| Feb 07 | Judo: Tachimoto sisters capture gold |
| Haruka and Megumi Tachimoto struck gold at the Paris Judo Grand Slam on Sunday, winning the women's 70-kg and 78-kg divisions, respectively. Haruka, the younger of the Tachimoto sisters and ranked fourth in the weight class, stunned France's Lucie Decosse by decision 2-1 after extra time, denying the two-time defending world champion what would have been her eighth title in Paris. "The biggest strength I've got is my heart," Haruka said after beating Decosse, the women's judoka of the year and the gold-medal favorite at this summer's London Olympics. (Japan Times) |
| Feb 07 | Olympics: Over 50% expect Olympic medal for Nadeshiko |
| A majority of people expect the Nadeshiko Japan women's soccer team to win a medal at the London Olympic Games scheduled to start on July 27, according to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun poll. Following Nadeshiko Japan's victory at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany last summer, 52 percent of respondents picked women's soccer as the most likely category for Japan to win a medal among women's events to be held at the Olympics. Respondents were allowed to pick multiple sports fields in the survey. Among other women's sports, the marathon was second most popular with 33 percent, followed by judo with 28 percent and volleyball with 18 percent. (Yomiuri) |
| Feb 06 | Sumo: Hakuho wins one-day tournament |
| Yokozuna Hakuho came back from the brink of defeat, toppling Goeido with a powerful throw in the final of a one-day exhibition tournament on Sunday. In the first one-off contest in two years after the meet was called off due to a match-fixing scandal last year, Hakuho exacted his revenge against Goeido to capture his first title in three years and third overall. Hakuho, who lost to Goeido in the final of the 2010 meet, took home the winner's prize of ¥2.5 million. (Japan Times) |
| Feb 03 | Basketball: Fan dribbles 370 km for tsunami-hit kids |
| Moved by the plight of children in Japan's tsunami-hit north, one diehard sports fan did something a bit different to help -- dribble a basketball 370 km (231 miles), through rain and snow, to bring sports back to damaged schools. A long-time basketball fan, Hiroshi Moriaka set out from the heart of Tokyo in mid-January to raise enough money to buy 100 basketballs for children in the northern Tohoku region, a vast swathe of which was devastated by the March 11, 2011 disaster and the ensuing nuclear crisis. Wearing long tights and basketball shorts, a thick cap pulled down over his ears, Moriaka dribbled the basketball from hand to hand as he walked, dodging puddles and, in some places, weaving a narrow path along snow-lined sidewalks. (Reuters) |
| Feb 03 | Baseball: Axed Giants general manager Kiyotake, Yomiuri face off in court |
| Both sides stood fast at their first court session Thursday as former Yomiuri Giants general manager Hidetoshi Kiyotake maintained his firing was illegal while the Yomiuri group countered that his public criticism of the team's chairman was defamatory. The Tokyo District Court litigation combines Kiyotake's suit and Yomiuri's countersuit. Kiyotake, who claims he was unfairly dismissed and discredited, has demanded that the baseball club, its chairman, Tsuneo Watanabe, and the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper group pay ¥62 million in damages and run an apology in the paper. (Japan Times) |
| Feb 02 | Sumo: Shamed Japan Sumo Association chairman back in post |
The discredited ex-chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, who stepped down in 2008 amid a drug-abuse scandal, is back in his job.
Former yokozuna -- grand champion -- Kitanoumi was elected by the board to return as chairman, tasked with increasing transparency in the embattled martial art.
Sumo's image has been seriously tarnished in recent years due in part to the death of a teenage apprentice after a violent training session.
Its credibility took a nose-dive in 2010 and 2011 as long-simmering allegations of bout-fixing bubbled over when evidence emerged as police probed another scandal involving wrestlers placing illegal baseball bets. (AFP) |
| Jan 29 | Soccer: Japan draw 0-0 with Qatar in practice match ahead of Olympic q'fier |
| Japan's Under-23s continued their preparations for their upcoming London Olympic qualifier with Syria with a 0-0 draw against Qatar in a practice match at their camp in Doha on Saturday. Kashima Antlers duo Yuya Osako and Kazuya Yamamura both started and Cerezo Osaka's Hiroshi Kiyotake came on as a substitute as all 21 of Takashi Sekizuka's squad were given a run out in the match played behind closed doors in the Qatari capital. (Mainichi) |
| Jan 27 | Horse racing: Hokkaido racehorse breeders bet on China |
 Business has been lean over the years for many of the horse breeders in Hokkaido, Japan's leading region for producing thoroughbreds, as the popularity of racing declines.
But breeders now see a ray of hope in China, where an increasing number of wealthy people are aspiring to own their own racehorses and thus acquire a new status symbol.
"The Chinese public is showing growing interest in racehorses," said Han Guocai, vice chairman of the China Horse Industry Association, who was on a visit to a horse ranch in the Hokkaido town of Shinhidaka in December.
"Gambling on horse races is banned in China, but that ban could be lifted in the future," he added while taking a close look at the sinewy bodies of some thoroughbreds. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 25 | Tennis: Clinical Murray overpowers weary Nishikori to book semi-final spot |
| Andy Murray reached his third successive Australian Open semi-final after easing past the challenge of Kei Nishikori. The world No 4 was rarely troubled by the Japanese, winning 6-3 6-3 6-1 in two hours and 12 minutes, as he maintained his smooth progress through the draw in Melbourne. Impressive: Andy Murray breezed into his third successive Australian Open semi-final Murray will have better days on serve - he got just 44% of first serves into play - but, that aside, there was little room for improvement as he moved into a last-four clash with either Novak Djokovic or David Ferrer. (Daily Mail) |
| Jan 23 | Tennis: Nishikori wins, makes history for Japan |
| Kei Nishikori keeps accumulating the tennis milestones for Japanese men, always remaining conscious of but not concerned about the expectations being heaped upon him. Nishikori notched another mark Monday when he became the first Japanese man to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open since the Open Era began in 1968 with an exhausting 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory against former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. "I never feel the pressure," he said. "You know, it's very honor to make a lot of history, to be the No. 1 player in Japan. But that never gives me the pressure." The 22-year-old Nishikori also matched the best Grand Slam performance ever by a Japanese male in the Open Era -- Shuzo Matsuoka's run to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1995. He's now got a chance to better Matsuoka's mark when he plays No. 4-ranked Andy Murray on Wednesday. (cbssports.com) |
| Jan 23 | Sumo: Hakuho calls time on Baruto's perfect record |
 Yokozuna Hakuho drew a line in the sand Sunday, beating ozeki Baruto to deny the Estonian goliath a 15th win on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Baruto was trying to become the first wrestler at sumo's No. 2 rank to win a tournament with a perfect 15-0 mark since Hakuho achieved the feat at the 2007 summer basho, but Hakuho had other plans for sumo's jolly giant in the grand finale at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
With his mother and wife in the audience looking on, Baruto came flying out at the charge and attempted to grab Hakuho's arm, but the yokozuna escaped his grasp before heaving Baruto out for a first loss in front of another full house. (Japan Times  ) |
| Jan 22 | Table tennis: Fukuhara captures national title |
| Table tennis icon Ai Fukuhara finally won a national singles title Saturday, defeating 2011 champion Kasumi Ishikawa four games to one in the final. Fukuhara, making her 13th appearance at the national championships, won 11-7, 11-7, 11-7, 3-11, 11-5 in the matchup many people were hoping to see on the penultimate day of action at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. She clinched victory when 18-year-old Ishikawa's backhand went long. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 20 | Sumo: Baruto slips past Kisenosato as Hakuho falls again |
| Estonian ozeki Baruto zeroed in on his first championship title with a crafty win over Kisenosato on Thursday, preserving his unbeaten record with three days left at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. Baruto (12-0) deployed a frowned-upon "henka" technique and dodged Kisenosato at the charge, quickly pulling him down to move two wins ahead of yokozuna Hakuho, who was mugged by fellow Mongolian Harumafuji at the 15-day Tokyo meet and slipped to 10-2. Former nightclub bouncer Baruto improved to 18-3 against Kisenosato, but his latest victory triggered murmurs of disapproval among spectators at Ryogoku Kokugikan, with some booing and jeering his slippery tactics. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 19 | Sumo: Hakuho rebounds; Baruto still leads |
 Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho relaunched his bid for a third consecutive title with a satisfying victory over Kisenosato on Wednesday, while Estonian ozeki Baruto also won handsomely to maintain his slender lead heading into the final stretch of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Kisenosato famously ended Hakuho's 63-bout winning streak at the 2010 Kyushu Basho, but there was only ever going to be one winner in the day's finale as the yokozuna quickly took control at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Looking to rebound from a shock first loss to Kakuryu on Tuesday, Hakuho wasted no time in grabbing Kisenosato's arm to set himself up for the kill, ushering out the ozeki to move into double digits at 10-1. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 18 | Sumo: Hakuho handed first defeat in New Year Basho |
| One false move and it was all over for Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho in a shock defeat to countryman Kakuryu at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday. Estonian ozeki Baruto emerged as the improbable sole leader after Hakuho suffered his first loss, improving his record to a perfect 10-0 with a dismantling of Toyonoshima at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. Hakuho was brought crashing back down to earth in the day's final after Kakuryu got his hand on the yokozuna's mawashi and spun him like a top before heaving his opponent over for his first "kinboshi," win against a yokozuna. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 17 | Baseball: 'Godzilla' may spare Japan, return to NYC instead |
| With or without Hideki Matsui, Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin is looking forward to opening Major League Baseball's 2012 season in Japan. The Athletics and Seattle Mariners open the regular season with a two-game series at Tokyo Dome on March 28-29. Many hoped the series would feature a showdown between Matsui and countryman Ichiro Suzuki, but Melvin said the A's likely won't be re-signing Matsui, a 37-year-old free agent. "Matsui was a great fit for us last year and we all loved having him on our team," Melvin said at a press conference on Monday to promote the series. "But this year it doesn't look like a fit for us based on the personnel we have going forward." (thenewstribune.com) |
| Jan 17 | Sumo: Hakuho, Baruto remain locked together for lead |
| It was business as usual for yokozuna Hakuho while ozeki Baruto also remained undefeated to share the lead in the title race at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday. Hakuho stayed on course in his bid for a third consecutive title and 22nd overall Emperor's Cup, tearing through little man Toyonoshima in buzzsaw fashion while Baruto made mincemeat of Takayasu to leave the pair at 9-0 with six days remaining at the 15-day meet. Ozeki Kisenosato remained in hot pursuit of the co-leaders at 8-1, but Kotooshu was tripped up by fellow ozeki Harumafuji for his second defeat to join four wrestlers, including Harumafuji, two off the pace. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 16 | Motor racing: Japan woman speedway racer killed in crash |
| A Japanese woman speedway rider whose glamourous presence in the pit lane revitalised the sport has been killed in a high-speed accident just months after her debut, Auto Race's official website said. Hiromi Sakai, 27, only took part in her first full Auto Race in July, when she and her 19-year-old colleague Maya Sato became the first women to compete in the sport for more than 40 years. Auto Race, or Oto Resu, is a Japanese version of speedway raced on tarmac rather than dirt, using powerful, stripped-down machines with no brakes and handlebars specially modified to make cornering easier. Gambling is allowed and top riders can make millions of dollars a year. (chicagotribune.com) |
| Jan 16 | Tennis: 'I might play until I'm 50!' - Japan's Date-Krumm |
| Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm, at 41 the oldest player at the Australian Open, said she might continue playing until 50 after being bundled out of the year's first grand slam on Monday. The former world number four became the second oldest player to compete in the Australian Open women's singles in the Open era behind Beverly Rae, who was 44 when she played in 1974. While Date-Krumm's time was fleeting, overpowered in the first round 6-3 6-2 by Greece's Eleni Daniilidou, it had been worth it, she told Reuters on Monday. (chicagotribune.com) |
| Jan 16 | Sumo: Dominating Baruto chalks up another victory |
| Baruto is building his case as the man standing between Hakuho and his third consecutive championship title - and the Estonian ozeki hasn't looked this dominant since his debut at sumo's second-highest rank. Baruto overpowered rank-and-filer Kitataiki on Sunday to remain undefeated with an 8-0 record in a share of the lead with the lone yokozuna as the second week of the 15-day basho kicked off in front of another full house at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Ozeki pair Kisenosato and Kotooshu remained one behind the co-leaders at 7-1. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 16 | Golf: Ishikawa mulling U.S. membership |
| Ryo Ishikawa has never started his season this early, playing in the Sony Open for the first time. It's the start of what should be a long year, even by the Japanese star's standards. Ishikawa is interested in taking up U.S. PGA Tour membership. He is one of the biggest draws, especially on the U.S. West Coast, and he already has received exemptions to the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, along with the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook. The first three months are pivotal. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 15 | Sumo: Hakuho, Baruto still tied for tourney lead at 7-0 |
| Before the strike of the final wooden clapper, Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho was already locked into his hyper-focused zenlike state. Kitataiki (1-6) became the object of his wrath in a controlled display of force once the day's final bout at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament got under way on Saturday. Hakuho improved his unblemished mark to 7-0, Baruto stayed in a dead heat with the yokozuna but Kotooshu was sent tumbling to his first defeat as week one of the 15-day meet wrapped up in front of a packed house at Ryogoku Kokugikan. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 14 | Sumo: Yokozuna Hakuho improves to 13-0 against Goeido |
| Yokozuna Hakuho outclassed Goeido to stay perfect through six days, leading an unbeaten group of three at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday. Hakuho made it 13-for-13 against Goeido in the day's finale, never giving his opponent a chance as the Mongolian bulldozed the second-ranked maegashira to his fifth defeat at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Hakuho was joined at the top by ozeki Baruto and Kotooshu, who barely broke a sweat in improving to 6-0. Trailing the trio - all foreigners - at 5-1 were ozeki Harumafuji and Kisenosato, sekiwake Kakuryu and a pair of No. 13 maegashira, Chiyonokuni and Tenkaiho. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 13 | Sumo: Hakuho swats down Miyabiyama on fifth day |
| Yokozuna Hakuho continued to dominate Miyabiyama on Thursday, improving to 5-0 at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament with an easy win over the hapless komusubi. Hakuho defeated Miyabiyama (0-5) for the 14th straight time, staying on course to win his 22nd Emperor's Cup as three ozeki - Harumafuji, Kotooshu and Baruto - kept up with the Mongolian, taking their records to 5-0. After throwing down Miyabiyama onto his rippling belly to the delight of the crowd at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, Hakuho now owns a career 23-4 record against the Fujishima wrestler. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 10 | Sumo: Kotoshogiku rebounds from opening-day defeat |
| Kotoshogiku rebounded from an opening day loss, ozeki debutant Kisenosato steamrolled another would-be opponent, and Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho ruled with an iron fist on the second day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday. Kotoshogiku, who suffered a shock defeat to Takekaze on Sunday, got a firm grip on Wakakoyu's (0-2) mawashi and bumped his opponent over the straw bales with his trademark "gaburiyori" belly forceout at Ryogoku Kokugikan to give the Sadagotake ozeki his first win of 2012. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 09 | Sumo: Kisenosato, Hakuho roll; Kotoshogiku falls at New Year basho |
 Newly promoted ozeki Kisenosato tossed aside Goeido to get off to a high-octane start, Kotoshogiku took a first-day spill and yokozuna Hakuho was his usual dominant self on the opening day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.
Kisenosato kept his eyes transfixed on Goeido as he blasted him with a torrent of shoves before sending his opponent fleeing over the edge at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
But Kotoshogiku, promoted to sumo's No. 2 rank after the autumn basho last year, never got rolling against Takekaze who slapped the ozeki down immediately after the face-off. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 09 | Baseball: Ichiro welcomes Iwakuma to Seattle |
| Ichiro Suzuki welcomed Hisashi Iwakuma to the Seattle Mariners with open arms Sunday, saying the right-hander's addition to the team was a "pleasant surprise." "Playing behind him in right (field) at the WBC, I thought he was the easiest pitcher to play defense for," Ichiro said after working out for two hours as the 38-year-old Seattle veteran tries to rebound from his worst season in the majors. "I never thought I'd be playing on the same team with him so this has been a pleasant surprise." Ichiro and Iwakuma, whose one-year contract with the Mariners was announced Friday, played together on Japan's World Baseball Classic-winning team in 2009. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 09 | Basketball: Sunflowers capture fourth-straight Empress' Cup |
| The JX Sunflowers once again proved that they are the queens of the floor, giving their opponent Denso Iris a tough lesson. The Sunflowers overwhelmed Denso in every phase of the game as they grabbed their fourth-straight Empress' Cup with a 78-52 win in the 78th All-Japan Championship final at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2 on Sunday afternoon. It was the second "four-peat" for the Sunflowers, who previously achieved the feat between 2001 and 2004 (then as the Japan Energy Sunflowers). Nichibo Hirano holds the record with five consecutive championships from 1965. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 07 | Sumo: Hatsu Basho - time for domestic rekishi to shine |
| For around a decade much has been made of the lack of domestic born talent in professional sumo. No Japanese sekitori has won a yusho now for six full years - the last local winner being then ozeki Tochiazuma back in January of 2006. And, in truth, when push comes to shove, despite a few "oh so nearly" one-offs, no local lad has really come close in the years since. In fact, of the 32 tournament winners' portraits that currently hang in the rafters at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, just one portraying a Japanese fighter remains, that of the aforementioned Tochiazuma. This portrait will be removed in a few days time when, following the continuous updating of the images, the winner of last year's September and November tourneys will replace the two oldest still in place. This in effect means another pair of these huge 80 kg images of Yokozuna Hakuho are set to appear just before the makunouchi action on Day 1, Jan. 8. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 06 | Olympics: Japan will aim for 15 golds: Takeda |
| Japan will target 15 gold medals at this summer's London Olympics, Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda said on Thursday. In his first address of the year to the JOC and the Japan Sports Association, Takeda said it is important for Japan to haul in the gold in London to improve domestic support for Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Summer Games. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Japan won nine gold medals. "We will aim for a minimum of 15 gold medals," Takeda said. "It's crucial for us to do well in London so we can drive up public support for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bid." (Japan Times) |
| Jan 04 | Toyo University wins ekiden in record time |
 Proving its depth, Toyo University won the annual Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay for the third time in four years with a stunning record time on Tuesday.
Toyo completed the 217.9-km round trip between Tokyo's Otemachi business district and the spa resort of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture in 10 hours, 51 minutes, 36 seconds, more than 8 minutes faster than the previous record of 10:59:51 set by Waseda University a year ago. Komazawa University finished second in 11:00:38. Meiji University came in third in 11:02:50 and Waseda was fourth 20 seconds farther back. (Japan Times) |
| Jan 04 | Baseball: Ichiro felt 'mental stress' last year |
| |
| Dec 31 | Sumo looks to rebound after scandal-tainted campaign |
 A: "Let's hit hard at the face-off and please just go with the flow after that."
B: "Gotcha! I'll put up a bit of a struggle but go with the flow."
Wink, wink.
This stranger than fiction text message exchange, just one of many which uncovered a veritable "Cheaters' Guide to Sumo," embodied the depths to which the ancient sport had fallen in 2011 - once again caught with its collective pants down, its sullied loincloth flapping in the wind.
To say the least, the match-fixing scandal that came to light on Feb. 2, 2011, would become the core issue. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 28 | Judo: Uchishiba indicted on rape charges |
 Prosecutors have filed rape charges against two-time Olympic judo champion Masato Uchishiba.
Tokyo prosecutors said the 33-year-old Uchishiba was formally charged Tuesday. He's accused of raping a teenager at a hotel in September after intoxicating her with an alcoholic drink and taking advantage of her inability to resist. Her identity is being withheld because she is a minor. Police arrested Uchishiba in early December. He has denied the accusation, saying the sex was consensual. If convicted, he could face more than three years in prison. (Japan Times ) |
| Dec 27 | Rugby: New Japan coach aims for top 10 spot |
| Eddie Jones, who was yesterday named as Japan's new head coach, vowed to make the Brave Blossoms one of the world's best rugby teams by the 2015 World Cup in England. Asian champions Japan's best world ranking was 12th in mid-2010. They are currently ranked 15th under All Blacks legend John Kirwan. Jones, whose mother is half Japanese and whose wife is Japanese, has been managing the country's Top League side Suntory Sungoliath since 2009. (The Star) |
| Dec 26 | Skating: Mao scores emotional national crown victory |
| Grief-stricken Mao Asada rode a Christmas Day wave of emotion to come from behind and capture the women's title at the national championships Sunday, securing a berth at the world championships in Nice, France, in March in the process. News photo With open arms: Mao Asada performs her free skate program at the national championships on Sunday in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. Mao won the event ahead of Akiko Suzuki. KYODO Courageously competing here in Osaka just weeks after the death of her mother Kyoko, the 21-year-old delivered a graceful, if not perfect skate, to beat Akiko Suzuki with a winning total of 184.07 points. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 23 | Wrestling: New Japan Pro-Wrestling hits 40 |
 High-impact slams, chokeholds and daredevil feats of athleticism aren't the usual way to celebrate a 40th birthday, but that's how New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) will be spending its big day.
The promotion company was founded by square-jawed wrestling legend Antonio Inoki in June 1972. Its signature event has been held annually on Jan. 4 at Tokyo Dome since 1992, but in 2007 they dubbed it "Wrestle Kingdom" after a video game.
For fans of the popular U.S.-based World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion and its dramatic soap-opera shenanigans, Japanese puroresu (pro-wrestling) might take a little getting used to. The basics are still the same: count-outs, muscleheads, bodyslams and matches that appear somewhat predetermined. The difference comes in the presentation - puroresu takes itself way more seriously. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 22 | Golf: Miyazato's money title on LET needs asterisk |
| If ever an award in golf needed an asterisk, it would be for Ai Miyazato winning the Ladies European Tour money list. She played in only two tournaments - both part of the LPGA Tour schedule - winning the Evian Masters and missing the cut at the Women's British Open. Because the Evian Masters purse dwarfs everything else on the LET, the Japanese star earned $487,500, which easily beat out Melissa Reid and Carolina Hedwall. Reid won twice in 19 starts on the European tour, while Hedwall won four times in 20 tournaments. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 21 | Soccer: Japan's former 'Batman' captain retires |
 Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Japan's captain at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, announced his retirement Monday to take up a course to become a sports executive, in a bid to lift the status of Japanese football.
The 34-year-old defender, who played for Austria's Salzburg in 2007 and 2008, said he would retire by turning down offers from several sides including his current J-League club Kobe Vissel and a team in Thailand for next season.
Miyamoto was nicknamed "Batman" after grabbing world media attention for wearing a black mask to cover his broken nose during the 2002 World Cup at home when the Blue Samurai reached the last 16. (AFP ) |
| Dec 20 | Rugby: Ex-Wallaby coach Jones 'picked for Japan job' |
| Former Australia coach Eddie Jones has been chosen to replace All Blacks legend John Kirwan as head coach of the Japan rugby team, media reports said Tuesday. The Japan Rugby Football Union recommended Jones as the sole candidate for the job when it convened a special meeting on Monday to review the structure of the national team, the reports said. "I haven't got any comment to make at this stage. Unfortunately I can't help you," 51-year-old Jones, who has been managing Japan's Top League side Suntory Sungoliath since 2009, told AFP. The union is expected to negotiate with Jones's current employer, Suntory, hoping to appoint him to the head coach's position in April after the Top League season ends in late February. (AFP) |
| Dec 19 | Basketball: Don't expect Japanese basketball to embrace a real, workable plan |
| Every few months a false sense of hope surfaces on the blogosphere and in the mainstream media, where optimists peddle the message that Japan's basketball "leaders" finally have their act together, that a new men's pro league will, ahem, finally replace the outdated, increasingly irrelevant JBL and the ever-growing bj-league. Nothing could be further from the truth. The new process will last a few years, at least until 2015, it says in the latest publicly released documents. With years to come up with something concrete, the latest talk of a new league is highlighted (lowlighted?) by the insistence by the Japan Basketball Association that it wouldn't be a purely pro league, that a gradual phasing in of pro-style teams would be the norm. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 18 | Sumo: New ozeki Kisenosato thinks big |
| After entering the sumo world at age 15 and quickly rising through the ranks, there were high expectations for Kisenosato. But after reaching komusubi at 20, the Ibaraki Prefecture native seemed to have plateaued. Five years later, after a strong performance in November's Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, Kisenosato was finally promoted to ozeki, sumo's second-highest rank. Kisenosato's strengths are his strong thrusts and force-outs. But due to a lack of flexibility in his ankles and knees, he can be vulnerable to tackles. His sensitive nature, shown by his creased brow and repeated blinking when he gets nervous, makes him tense up at crucial moments, often resulting in a loss. (Asahi) |
| Dec 18 | Judo: Wrestling with the serious issue of rape |
| After two-time Olympic champion Masato Uchishiba was arrested Dec. 6 on suspicion of raping a female member of a university judo team, Japanese TV personality and the former first lady of Indonesia, Dewi Sukarno, defended the gold medalist on her blog. She personally called the National Police Agency to find out the name of Uchishiba's lawyer and in the process discovered that the case was being handled by the NPA's criminal investigation section. "Was the incident that serious?" she asks. According to the police, the victim, a minor, went out drinking with the rest of the Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare's judo team and their coach, Uchishiba, one night in September after a training session in Tokyo. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 15 | Baseball: Kiyotake files lawsuit against Giants, Yomiuri |
 Former Yomiuri Giants general manager Hidetoshi Kiyotake has filed a lawsuit against the baseball club, the club's chairman and The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, claiming he was dismissed from the post "without reasonable grounds" over a press conference he held last month.
Kiyotake, who concurrently served as the Giants' executive managing director, representative and general manager, filed the lawsuit Tuesday with the Tokyo District Court, demanding the club, its parent company and Giants Chairman Tsuneo Watanabe pay a total of 62.2 million yen in compensation and run apology advertisements.
Watanabe also serves as The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings' chairman of the board and editor in chief. (Yomiuri ) |
| Dec 13 | Marathon: Blind 11-year-old girl from Japan finishes Honolulu marathon with tears and cheers |
 Wakana Ueda followed the sounds of applause, of chanting and of her mother's voice as she crossed the finish line of the Honolulu Marathon on December 11.
The blind, 11-year-old girl from Toyota City, Japan, had tears in her eyes as she reunited with her family after 14 hours, 3 minutes and 12 seconds since the start of the race, Hawaii News Now reports.
The girl's first marathon was not without its difficulties: the physical strains of the course almost derailed her at several points - but determination and encouragement from her team carried her through the finish line strung with flower petals. (nydailynews.com) |
| Dec 13 | Soccer: Japan striker suspended for injuring teammate |
| Japan international striker Genki Haraguchi has been suspended from activities at his J-League club Urawa Reds for a week after injuring a teammate in a scuffle on a training ground. The 20-year-old kicked defender Takuya Okamoto when they were separated by a coach after getting into a shoving match after training at a facility in Urawa, the club said on its website. Okamoto, 19, dislocated his left shoulder. The fight broke out when Okamoto, apparently jokingly, kicked a ball point-blank at Haraguchi as about 100 Urawa supporters looked on. (AFP) |
| Dec 13 | Soccer: Barcelona wary of jet lag after touching down in Japan |
| Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has urged his players to fight through jet lag and become world champions for a second time at the Club World Cup in Japan this week. The Spanish glamour side arrived in Yokohama late Sunday night having boarded a flight immediately after beating archrival Real Madrid 3-1 in the Spanish League on Saturday, with little time to acclimatize before Thursday's semifinal against Al Sadd of Qatar at Nissan Stadium. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 12 | Badminton: 16-year-old Okuhara becomes youngest national badminton champion |
| Nozomi Okuhara became the youngest champion ever at the national badminton championships Sunday at 16 years, 8 months, when five-time winner Eriko Hirose withdrew about 10 minutes before the women's singles final due to acute gastroenteritis. Okuhara also became the first high school player to win the event since 18-year-old Aiko Miyamura achieved the feat in 1989. "This hasn't sunk in yet because I didn't play today, but I'm happy," said Okuhara, who goes to Omiya Higashi High School in Saitama Prefecture. (Japan Times) |
| Dec 09 | Skating: Japanese skater Mao Asada withdraws from Grand Prix final due to mother's illness |
 Two-time world champion Mao Asada of Japan has pulled out of the figure skating Grand Prix final after her mother became ill.
A statement from the Japan Skating Federation on Friday said Asada was in Quebec City preparing for the event when she decided to return home after learning that her mother's condition had worsened.
There were no details about the mother's illness. (Washington Post ) |
| Dec 09 | Olympics: Is Japan's 2020 Olympic bid going up in smoke? |
 Visitors to Japan are often surprised to see the kind of cigarette advertising that has long been outlawed in most countries. Ads at sporting events, in particular, seem especially out of place.
At volleyball matches, which are a big deal in Japan, many of the fans are screaming teenage girls, but one tobacco company's ads are as ubiquitous as the cute mascots, inflatable clappers and TV cameras that broadcast Japan's games in prime time.
Though Japan has won nothing on the world stage since 1976, but finished fourth in women's and 10th in men's events this year, it has hosted the World Cup of Volleyball every four years since 1977, thanks in part to funding from sponsors such as Japan Tobacco.
Arenas are packed for Japan's games, but empty -- sometimes fewer than 100 fans -- for higher-ranked teams from the United States, Italy, Brazil, Russia, China and elsewhere. (CNN) |