Scrapping replays could be the beginning of the end for the FA Cup
Is time running out for the oldest knock-out tournament of them all? The FA cup‘s obituary has been written a…
It’s time for Ronaldo to retire
All good things must come to an end, and that surely now ought to include the footballing career of Cristiano…
The curiously quiet reaction to Oppenheimer in Japan
Finally, eight months after its US premiere and a month after it triumphed at the Oscars, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has…
Japan is no country for young men
Another week, another fun fact about Japan’s declining birthrate and ageing population to startle and amuse us. Japan has now…
Football is in enough trouble without a ‘regulator’
Unlike David Cameron – who famously got in a muddle about which team he supported – Rishi Sunak is a…
Tokyo’s toilets aren’t that great
What is the world’s best city in which to be caught short? You can imagine a lively discussion on this…
Liverpool fans should stop booing the national anthem
Liverpool fans, a significant number at least, booed the national anthem at the Carabao Cup final at Wembley yesterday. It wasn’t the…
Why are Japan’s trains so much better than ours?
With six more months of train strikes recently announced it is getting hard to imagine a punctual, anxiety-free railway journey…
Who cancelled Miss Japan?
Karolina Shiino, a 26-year-old naturalised Japanese woman originally from Ukraine, has been obliged to give up her Miss Japan title…
Not everyone will miss Jurgen Klopp
So, farewell then Jurgen Klopp. What memories you will leave us. You were exuberant, passionate and unorthodox. You ran up…
Why no one in Japan is talking about the Fujitsu Post Office scandal
‘They are a national disgrace.’ That was the response of a Japanese friend when I asked for her opinion on…
Is Japan finally embracing immigration?
Japan has long been known for its steadfast refusal to submit to the allure of large-scale immigration, as a country…
Japan’s earthquake has brought back painful memories
The year 2024 began in the worst possible way for Japan. At least 30 people were killed by a powerful…
Why can’t the BBC leave Agatha Christie alone?
I would like to report a murder. It took place in the evening of 27 December in millions of homes…
The admirable humility of Japanese sports stars
Who is the best paid sportsperson in the world? Cristiano Ronaldo perhaps? Or Kylian Mbappé? Lionel Messi? Novak Djokovic? LeBron…
Does football really need sin bins to tackle bad behaviour?
Here we go again. Just when you thought a period of welcome stasis might have descended on the world of…
Everton’s problems are only just beginning
Pity the poor Everton fans. Just as their once mighty club, now a perennial relegation battler, seemed to have a…
Celtic’s Remembrance Day shame is the final straw
A portion of the crowd at Celtic’s Parkhead stadium booed the minute’s silence for Remembrance Sunday. It was abandoned after…
Lost in Translation was Tokyo at its bizarre, dislocating best
You can wait ages for a Japan themed Hollywood film and then three come at once. In an odd spasm…
Is sumo wrestling dying out?
For any young athletes harbouring ambitions of being a sumo wrestler, there was some good news this week. The Japanese…
Football’s shameful silence on Israel’s tragedy
Few top-flight football matches these days kick off without an expression of solidarity with a cause or condolence. Along with…
Is Fifa trying to destroy the World Cup?
It’s official, well almost. Fifa has announced the location for the 2030 (centenary) World Cup. And the winner is… all…
The excruciating pain of being a Manchester United fan
Can there be a more wretched existence in football than being a Manchester United fan? Well, yes, would be the…
The upside of living in Japan’s ageing society
For the first time more than 10 per cent of the Japanese population are aged 80 or older, according to…
