News On Japan

Long-suffering Tigers Fans Ready To Roar At Baseball's Japan Series

OSAKA, Oct 27 (AFP) - Fans of baseball's Hanshin Tigers are at fever pitch ahead of Saturday's start to the Japan Series, with the country's most passionately supported team desperate to win only their second national title.

Celebrations in the Tigers' home city of Osaka exploded last month when the team won the Central League pennant, with fans thronging the streets and hurling themselves into the local Dotonbori River.

After advancing through the playoffs, they now face the Orix Buffaloes in Japan's version of the World Series, with the chance to capture the title for the first time since 1985.

The Tigers lasat reached the Japan Series in 2014, where they lost a best-of-seven series four games to one against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

The team's fortunes fell afterwards and they endured their worst-ever start to a season last year, losing 18 of their first 21 games.

They have made a spectacular recovery this season, winning the Central League with room to spare under the shrewd guidance of returning manager Akinobu Okada. ...continue reading

News On Japan
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Japan's 89-year-old former empress Michiko underwent surgery on Tuesday at Tokyo University Hospital for a fracture in her right thigh bone. The surgery was successfully completed, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi revealed in a press conference that a group photo of the Ishiba Cabinet, taken on October 1st to commemorate its inauguration, had been slightly modified before being posted on the Prime Minister's Office website.

A camera crane collapsed at a music festival venue in Osaka, injuring at least four people.

Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has reported the occurrence of a major solar flare on October 3rd.

Tokyo University's iconic Red Gate, which has long been a symbol for prospective students to pass through, has remained closed for the past three years, leaving many students unable to experience walking through it.

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