzuki and her two sons head back down to a barbecue after watching the sun set.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 28, 2023

Traveling Okinawa with a broken heart

Writer and photographer Lance Henderstein reads us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.
Gamers play during the first day of Europe's leading digital games fair, Gamescom, in Cologne, Germany, in August 2019
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2023

Video game competitions should be in the Olympics

Esports is already among the world’s most popular competitive activities. Last year, the global audience totaled more than 500 million people.
Victor Wembanyama speaks to members of the media a day before his NBA debut on Tuesday in San Antonio, Texas.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 25, 2023

'Butterflies' for Victor Wembanyama ahead of NBA debut

The gifted No. 1 draft pick will be the center of attention across the league on Wednesday when he takes to the court in San Antonio's home opener.
The Spurs' Victor Wembanyama shoots over the Mavericks' Grant Williams during their game in San Antonio on Wednesday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 26, 2023

Victor Wembanyama scores 15 in NBA debut with Spurs

Wembanyama is a 19-year-old phenomenon considered to be the top NBA prospect since LeBron James.
Lionel Messi jerseys, in Inter Miami’s distinctive pink color, for sale at the Adidas store in Manhattan in September. In the span of three months, the soccer superstar has made Inter Miami’s eye-catching pink jersey the hottest piece of sports merchandise on the planet.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 2, 2023

Adidas and Puma eye 'sports culture' market as soccer courts fashion

The Women's World Cup showed huge unmet demand for soccer-related merchandise for women, with the trend extending to fashion-conscious fans of both sexes.
Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2023

Canadian claims he was used by Ottawa for gathering intel in China

Beijing's 2018 to 2021 detentions of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig had plunged bilateral relations into a deep freeze.
The floor is painted red for the NBA In-Season Tournament game between the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 3.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Dec 3, 2023

The NBA’s new in-season cup is bringing in viewers

Modeled after cup competitions in European football, the tourney is meant to add some spice to a sometimes bland stretch of the NBA calendar.
If we let writers and translators be replaced by AI tools such as ChatGPT, we lose control over language and how it shapes us.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 30, 2023

When we abandon language to AI, we abandon our humanity

Not only does AI threaten writers' and translators' jobs, giving it control over how we shape and are shaped by language is detrimental to who we are.
The Bulls' court is painted red for their NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Nets at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 3.
BASKETBALL
Dec 4, 2023

New in-season tournament delivering early returns for NBA

The NBA In-season Tournament was established to add spice to the early part of the season.
LeBron James and the Lakers are still in the running to win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
BASKETBALL
Dec 4, 2023

NBA's in-season tourney heads to quarterfinals with Vegas on horizon

The title game is on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas — where the finalists will be competing for the first NBA Cup and for the $500,000 in prize money per player.
Yujiro Nakajimaya's advice for players new to hockey is that you have to know what you want to achieve. Is it a professional career? Then you need to challenge yourself.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 9, 2023

Yujiro Nakajimaya: ‘Overcoming adversity is an art’

At a young age, this hockey-playing Hokkaido native left for Canada and ended his journey playing in the NHL.
Seihan Mori, chief priest of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writes "zei" (taxes), which was chosen on Tuesday as the kanji of the year.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2023

Talk of taxes spurs choice for Japan’s kanji of the year

The choice came as tax hikes and cuts were heavily covered in the news and discussed among policymakers.
A still from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2023

Big in Japan 2023: Anime, Murakami and The Legend of Zelda

Our guests tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance.
Dodgers owner Mark Walter puts a jersey on Shohei Ohtani during the superstar's introductory news conference on Thursday. The structure of Ohtani's contract could help the Dodgers get a full return on their investment in the two-way player.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 15, 2023

For the Dodgers, Ohtani's megadeal could end up being a bargain

The Dodgers have the makings of a juggernaut, and success on the field will allow the franchise to cash in on Ohtani’s transcendent marketability.
A Japanese monk rings the bell at his temple. The bell is rung 108 times on New Year's Eve, a way to cleanse ourselves of the worldly desires.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 29, 2023

The year’s end provides us a chance to consider the passage of time

There are plenty of Japanese words that express the passage of time, whether it's a matter of years or the blink of an eye.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear