Former Nippon Ham Fighters skipper Hideki Kuriyama, the one-time mentor of American League MVP Shohei Ohtani, will be the new manager of the Japan national team, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. Kuriyama’s appointment was reportedly approved d…
Olympic bid city Sapporo cuts budget for 2030 Winter Games by 20%
The northern Japanese city of Sapporo announced Monday a significant cut to its projected hosting costs for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, slashing the budget by 90 billion yen ($790 million) or 20 percent of its initial estimate. Sapporo, w…
Tokyo Games’ uniforms for 28,000 volunteers remain unused
Uniforms for about 28,000 volunteers at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer remain unused, a recent Kyodo News survey found, after many pulled out over scheduling conflicts due to the one-year postponement of the games and fears over the C…
Soccer: Vortis down mourning Shonan, take survival race to last day
Tokushima Vortis on Saturday took the J-League first division’s three-way battle for survival to the final day after a Takeru Kishimoto second-half goal secured a 1-0 win away to direct rivals Shonan Bellmare. Shonan, whose 23-year-old Brazilian midfie…
Soccer: Nadeshiko Japan lose 1st game under new manager Ikeda
Japan’s women lost their first game under new manager Futoshi Ikeda on Thursday, falling 2-0 to Iceland in an international soccer friendly. In a game held in the Netherlands, Nadeshiko Japan went behind in the 14th minute when Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir…
Soccer: Sendai manager Teguramori leaves after relegation to J2
Vegalta Sendai manager Makoto Teguramori has left his role following his side’s relegation from the J-League first division, the club said Tuesday. The 54-year-old, who was in charge of Sendai in 2008-2013 and guided them to their best-ever second-plac…
Baseball: Buffaloes’ Yamamoto wins 1st Sawamura Award
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 23-year-old ace pitcher of the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes and the Olympic gold medal-winning Japan national team, won the Eiji Sawamura Award as Japan’s most impressive starting pitcher for the first time on Monday. …
Baseball: Carp slugger Suzuki’s bid for MLB deal poised to start
Slugging Hiroshima Carp outfielder Seiya Suzuki’s plan to play in Major League Baseball moved a step closer to fruition on Sunday when MLB told its 30 clubs they will have until Dec. 22 to sign the 27-year-old through the posting system. Suzuki’s 30-da…
Baseball: Yoshida caps Orix’s winning rally in Japan Series opener
Masataka Yoshida’s ninth-inning RBI double capped a three-run rally off closer Scott McGough as the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes beat the Central League champion Yakult Swallows 4-3 in Japan Series Game 1 on Saturday. Yoshida, who had twice c…
Japan to get world’s 1st operational bus-train dual-mode vehicle
The world’s first operational dual-mode vehicle, essentially a bus capable of running on roads and railway tracks, is set to enter service next month in the Shikoku region, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Asa Seaside Railway Corp. in Tokushi…