News On Japan

Japanese Boxing Champion Who Transitioned Retires From the Ring

TOKYO, Dec 18 (News On Japan) - A former women’s world boxing champion who transitioned to male has announced his retirement from the sport.

“I have made the final decision to step away from the ring,” said Shindo Go, 37.

In 2013, Shindo claimed the WBC Women’s World Flyweight Championship. Struggling with gender dysphoria since childhood, he underwent gender-affirming surgery after retiring in 2017, transitioning to male.

Two years ago, Shindo applied to the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) to take the professional men’s test. Although he participated in a semi-official bout against a male opponent last December, the JBC ultimately declined his application based on the results, leading him to decide to retire.

“Boxing was the greatest place where I could express the life I wanted to live,” Shindo reflected.

Source: ABCTVnews

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Flights between the United States and Japan face possible delays and cancellations over the weekend after a major failure of America's air traffic control communications system forced authorities to temporarily suspend departures nationwide on November 13, disrupting thousands of flights and leaving airlines struggling to restore normal operations.

The number of people taken to hospital after being injured by deer in and around Nara Park has reached a record high in 2026, with foreign tourists accounting for more than 70% of cases, prompting warnings about the dangers of approaching the wild animals during their autumn mating season.

A shrine in Gunma Prefecture has used a high-pressure cleaning drone to wash Japan's largest statue of Daikoku, cutting a maintenance job that previously took two to three weeks to just one day while reducing costs to around one-tenth of the conventional method.

The resignation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on November 12 following allegations involving a woman suspected of links to Chinese intelligence has raised concerns in Japan over the potential impact on semiconductor investment, financial markets and the yen, as uncertainty surrounding the American AI chipmaker threatens to disrupt the global technology industry.

Japan launched a new national disaster management agency on November 2nd to strengthen its response to major emergencies, just days before a powerful earthquake struck Aichi Prefecture, injuring 24 people and renewing concerns over the possibility of a catastrophic Nankai Trough earthquake.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Sports NEWS

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, attended a martial arts tournament held by the Imperial Guard on November 11th, watching competitions in judo, kendo and Japanese archery as the organization marked its 140th anniversary.

Japan's national soccer team began training in Singapore on November 10 ahead of an international friendly against Brazil on November 14, with the two-match tour, which also includes a game against Paraguay on November 17, expected to be the team's final overseas trip under coach Hajime Moriyasu following the postponement of the Asian Cup originally scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia in January 2027.

Yusaku Hosono, a 23-year-old professional golfer who underwent heart surgery as an infant and was forced to abandon his childhood dream of playing baseball, has emerged as one of Japan's brightest golfing talents after winning two domestic major championships this season, becoming the first left-handed player in 35 years to claim a men's tour victory.

A controversial penalty shootout decision during the Tokyo qualifiers for Japan's National High School Soccer Championship on October 24 has sparked debate after a team that believed it had secured victory was forced to continue playing and eventually lost, raising questions about whether a hole in the goal net contributed to an incorrect ruling.

Pillow fighting, once a familiar pastime on Japanese school trips, has evolved into a competitive team sport, with players dressed in traditional yukata competing on tatami mats under unusual rules that include a call of "The teacher is coming!" to freeze opponents for 10 seconds.

Fukuoka-born sumo wrestler Arashifuji has earned his first promotion to the top makuuchi division ahead of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, which opens on November 8 at the Fukuoka International Center, according to the latest rankings released by the Japan Sumo Association on October 26.

Three national anthem mix-ups occurred on the same day at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, with Iran's anthem mistakenly played during medal ceremonies for Chinese Taipei and Mongolia, while South Korea's anthem was played instead of China's before a women's sitting volleyball match.

Japan's sporting weekend was dominated by the completion of professional baseball's postseason, with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars securing a remarkable sweep of the Central League champions Hanshin Tigers and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks advancing from the Pacific League.