Olympics Jul 22, 2021
Elegy for a heartbroken Japanese Olympic medalist
by Ken Belson
Despite earning a bronze in the marathon at the Tokyo Games in 1964, Kokichi Tsuburaya was plunged into a downward spiral until his tragic end.
Summer Olympics Jul 15, 2021
When Tokyo unveiled its modernity to the world at the 1964 Olympics
by Rob Gilhooly
The games confirmed Japan’s postwar re-integration into the international fold, but also served as a symbol of its modernization.
Gymnastics Mar 19, 2021
Kiyoko Ono, Tokyo Olympic medal-winning women's gymnast, dies at 85
Kiyoko Ono, a member of Japan's bronze medal-winning women's team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and a former member of Japan's upper house, died on Saturday from the coronavirus, the Liberal Democratic Party announced Thursday. She was 85. Ono became infected while being treated for ...
Olympics / Summer Olympics / Volleyball Dec 7, 2020
Kinuko Idogawa, the main attacker of Japan's 1964 Olympic gold medal-winning women's volleyball team, died at the age of 81 of a brain hemorrhage Friday, sources close to her said Sunday. The Japan team, who became famous as the "Witches of the Orient," became national ...
Olympics Apr 26, 2020
Author of book on 1964 Olympics sees parallels in Tokyo 2020's struggles
by Dave Hueston
Roy Tomizawa interviewed over 70 athletes from 16 nations in his quest to chronicle Japan's recovery through the lens of the first Tokyo Games.
National Dec 18, 2019
Hiroshima hibakusha and a father of 3/11 tsunami victim among Tokyo Olympic torchbearers
A father who lost his 12-year-old daughter in the 2011 tsunami, a centenarian A-bomb survivor and a group of people who missed their chance to participate in the last Tokyo Olympics torch relay due to a typhoon are among those tapped to carry the ...
National / History Aug 22, 2019
Pioneering Japanese interpreting team opened nation's eyes to disabled athletes at '64 Paralympics
by Ryusei Takahashi
Foreign residents and wheelchairs — much less Paralympic athletes — were a rare sight in Japan in 1964. Preparations to host the Summer Olympics and the second-ever Paralympics were well underway. Stadiums, highways and hotels were being built at breakneck speeds, cutting-edge photographic and timing ...
Basketball | HOOP SCOOP Aug 2, 2019
Bill Bradley details Chiune Sugihara's heroism in award-winning radio documentary
by Ed Odeven
Bill Bradley, captain of the U.S. gold medal-winning basketball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, was recently involved in another winning (and historically important) project with ties to Japan. And it has nothing to do with basketball. The weekly satellite radio program "American Voices with Senator ...
Olympics Jul 26, 2019
Olympic legend Billy Mills starts writing monthly newsletter in run-up to 2020 Games
by Ed Odeven
The excitement that marked the official one-year countdown to the 2020 Tokyo Games is real. A vivid expression of human joy that exists in locales near and far. Not surprisingly, Olympic running legend Billy Mills is one of the most excited individuals. Mills marked the occasion ...
National Mar 25, 2019
Tsunami-hit Ishinomaki to return 1964 Tokyo Olympics cauldron lent as symbol of 3/11 recovery
The city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture held a ceremony Sunday to return the 1964 Tokyo Olympics cauldron, after its four years on display to recognize the area's recovery from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The Japan Sport Council offered the cauldron to the ...
More Sports / Volleyball Aug 7, 2018
Iconic coach Hiroshi Toyoda to enter International Volleyball Hall of Fame
Former Japan Volleyball Association managing director Hiroshi Toyoda will be inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame, the association said Tuesday. Originally from Yamaguchi Prefecture, Toyoda, 84, had a distinguished career as a player and coach. A specialist in exercise physiology, Toyoda's introduction of weight ...
More Sports / Judo Oct 21, 2017
Judo icon Yoshihiro Uchida wants to return to Tokyo at age 100 for 2020 Olympics
A second-generation Japanese-American man who coaches judo in California is hoping to return to Japan for his second Tokyo Olympics in 2020 when he will be 100 years old. Yoshihiro Uchida, who took part in the 1964 Summer Games as coach of the U.S. judo ...