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May 01, 2026
 

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BASEBALL

Japanese Baseball

MLB
Japanese Baseball
Buffaloes starter Anderson Espinoza pitches against the Fighters at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Friday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Anderson Espinoza leading early-season charge for first-place Buffaloes
Espinoza is off to a 4-0 start to the season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Meaning of Waseda's U.S. tour goes far beyond baseball diamond
While Waseda went home triumphant in four out of its five games in California, what it gained transcended the win-loss column.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Hard-slugging Fighters hitting homers at torrid pace to start NPB season
The Fighters have 22 home runs in nine games, while no other NPB team has reached 10 yet.
The Fighters' Kotaro Kiyomiya hits a two-run home run against the Hawks during a game in Fukuoka on Friday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Mar 30, 2026
NPB sees explosive start to 2026 regular season
By Jason Coskrey
A total of 12 home runs were hit on opening night on Friday, compared with just seven last season.
Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe poses for photos with pitcher Kazuyuki Takemura after the team's win over the Tigers at Tokyo Dome on Friday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 27, 2026
Giants rookie Kazuyuki Takemaru overcomes nerves and Tigers for opening day win
By Jason Coskrey
Trey Cabbage and Bobby Dalbec hit home runs for Yomiuri in the victory.
Hanshin outfielder Shota Morishita was one of the top players in the Central League last season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 26, 2026
Roaring Tigers sit above rest of Central League as new season begins
By Jason Coskrey
Hanshin won the 2025 CL title by 13 games.
Pitcher Kohei Arihara is back with the Fighters after spending the past three seasons with the Hawks.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 25, 2026
Pacific League race shaping up as Fighters-Hawks duel
By Jason Coskrey
SoftBank is eyeing a third straight title with Nippon Ham close behind.
Shohei Ohtani looks on prior to the start of the World Baseball Classic game against Australia at Tokyo Dome on March 8.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 24, 2026
Shohei Ohtani WBC jersey sells for record $1.5 million
Along with the $1.5 million jersey sale, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar has three cards that have sold for $1 million or more.
Tomoko Namba, founder and executive chair of DeNA, speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in January.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 22, 2026
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars¡¯ No. 1 fan also happens to be the owner
By Mai Yoshikawa
Tomoko Namba, the only female owner of an NPB team and affectionately known as "Namba Mama" to BayStars fans, has had a lifelong love affair with baseball.
Japan baseball players acknowledge the fans after the quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic against Venezuela at loanDepot Park in Miami on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 16, 2026
Ohtani and Japan left searching for answers after WBC exit
By Jason Coskrey
Samurai Japan¡¯s title defense ended in Miami as Venezuela erased a three-run deficit to knock out the defending champions.

New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
Japan considers making language programs a factor in residency screenings
The government is considering creating a Japanese language program for foreign people that would be a factor in residency screenings.
'RikuRyu' signs off in emotional farewell
Figure skating pair Riku Miura (left) and Ryuichi Kihara pose for photos at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. The pair have announced their retirement from competitive skating.
How the Iran crisis affects Japan
A tanker carrying U.S. crude oil sails in Tokyo Bay on Sunday.
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
SoNoMa chef partner Kyle Connaughton (right) and chef de cuisine Keita Tominaga both have ties to Sonoma County in Northern California, the restaurant¡¯s namesake. Connaughton rose to prominence there with SingleThread, while Tominaga¡¯s father ran a Japanese restaurant in the region.
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.
Japanese developers worry over construction supply shortages amid Iran war
Paul Nikel, President of West Canada Homes, with an increasingly rare supply of plastic foam

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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