Sports 2001-2002 | Archives | Trends in Japan | Web Japan| Trends in Japan | Web Japan| Trends in Japan

Godzilla Goes Stateside

(December 27, 2002)
On November 1 the star of Japan's most popular pro baseball team, Tokyo's Yomiuri Giants, announced his desire to play in the U.S. Major Leagues from next season.

School Sports Days

(November 18, 2002)
Sports days are one of the classic symbols of autumn in Japan and are held in kindergartens, in elementary, middle, and high schools, and in communities all across the country.

He's Back

(October 23, 2002)
Sumo champion Takanohana recently returned from a knee injury to take part in the autumn tournament after an absence of one year and four months, rekindling interest in the sport.

No Holds Barred

(October 17, 2002)
A style of fighting known as mixed martial arts is currently enjoying a boom in Japan.

Swimming Strong

(September 19, 2002)
Japan's strength in the sport of swimming appears to stem from the zeal of its people for swim training.

Coming to Japan

(August 21, 2002)
Japanese professional baseball received its first Cuban import this July, as Omar Linares, an Olympic gold medalist in 1992 and 1996, joined the Chunichi Dragons.

(August 19, 200)
Sumo, Japan's national sport, recently welcomed its first ever Mongolian ozeki, 21-year-old Asashoryu (real name: Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj). He is the fourth foreign ozeki, following in the footsteps of Konishiki, Akebono, and Musashimaru, who are all from Hawaii.

Anyone for Futsal?

(August 12, 2002)
During the World Cup, many Japanese people became hooked on the global language of soccer. Futsal, or five-a-side soccer, has capitalized on these feelings among fans. The number of people playing this sport in Japan is rising sharply.

I Believe I Can Fly

(August 1, 2002)
More and more middle-aged and older people in Japan are making their childhood dreams come true by taking off into the air on paragliders.

Thanks For the World Cup Memories

(July 8, 2002)
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, captivated the Japanese public throughout June.

On Top of the World

(July 1, 2002)
With the number of middle-aged and elderly Japanese mountaineers seeking to challenge the world's peaks increasing, three Japanese climbers set new world records in May.

Take Me out to the Ball Game

(May 28, 2002)
In a survey on spectator sports, Japanese professional baseball was the number-one choice of fans for the eighth year in a row.

Here They Come!

(May 21, 2002)
2002 FIFA World Cup competing teams have been arriving at their camp venues around Japan.

What Are Your Expectations for the World Cup?

(April 18, 2002)
In an online survey, nearly half the respondents were optimistic that the Japanese team will progress past the first round of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Women Muscle Up

(March 26, 2002)
Martial arts schools and boxing gyms are taking in more and more female students, and a boxing gym exclusively for women has also been established.

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Less Than Three Months to Go

(March 22, 2002)
Teams are beginning in earnest their final preparations for the first World Cup of the twenty-first century.

Getting Ready for Kick-Off

(February 28, 2002)
The first FIFA World Cup of the twenty-first century, to be jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea, will begin on May 31. Japan, which qualified automatically for the finals as one of the host nations, began preparing for the tournament in late January.

Salt Lake City, Here We Come!

(January 30, 2002)
Most of the athletes who will represent Japan at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah have been selected.

Long-Distance Love Affair

(January 29, 2002)
Marathons and other long-distance running events are immensely popular in Japan, and one such race has become an essential New Year custom. The Tokyo-Hakone Ofuku Daigaku Ekiden is one of the most popular such events in the sporting calendar.

Ichiro's Incredible Year

(January 10, 2002)
Japanese baseball fans were mesmerized throughout the year by the play of Major League outfielder Ichiro.

World Cup Groupings Decided

(December 28, 2001)
The groupings for the first round of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan were decided at the draw in Busan, South Korea, on December 1.

Mr. Baseball Sheds His Uniform

(November 28, 2001)
Japan's most popular pro baseball team, the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, lost its long-time player and manager, Shigeo Nagashima, when he retired at the end of the 2001 season.

The Other Olympics

(October 11, 2001)
The sixth World Games, an international multi-sports spectacle featuring events not included in the Olympic Games, took place from August 16 to 26 in the northern prefecture of Akita. Some 4,000 athletes and officials from 87 countries and regions participated in the quadrennial event, providing thrilling competition.

Spreading Their Wings

(August 24, 2001)
Six candidates for Japan's World Cup squad will play the coming season abroad, all of them in their early twenties. Never before have so many Japanese stars plied their trade overseas at the same time. Fans in Japan have great expectations for what they can achieve playing alongside some of the biggest soccer stars in the world.

Mad About the Major Leagues

(August 20, 2001)
Major League Baseball fever has struck Japan this year, and the exploits of Japanese baseball players active in the United States are reported in detail on the nightly news and covered extensively throughout the media. This sudden popularity of Major League Baseball is due in large part to outfielder Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners.

Soccer Fever Gains Momentum

(July 25, 2001)
One year before the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which will be held jointly in Japan and South Korea, the popularity of soccer in Japan is on the up. It is still unclear whether soccer's popularity will last, but what is certain is that Japan has entered a period in which the public's interest in sport is not limited to baseball.