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July 04, 2025
 

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SOCCER

Travel advisories, declining visitor numbers from key countries and stricter border enforcement by the Trump administration have cast doubt on tourism gains for Los Angeles, which is hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and also the 2028 Olympics.
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2025
Is LA throwing a world cup party no one will attend?
At a time when the U.S. should be preparing to roll out the welcome mat to the world, President Trump’s erratic immigration policies and rhetoric are scaring tourists away.
Nozomu Hagihara reaches the goal at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday after dribbling a soccer ball for about 2,000 kilometers across India.
JAPAN
May 18, 2025
Japanese man dribbles soccer ball 2,000 km across India
Hagihara, who is working to contribute to Indian society through soccer, plans to apply for a Guinness World Record for the longest journey dribbling a soccer ball.
Next year’s FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., will test whether America — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2025
The White House just kicked a World Cup own-goal
Next year’s FIFA World Cup will test whether the U.S. — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
Dutch Police officers patrol on Dam Square in Amsterdam on Saturday.
WORLD / Society
Nov 10, 2024
The attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam were unlike usual hooliganism
Supporters of Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv were targeted for beatings in the early hours of Friday following a match with Amsterdam's Ajax.
Since the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008, Manchester City has gone from a middling team to winning six of the last seven Premier League titles, an unprecedented success in over 130 years of English soccer.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2024
Soccer needs to avoid a tyranny of the rich
A dispute between the Premier League and Manchester City has both sides claiming victory.
Machida Zelvia players after their team was defeated by Kawasaki Frontale in Machida, western Tokyo, on Oct. 5
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 16, 2024
Soccer club Machida Zelvia files complaints over alleged defamation
The number of new comments believed to be defaming players and the team's manager sometimes tops 1,000 a day, a lawyer said.
Soccer player Junya Ito has filed a criminal complaint against two women and a weekly magazine for suspected defamation, saying that the magazine article on his alleged sexual assault has damaged his reputation and credibility.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 10, 2024
Soccer player Ito appeals against nonindictment of two women
Police had sent to public prosecutors papers on the two women for allegedly making false allegations against two men including Ito, but both women were not indicted.
Junya Ito (right) plays in a friendly match between Machida Zelvia and Stade de Reims at the Machida Gion Stadium in Tokyo on July 31.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 9, 2024
Japanese soccer player Ito avoids indictment over sexual assault
Two women filed a complaint in January accusing the 31-year-old soccer player of making them drunk and sexually assaulting them.
Footballer Kaishu Sano has been released after being arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 30, 2024
Japan footballer Kaishu Sano released after sexual assault arrest
It is not clear whether the case against the 23-year-old, who recently signed for top-flight German side Mainz, has been dropped.
Professional soccer player Kaishu Sano has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her 30s at a Tokyo hotel.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 17, 2024
Japan soccer player Sano arrested for alleged sexual assault
The 23-year-old and two acquaintances were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in her 30s at a Tokyo hotel.
Junya Ito in Reims, France in March.
SOCCER
Jul 2, 2024
Prosecutors likely to drop sexual assault case against Japan midfielder Junya Ito
Investigators have raised suspicions that the two women filed a criminal complaint based on false or incorrect accounts, sources said.
Brazil's Ronaldo (left) celebrates his goal against Turkey with teammate Ronaldinho during a World Cup match in Ulsan, South Korea, in June 2002.
SOCCER
May 8, 2024
Is Brazil still the land of soccer?
"We're at a low point. We used to have more top-quality athletes," the late Pele's eldest son, Edinho, said recently.
Chelsea defender Alfie Gilchrist celebrates after scoring the club's sixth goal during their English Premier League football match against Everton on April 15.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2024
Arsenal? Liverpool? Chelsea? Help me pick my 'football' team
This writer’s been in England for six years. It’s time he backed a club.
A drone soccer match is demonstrated at CES in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
SPORTS
Jan 12, 2024
Buzz, bump, goal! Drone soccer aims high at CES
There was a loud whirring sound at CES in Las Vegas this week. It wasn't a swarm of insects, but instead a demonstration of drone soccer.
Data has shown that the United States women's team — which has routinely been targeted for online abuse over the years — was subjected to the most abuse during the 2023 Women's World Cup.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Dec 12, 2023
One in five players at Women's World Cup suffer online abuse: study
Nearly 50% of the verified online abuse was homophobic, sexual or sexist in nature.
Fans of the Malmo soccer team during a match against Elfsborg at the Eleda stadium in Malmo, Sweden, on Nov. 12. While most of Europe’s leagues engage in a Sisyphean quest to source as much money as possible, Sweden has chosen a different model. But its rewards come with risk.
SOCCER
Nov 21, 2023
Business booming after Swedish soccer puts fans before finances
The story surrounding the game is one of rejecting orthodoxy, of asking why sports exist and whom they exist for — but also how hard it is to stand alone.
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.
English and Italian footballers observe a minute of silence for the victims of a deadly shooting in Brussels and of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine, at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023
Qatar-owned network altered broadcasts to avoid war references
Instead of tributes and moments of silence at recent games, beIN broadcasts aired extended studio discussions that hewed solely toward soccer.
Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, first came to Japan in 1990 as the bass player in Beats International. He says he shares a similar sense of silliness with Japanese people, and that is part of what keeps drawing him back to the country.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 13, 2023
Fatboy Slim: 'Let's just be stupid for one night'
The DJ shares his love of soccer and silliness with fans during his two-city Japan tour.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 4, 2023
Probe launched over 'serious' Kumamoto soccer team bullying
A member of the renowned school team was allegedly forced to kneel on the ground in apology while naked as he was filmed by senior members of the team.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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