SOCCER

BIZ BRIEF: NEC wins ICT system contract for another ...
NEC Corp. has been selected to provide information and communication technology (ICT) for a third soccer stadium in Brazil, part of its continuing support of smart city...
SOCCER/ Showing red card to racism easier said than ...
AC Milan Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari walks past Pro Patria players in Busto Arsizio on Jan. 3. A friendly between AC Milan and lower division club Pro Patria was called off after racist chants by Pro Patria fans were yelled at Milan's black players. (AP photo)
BUSTO ARSIZIO, Italy--The problem of racism in sports, which is rampant in the European soccer world, will be the focus of the U.N.-sponsored International Day for the...
Soccer-playing robot kit encourages children to...
The Mini-Robo toy is the vision of Toru Ishida, president of manufacturer IAI Corp. "I continued to tweak the prototype to improve its shape and performance," he said. (Keiko Sugiyama)
SHIZUOKA--A tiny soccer-playing radio-controlled robot is being offered as a self-assembly kit to encourage children to shut off their video screens, learn construction skills...
ANIME NEWS: 'Detective Conan' movie wins award
Gosho Aoyama, creator of  the "Detective Conan" series (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The 2013 Yokohama Football Film Festival, which as its name implies celebrates the rather small world of football feature films, has honored "Detective Conan: Juichinin-me no...
OLYMPICS/ South Korean Park to get London Games...
LAUSANNE--South Korean footballer Park Jong-woo will receive his bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics despite triggering a diplomatic row in a match against Japan, the...
SOCCER/ Goal Line Technology praised in debut at...
Goal Line Technology displays the word “GOAL” on a referee's watch when it acknowledges a score. (Junya Yoshida)
FIFA spent about $1 million (89 million yen) to debut its new Goal Line Technology at December's Club World Cup in Japan. Unfortunately, there were no "on-the-line" situations...
In Vietnam, anti-Chinese protesters find a new...
Vietnamese security officers take anti-China protestors into a bus on Dec. 9 in Hanoi. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
HANOI--Under the watch of plainclothes police, midfielder Nguyen Van Phuong unleashed a powerful left-foot drive into the top corner. Dissidents cheered from the sidelines....
Inferiority complex, hatred of losing drives goalie ...
Kawashima harbors a deeply personal desire to be the first to prove that Japanese goalkeepers can perform well for clubs overseas. (Photo: Yasuhiro Sugimoto)
After the Samurai Blue had taken the lead in a final Asian qualifying match for the World Cup on Sept. 11, an Iraqi player dribbled toward the Japanese goal.
Okinawa tries to lure J.League camps with the...
Okinawa Prefecture has started a program to train specialists who can prepare top-quality grass pitches in an effort to lure J.League and other professional soccer training camps, which will boost winter tourism. (Hideki Shiga)
While Okinawa Prefecture has long been the training home for Japanese professional baseball, most J.League soccer teams opt for colder winter locales farther north.
@SIALKOT: Factories take pride in making World Cup...
The Asahi Shimbun
After a four-hour drive from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, I saw a giant monument displaying a soccer ball high in the air in central Sialkot, a city of almost 400,000...
FUTSAL/ 'King Kazu' at 45 aims for Futsal World Cup
Professional soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura participates in the national futsal team training camp. (Shogo Koshida)
Even though former Japanese soccer team superstar Kazuyoshi Miura is 45, the national men's futsal team is hoping that "King Kazu" still has a strong World Cup left in him. The ...
SOCCER/ Miyaichi joins Wigan on season loan from...
Japan's Ryo Miyaichi dribbles the ball past an Azerbaijan defender during a friendly May 23 in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture. (Yosuke Fukudome)
LONDON--Arsenal says Japan international winger Ryo Miyaichi has signed for Premier League club Wigan on a season-long loan deal.
Soccer star Nagatomo strives to be 'the best in the ...
Perhaps due to his ever-smiling nature, Nagatomo has a look of assurance about him(Photo: Shinichi Chubachi)
In his spare time away from the soccer pitch, Yuto Nagatomo likes to go for a stroll through a nearby luxury boutique district near his home in Milan, Italy, located on the top ...
OLYMPICS/ SOCCER: Japan reaches semifinals with 3-0 ...
Kensuke Nagai, right scored Japan's first goal against Egypt at the London Olympics, on August 4(Shiro Nishihata)
MANCHESTER, England -- Kensuke Nagai, captain Maya Yoshida and Yuki Otsu all scored against a 10-man Egypt team to put Japan through to the men's Olympic football semifinals...
OLYMPICS/ SOCCER: World champion Nadeshiko Japan...
Ogimi, center, celebrates Japan's first goal against Brazil and her first goal at the London Olympics, on August 3. (Toshiyuki Hayashi)
CARDIFF, Wales -- Yuki Ogimi scored a goal and then set up another to give world champion Japan a 2-0 victory over Brazil on August 3 and a place in the semifinals of the...
OLYMPICS/ MEN'S SOCCER: Japan draws Honduras 0-0,...
Japan's Kenyu Sugimoto, left, and Taisuke Muramatsu, right, battles for the ball against Honduras' Maynor Figueroa, center,  during the group D men's soccer match between Japan and Honduras at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, in Coventry, England,on Aug. 1. (AP Photo)
COVENTRY, England--Japan held Honduras to a 0-0 draw Aug.1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Olympic football tournament for the first time, with Japan goalkeeper Shuichi...
OLYMPICS/ SOCCER: Nadeshiko Japan held to 0-0 draw...
Japan's Kozue Ando goes for a ball during the women's group F soccer match between Japan and South Africa, at the Millennium stadium in Cardiff, Wales, at the 2012 London Summer Olympics on July 31. (Toshiyuki Hayashi)
CARDIFF, Wales--World champion Japan was held to a 0-0 draw by South Africa on July 31 in Olympic women's football, failing to fire for the second consecutive match.
OLYMPICS/ Japan beats Spain 1-0 in men's Olympic...
Japan's Yuki Otsu celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the group D men's soccer match between Japan and Spain at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, on July 26 at Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. (AP Photo)
GLASGOW, Scotland--Japan produced a major shock in men's Olympic football on July 26, beating medal favorites Spain 1-0.
SOCCER/ Study: More soccer sprains when one ankle...
Japan's Keisuke Honda, center, dribbles past South Korean players during 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Professional soccer players are much more likely to suffer ankle sprains when one foot is stronger than the other, according to a Greek study. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Professional soccer players are much more likely to suffer ankle sprains when one foot is stronger than the other, according to a Greek study.
SOCCER/ Win, loss or draw, Yuto Nagatomo always...
Japan midfielder Yuto Nagatomo’s assist leads to a Keisuke Honda goal in Japan’s June 3 match against Oman. (Photo by Jun Ueda)
Whether he's battling on the football pitch, shooting a TV commercial or taking it easy at a neighborhood cafe, Yuto Nagatomo is always the picture of calm, cool and collected.