September 27, 2012
World number one Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the Pan Pacific Open citing chronic fatigue while Maria Sharapova was stunned by Samantha Stosur as the event lost its top two seeds on Sept. 27.
September 27, 2012
Saori Yoshida is aiming to more than take down her opponents at this year's wrestling world championships. The 55-kilogram Olympian also hopes to overtake a legendary wrestler's record by winning a combined 13th consecutive gold from the Olympics and world championships.
September 24, 2012
This is the last installment of London-based writer Brian Mallon's column on the Ultimate Fighting Championship for The Asahi Shimbun. Mallon has been a martial arts practitioner, UFC fan and journalist for many years.
September 24, 2012
Asian champions Japan will face the fire of World Cup semi-finalists Wales in a two-match home test series next June, the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) said on Sept. 24.
September 24, 2012
Japan's figure skaters will pull out of next month's Cup of China in Shanghai unless given cast-iron safety guarantees, the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) said on Sept. 23.
September 22, 2012
Japan’s floundering economy has prompted the shutdown of many corporate sports teams over the past several decades. The latest: the track and field team long sponsored by S&B Foods Inc.
September 21, 2012
Japan had its share of unexpected—and in some cases unprecedented—medal moments at the recent London Olympics.
September 19, 2012
It was a big letdown for Akihiro Yamaguchi when he failed to qualify for the London Olympics.
September 19, 2012
China has withdrawn its badminton players from this week's Japan Open and a Japanese cycling team has been kicked out of a race in China amid a worsening political crisis over disputed islands.
September 18, 2012
On a hot summer day in late August, Akihito Yamada finished up rugby practice with the Panasonic Wild Knights and headed straight to Yokohama Stadium, where he strapped on a football helmet and made his gridiron debut with Nojima Sagamihara Rise.
September 17, 2012
With rugby sevens making its debut as an official Olympic sport in Rio de Janiero in 2016, Japan's newly formed women's national team is off and running for their quest to qualify for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad.
September 16, 2012
Japanese teenager Akihiro Yamaguchi set a world record in the 200-meter breaststroke on Sept. 15 at a national swimming meet, nearly breaking the 2 minutes, 7 seconds barrier.
September 13, 2012
This is the 14th installment of professional golfer Ryo Ishikawa's column for The Asahi Shimbun, which appears every other Thursday.
September 12, 2012
As the world’s No. 1 supplier of prosthetic limbs used in sports, Icelandic medical equipment manufacturer Össur not only supported athletes at the just-completed London Paralympics, it is also providing a huge boost to Iceland's economy.
September 10, 2012
This is the 10th installment of London-based writer Brian Mallon's column on the Ultimate Fighting Championship for The Asahi Shimbun. Mallon has been a martial arts practitioner, UFC fan and journalist for many years. The biweekly feature appears every other Monday.
September 06, 2012
As he led Team Japan into London's Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games, flag-bearer Keiichi Kimura was positively beaming.
September 05, 2012
Tomotaro Nakamura was born without arms. When he was just 5 years old, his parents enrolled him in swimming classes to make sure he wouldn't drown if he fell into a body of water.
September 04, 2012
A Japanese paraplegic athlete with a host of wheelchair marathon victories to her name hopes for another on Sept. 9 at the London Paralympic Games, four years after an injury forced her out of the race in Beijing.
September 03, 2012
LONDON--Oscar Pistorius apologized on Sept. 3 for the timing of his complaints about a rival's blades following his defeat in the Paralympic 200-meter final, but insisted that officials need to change the rules to prevent some runners from getting an unfair advantage.
September 01, 2012
Japan coach Eddie Jones has tipped Sonny Bill Williams to be a knockout hit in Japanese rugby after the boxing All Black's big-money loan to Panasonic Wild Knights.