J. League Jul 5, 2020
Pandemic helps soccer star strike new balance at home
by Mai Yoshikawa
While soccer has been on hiatus, Yoshito Okubo has embraced the domestic life.
People | WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN? May 7, 2020
Tsubasa Endoh overcomes obstacles to fulfill dream of playing soccer abroad
by Matthew Hernon
Attacking midfielder uses the myriad setbacks he has experienced in his career as motivation to succeed in life.
General Apr 6, 2020
Coronavirus may take spit, sweaty towels, handshakes out of sports
As the coronavirus brings the international sports calendar to a grinding halt, there are some long-standing habits which could change forever once competition resumes. Saliva to take the shine off swing bowling has been a reliable friend to fast bowlers throughout the history of cricket. But ...
Commentary / World Feb 29, 2020
A letter to Lionel Messi: Stop, please!
by Cesar Chelala
The great soccer player and humanitarian is making it hard on writers to come with new ways to compliment him.
Olympics Jan 27, 2020
Soccer player Shiho Shimoyamada helps blaze trail for Japan's LGBT athletes
by Andrew McKirdy
Soccer player Shiho Shimoyamada has been encouraged by the response she has received since she became Japan's first openly gay professional athlete in February last year. Now, with this summer's Tokyo Olympics focusing the world's sporting attention on Japan, she is hoping that attitudes towards ...
Asia Pacific Dec 16, 2019
China accused Mesut Ozil Monday of being "deceived by fake news" and said he should visit Xinjiang to see for himself after the Arsenal soccer player decried the treatment of the region's Uighur minority. Ozil, a German national of Turkish origin, condemned China's crackdown on ...
National Oct 8, 2019
Japan's Rising Sun flag: A bone of contention for South Korea
by Reiji Yoshida
Late last month, South Korean lawmaker An Min-suk of the ruling Democratic Party stood before the media in Seoul to explain a resolution proposed in the National Assembly. Displayed on the podium before him were illustrations of two flags: Japan's Rising Sun, which portrays a ...
Business Oct 1, 2019
Japan firms fight the frugal retail psyche with AI-driven pricing and other tricks
by Kaori Kaneko
After years of soggy inflation and a long reign by Japan's tightfisted shoppers, businesses are adopting new methods to lift prices, from artificial intelligence to simple packaging tweaks. Despite many rounds of stimulus, policymakers have failed to jolt households out of the deflationary mindset that ...
Soccer / World Cup Sep 11, 2019
Japan opens World Cup qualifying with 2-0 away win against Myanmar
Shoya Nakajima's and Takumi Minamino's first-half goals led Japan to a 2-0 win away over Myanmar as the Samurai Blue opened their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a victory. Japan picked apart the Myanmar defense early and often, slowed nearly as much by Thuwanna ...
Business Jul 25, 2019
In digital era, Chelsea's tie-up with Yokohama Rubber blazes new trail in Japan
by Dan Orlowitz
For Chelsea supporters, the club's iconic blue uniform represents 114 years of history, dozens of domestic and continental trophies and a reputation as one of English soccer's established giants. For Yokohama Rubber, it represents global exposure, whether it's to the English Premier League's billions of ...
Soccer | HEISEI ICONS Mar 27, 2019
Kazuyoshi Miura: Flashy 'King Kazu' steered soccer's rise
by Dan Orlowitz
It could be said that no team sport in Japan has outpaced soccer's growth through the Heisei Era, and 52-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura is the only player who can claim to have been a part of that growth throughout.
Asia Pacific Mar 12, 2019
'I'm an Aussie': Refugee soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi granted Australian citizenship
A refugee soccer player who fled Bahrain and was held in a Thai prison for months during a tense extradition standoff between Australia and the Gulf state was granted Australian citizenship on Tuesday. Hakeem al-Araibi, 25, left Bahrain in 2014 after he was accused of ...