Was Luis Rubiales’ resignation really necessary?
Luis Rubiales, the embattled Spanish football chief, has bowed to the seemingly inevitable and resigned from both his positions as president…
Does Japan not care about Kitagawa’s abuse?
The niece of Jonny Kitagawa, founder of the Japanese talent agency Jonny & Associates, stepped down this week from her role…
The tragedy of Jordan Henderson
‘Money has never been a motivation,’ according to footballer Jordan Henderson, the ex Liverpool captain and recent recruit to Al…
Things look grave for Luis Rubiales after his World Cup kiss
What’s in a kiss? More perhaps than just a moment of bliss. It was really rather stupid of Luis Rubiales, the…
The Fukushima water is safe. So why does no one trust it?
Japan will today begin releasing tritium-laced water from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant into the ocean (weather permitting). Japan’s…
What the future holds for women’s football
Well, that’s the end of that. Football, like an unrepentant runaway, stubbornly refuses to come home. Spain, deservedly probably, edged…
Could Sarina Wiegman be the next England (men’s) manager?
Sarina Wiegman, the manager of England’s women’s football team, probably has a lot on her mind at the moment, what…
Is it really not safe to extradite someone to Japan?
In November 2015 three men entered a jewellery shop in Tokyo’s upmarket Omotesando district, beat and injured a security guard, smashed a…
Prince Harry could learn from the Japanese royals
Plain old Harry Windsor, as he is now, is in Japan for the International Sports Promotion Summit and a few…
Is Alex Salmond dreaming of a comeback?
Alex Salmond is hosting a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this week. It’s called ‘The Ayes Have It’ and…
America’s female footballers should sing their national anthem
Just four members of the US football team at the Women’s World Cup sang their country’s national anthem before their game against…
What does Japan make of Oppenheimer?
Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster epic Oppenheimer is wowing critics and selling out cinemas across the world. It’s already threatening to eclipse…
The Japanese are over rice
It would be an insult to call rice the staple food of Japan. For centuries it has been so much…
Jordan Henderson’s Saudi move would be good for football
Jordan Henderson is set to become the latest high-profile veteran to join the rapidly burgeoning Saudi Arabian Professional league. The…
Japan’s dark history of forced sterilisation
A Japanese government report has revealed that over a 50-year period, under a policy of forced sterilisation, 16,500 people were…
Why Japan doesn’t do Pride
Want to avoid Pride month? Bit tired of the, almost literally, in your face, carnival of uninhibited sexual freedom we…
Fifa is in denial about the women’s World Cup
The women’s football World Cup will kick off in under 50 days’ time in Australia and New Zealand, and England…
Does Gary Lineker deserve Amnesty’s human rights award?
‘We need to be careful with the language we use,’ said Gary Lineker as he picked up an award from…
Another grim reminder of Japan’s violent politics
Has Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida just survived an assassination attempt? Kishida was evacuated from the site of a stump speech in the fishing…
Is Humza Yousaf up to the task?
As expected, Humza Yousaf has won the SNP leadership election and, barring something extraordinary, will become the next First Minister…
Match of the Day without Gary Lineker was oddly soothing
Well, did you enjoy MOTD? Did you miss Gary? Thanks to, let’s just say ‘circumstances’, we were able to take…
Is Japan doomed?
Japan is heading for trouble, the country’s prime minster Fumio Kishida has suggested. ‘Our country is on the brink of…
Why Japan has been a post-Brexit ally to Britain
Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida is in London today to meet Rishi Sunak and sign an historic defence agreement which…
What we learned from the Qatar World Cup
It is a measure of the unexpected success of the Qatar World Cup that it could be hailed as the…
Why Argentina is the team we love to hate
With the prospect of Messi closing out his glorious career with the ultimate prize it’s likely most neutral fans will…
