News On Japan

Japan's roster for soccer World Cup in Qatar announced

TOKYO - Japan's national soccer team has announced its 26 players for the 2022 World Cup opening this month in Qatar.

Japan coach Moriyasu Hajime announced the list in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The team's goalkeepers are Kawashima Eiji of RC Strasbourg in the French top division, Gonda Shuichi of Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan's first division J-1, and Schmidt Daniel of Sint-Truiden in the Belgian first division.

Defenders include Nagatomo Yuto of F.C. Tokyo in J-1 and Yoshida Maya of FC Schalke 04 in the German top division. Nagatomo has been selected for a fourth straight World Cup, and Yoshida a third.

Other defenders are Sakai Hiroki of the Urawa Reds in J-1, Taniguchi Shogo and Yamane Miki of Kawasaki Frontale in J-1, Itakura Ko of Borussia Monchengladbach in the German top division, Nakayama Yuta of Huddersfield Town in England's second division, Tomiyasu Takehiro of Arsenal in England's Premier League, and Hiroki Ito of VfB Stuttgart in the German top division. Itakura has been away from the national team due to injuries.

Midfielders and forwards include Endo Wataru of VfB Stuttgart in the German top division and Ito Junya of Stade de Reims in the French top division. It will be Endo's second World Cup. Ito scored goals in four straight matches of the final Asian qualifiers.

Other midfielders and forwards are Shibasaki Gaku of CD Leganes in the Spanish second division, Asano Takuma of VfL Bochum 1848 in the German first division and Minamino Takumi of AS Monaco in the French top division. Asano has not been active on the national team due to injuries. ...continue reading

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Japan's World Cup campaign begins on June 14 when the Samurai Blue face the Netherlands at Dallas Stadium in Texas, a clash that will showcase some of the game's most talented players and pit two ambitious teams against one another in a crucial Group F opener. While Japan arrives without injured winger Kaoru Mitoma, one of its most recognizable stars, the squad still boasts a wealth of talent drawn from Europe's top leagues.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced that an El Niño phenomenon is believed to have developed this spring, warning that Japan is likely to experience above-average temperatures nationwide this summer despite the climate pattern's traditional association with cooler summers.

Narita International Airport Corporation is expected to announce next month that it will apply to the national government for project certification as part of the process to enable compulsory land acquisition for the construction of a new runway at Narita Airport, according to sources familiar with the matter.

A fire broke out at Arima Inari Shrine near the Arima Onsen hot spring resort area in Kobe on the night of June 9th, destroying multiple buildings and leaving an elderly Shinto priest and his wife with minor injuries.

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

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Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

Japan's national football team continued preparations for the FIFA World Cup in North America on June 6th, holding a partially closed training session near Monterrey, Mexico, on the fourth day of its pre-tournament camp.

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The Japan national football team has begun its pre-World Cup training camp in Monterrey, Mexico, as players prepare for the tournament under challenging conditions, including temperatures exceeding 33 degrees Celsius.

The annual Gatalympics festival was held on the mudflats of the Ariake Sea in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, drawing about 1,400 participants from 13 countries and regions who battled through a series of unique mud-based events while becoming thoroughly covered in mud.

A pair of sisters from Aichi Prefecture are closing in on a dream they have pursued for nearly a decade, with Ren Matsumoto and Non Matsumoto aiming to secure a place at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after rising to the top of Japan's beach volleyball rankings through years of family sacrifice and determination.

Volleyball player Shunichiro Sato, a member of Japan’s men’s national team, was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of possessing marijuana after allegedly leaving a bag containing the drug at a pachinko parlor in Tokyo.