Tomokazu Harimoto wins Bulgaria Open for first title of season
Tomokazu Harimoto defeated China's Zhao Zihao in the men's final of the Bulgaria Open on Sunday, claiming his first title on the ITTF World Tour this season. After losing a close exchange in the fifth game, the top-seeded Harimoto came back strong and wrapped up ...
Mima Ito, Hina Hayata come up short in final at world championships
FP-JIJI Mima Ito and Hina Hayata finished as runners-up at the table tennis world championships on Sunday, losing the women's doubles final against China's Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha 4-2. Ito and Hayata, bronze medalists at the last world championships in 2017, were attempting to become ...
Hina Hayata, Mima Ito prevail in all-Japan semifinal at worlds
Hina Hayata and Mima Ito became the first Japanese women's doubles pair in 48 years to reach the table tennis world championship finals with a victory over compatriots Honoka Hashimoto and Hitomi Sato on Saturday. Hayata and Ito, who claimed bronze at the last worlds ...
Katsumi Asaba is having a good laugh
One of Japan's top art directors brings together the mischievous, the comical and the jokers for an exhibition to prove "Humor is the heart of communication."
Hosting bids open for Tokyo 2020 table tennis qualification events
The International Table Tennis Federation announced Thursday it has opened the bidding process for cities to host two qualifying events next year for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The events, dubbed "Rise2Tokyo," consist of a team qualification tournament and a singles qualification tournament to take place ...
Chinese table tennis apparatus lays down warning to coaches ahead of 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Chinese table tennis has gone on a war footing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, vowing to dock coaches their pay and demote them if they fail to keep the country at the pinnacle of the sport. China tops the men's, women's and team world rankings, ...
Retired table tennis star Ai Fukuhara announced Wednesday she is pregnant and expecting her second child next spring. "I have been blessed with a second child," the 30-year-old Fukuhara said on her official blog, adding she wants to contribute to the future of children, as ...
Ambitious T. League begins play at Ryogoku Kokugikan
With the lofty ambition of eventually becoming the world's best table tennis circuit, the T. League kicked off competition at a lavishly decorated Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Wednesday night. The organizers staged a glitzy opening show, featuring choreographed lighting and videos played on screens ...
Ai Fukuhara decided it was right time to step away
There were no traits of a crying baby. Instead of shedding tears, which was her trademark in childhood, Ai Fukuhara kept smiling and repeated the words of appreciation as the 29-year-old table tennis icon spoke to the media on Tuesday, two days after announcing ...
Ai Fukuhara, a four-time Olympian in women's table tennis for Japan, announced on her blog Sunday that she is retiring from competition. One of Japan's most popular athletes, Fukuhara rose to fame as a child prodigy. She competed at the Olympics from 2004 to 2016, ...
Mima Ito, Tomokazu Harimoto claim singles titles at Japan Open
Teenagers Mima Ito and Tomokazu Harimoto made the last day of the Japan Open a memorable one for home fans as they claimed both singles crowns for the host nation on Sunday. In the women's singles final, 17-year-old Ito beat two-time world junior champ Wang ...
Kasumi Ishikawa leads big day for Japanese women at German Open
Kasumi Ishikawa beat South Korea's Seo Hyo-won 4-1 to win the German Open women's singles title on Sunday, while compatriots Mima Ito and Hina Hayata won the women's doubles final. Ishikawa, Japan's top-ranked player and the world No. 3, beat the 14th-seeded Seo 11-9, 10-12, ...
