The northern Japan city of Sapporo intends to review its bid for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2030, looking to reduce costs by up to 90 billion yen ($790 million) or 20 percent of the total, sources familiar with the plan said Saturday. Sappo…
Baseball: Young arms lead league champs in final stage openers
Japan’s league champs each won Game 1 of its Climax Series playoffs final stage on Wednesday, the Pacific League’s Orix Buffaloes beating the Lotte Marines 1-0 behind a four-hit shutout from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the Central League’s Yakult Swallows …
Soccer: Nadeshiko Japan to face Iceland in 1st game under Ikeda
Japan women will take on Iceland in their first international game under new manager Futoshi Ikeda on Nov. 25 in Almere, the Netherlands, the Japan Football Association said Tuesday. Nadeshiko Japan will face their Dutch rivals four days later in The H…
JETRO launches trial sales of Nara-origin goods in Singapore
The Japan External Trade Organization started trial sales in Singapore of products from Nara Prefecture in western Japan jointly with Nanto Bank, based in the prefectural capital. Products made by nine companies based in the prefecture, such as daily g…
Baseball: Carp slugger Suzuki to be made available for MLB: report
Hiroshima Carp slugger Seiya Suzuki will be made available to big-league clubs via the posting process this offseason, MLB.com said Friday citing a source. Suzuki batted cleanup for gold medal-winning Japan at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. He led the…
Tennis: Osaka back in training following break after U.S. Open
Japan’s Naomi Osaka said Friday on Twitter that she has returned to training after taking a break since her third-round exit at the U.S Open in September. “Kinda rusty but feels good to be back. I really want to say thank you everyone for all the kind …
Baseball: Ito sends Fighters manager Kuriyama out on winning note
Rookie Hiromi Ito struck out nine while allowing a run over seven innings to secure a fifth-place Pacific League finish for the Nippon Ham Fighters in a 5-3 win over the playoff-bound Lotte Marines on Saturday. The win at Zozo Marine Stadium ended mana…
CORRECTED: UPDATE3: ANA to cut workforce by 9,000 in 5 years, 2nd yr of net loss likely
ANA Holdings Inc. said Friday it will slash around 9,000 employees within five years as the Japanese airline expects to remain in the red for the second straight year with a 100 billion yen ($880 million) net loss in fiscal 2021, underscoring the sever…
Soccer: Nadeshiko Japan to play Netherlands in 1st game under Ikeda
The Japan national women’s team will play the Netherlands in a Nov. 29 friendly in The Hague, the Japan Football Association said Friday, announcing the first game under new manager Futoshi Ikeda. Nadeshiko Japan went out in the first round of the knoc…
Baseball: Swallows capture 8th Central League pennant
The Yakult Swallows captured their eighth Central League championship and first since 2015 on Tuesday in manager Shingo Takatsu’s second season at the helm. The title marked the second time in team history that the Swallows have won a championship a ye…