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City of Los Angeles names May 17 Shohei Ohtani Day

LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2024 (MLB) - or as long as Shohei Ohtani plays for the Dodgers -- which will be at least for the next decade -- May 17 will be known as “Shohei Ohtani Day” in Los Angeles County.

Earlier on Friday, Ohtani was honored at Los Angeles City Hall and was presented with the resolution. Members of the Dodgers front office and manager Dave Roberts were in attendance as the council recognized Ohtani with the honor for his athletic achievements and “historic impact as an Angeleno of Japanese descent.”

While the event took place in the morning, Ohtani returned to Dodger Stadium in the afternoon just to do what he does best: Crush baseballs. He celebrated his first Ohtani Day by hitting an opposite-field two-run homer off right-hander Frankie Montas to help the Dodgers beat the Reds, 7-3.

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Large Typhoon No. 25 was moving northwest over waters south of Japan at 3 p.m. on September 19 and is forecast to strengthen as it approaches Kanto and the Izu Islands from September 20 through September 21, bringing the risk of torrential rain, violent winds and further damage in areas still recovering from last year's typhoon.

A black bear has been spotted near one of the most popular hiking trails on Mount Takao in western Tokyo, prompting authorities to urge visitors to take precautions ahead of the five-day Silver Week holiday and the approaching autumn foliage season.

Starbucks is considering selling a majority stake in its Japanese business, potentially valued at as much as $3 billion, or about 470 billion yen, as the U.S. coffee chain seeks to concentrate management resources on its struggling North American operations.

Japan's Halloween Jumbo Lottery went on sale nationwide on September 16, offering a combined top payout of 400 million yen for the first prize and its adjacent-number prizes.

A new top-tier "Supreme Class" offering fully private compartments above the level of Green Car service will debut on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen on October 1, with passengers able to experience the new seating at a demonstration booth at Shin-Osaka Station.

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Japan secured a place in the women’s soccer quarterfinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with one group-stage match remaining after overwhelming Vietnam 8-0 for its second consecutive victory.

A cruise ship that will serve as an accommodation base for athletes and other participants in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games arrived at Nagoya Port on September 15, ahead of the opening of the competition this week.

Digital art projections will illuminate the Aichi Prefectural Government Office and Nagoya City Hall from September 17 through October 24 as part of celebrations surrounding the Asian Games and Asian Para Games, which will be held in September and October.

Japan opened its women's soccer campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with an 8-0 victory over Thailand on September 14, making a dominant start to its bid for a third consecutive and fourth overall championship.

Japan enjoyed one of its busiest sporting weekends of the year on September 12 and 13, highlighted by the men's national volleyball team winning the Asian championship and securing qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while Nippon Professional Baseball's pennant races tightened, Miyu Yamashita captured the Japan Women's PGA Championship, Kosuke Sunagawa earned his first men's tour victory, and the Asian Games moved closer to their official opening.

Sota Fujii successfully defended his Oi title for a seventh consecutive year after defeating fellow 24-year-old Takumi Ito in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series, winning the match 4-2.

Japan's men's volleyball team defeated Australia in straight sets on September 9 to complete the preliminary round of the Asian Championship with three consecutive victories, advancing to the knockout stage as pool winner and moving within three wins of securing a place at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Ticket sales for the Asian Games are gathering pace with less than two weeks until the competition begins, with more than 60% of tickets sold for the opening ceremony and 31 sports as of September 7, although organizers say seats remain readily available for events including soccer and baseball.