News On Japan

Bagnaia Triumphs in Japan as Márquez Clinches Seventh MotoGP Title

Motegi, Sep 28, 2025 (News On Japan) - Francesco Bagnaia delivered a flawless weekend at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, taking pole position, winning Saturday’s Sprint, and dominating the main race at Motegi to secure maximum points.

The Ducati rider, who set a new lap record in qualifying, controlled Sunday’s race from the front, leaving his rivals little chance to challenge.

The bigger story, however, was Marc Márquez’s second-place finish, which was enough to seal his seventh premier-class world championship and ninth overall. Márquez, who joined Ducati this season, secured the title with five rounds remaining, marking a historic achievement in his career and reaffirming his comeback at the highest level of the sport.

Honda fans also had reason to celebrate as Joan Mir crossed the line in third, giving the Japanese manufacturer a home podium at Motegi. Rising star Pedro Acosta showed promise in the Sprint with a third-place finish but slipped back in Sunday’s race after struggling with grip. Defending champion Jorge Martín endured a difficult weekend, crashing and fracturing his collarbone in Saturday’s action, which ruled him out of the Grand Prix and further underlined the shift in momentum toward Márquez and Bagnaia.

The Motegi round reinforced Ducati’s dominance, with Bagnaia back in top form and Márquez securing the title early, leaving the remaining races to play out as a battle for pride, podiums, and future momentum.

Source: SPOTV ASIA

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

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.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Sports NEWS

In this 1xBet review, we’ll take a look at the key aspects of the main match of Matchday 1 in Group F of the World Football Forum 2026.

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.

Expectations for Japan are unusually high heading into the 2026 World Cup, with the team now aiming not merely to reach the knockout stage but to finally break through the Round of 16 and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time.

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.