Osaka advances to Australian Open final

Osaka, currently ranked 3rd in the world, faced Williams in the semifinals in Melbourne on Thursday.
Osaka got off to a shaky start, handing a break to the 11th-ranked Williams. But after losing the first two games, Osaka took control with her powerful strokes. She won five games in a row to finally grab the set 6-3.
Osaka maintained her momentum in the second set with her serves and backhands, clinching the set 6-4.
Osaka's 2-0 victory ended William's bid to win another Grand Slam title. She currently holds the record of 23 career Grand Slam titles.
Osaka said she was really nervous and scared at the beginning and made a lot of unforced errors. But she said she decided to have fun because there was a crowd inside the arena.
Spectators were allowed back in from Thursday, after a coronavirus lockdown for Melbourne was lifted the previous day.
Osaka said it's always an honor to play Williams and that she "didn't want to go out really bad." She said she just wanted to do her best.
Osaka will be playing in her second Australian Open final on Saturday. She won the title in 2019.
- NHK

Nikkei - Apr 16
Hideki Matsuyama made golf history on April 11, becoming the first Japanese to win a men's major and unleashing a frenzy by the country's golf industry eager to cash in on his success.

Reuters - Apr 15
The Tokyo Olympic mascots make their debut with 100 days to go until the Games begin

NHK - Apr 14
Wednesday marks just 100 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics.

NHK - Apr 14
A display of the Olympic symbol was unveiled Wednesday on the summit of Mount Takao in western Tokyo to mark 100 days before the start of the Tokyo Games.

South China Morning Post - Apr 14
Japanese table tennis player Kimie Bessho is competing to play in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics. It will be the 73-year-old’s fifth Paralympics Games if she wins the qualifying tournament this June.

NHK - Apr 13
Foreign media have praised Matsuyama Hideki's caddie as they report on the Japanese golfer's triumph at the Masters on Sunday.

newsonjapan.com - Apr 13
The dynamics of the gambling world varies from country to country.

washingtonpost.com - Apr 12
TOKYO — There will be a few bleary eyes in corporate Japan on Monday morning. In this golf-crazy nation, it's hard to underestimate the impact of Hideki Matsuyama's historic Masters triumph and impossible to count the hours of lost sleep it entailed.

Japan Today - Apr 11
The organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is planning to secure a hotel with about 300 rooms for athletes with minor or no symptoms of the coronavirus, officials with knowledge of the plan said.

Japan Today - Apr 10
Swimming star Rikako Ikee, recovering from leukemia, claimed a Tokyo Olympics berth in the women's 4x100 freestyle relay on Thursday after winning the 100-meter freestyle at Japan's national championships.

Al Jazeera English - Apr 09
In Japan, sumo is more than just a sport. It is akin to a religion, with its stars hailed as demigods.

South China Morning Post - Apr 08
Brothers Rikuto and Takushi Nakamura have become social media celebrities showcasing their stunning slackline skills online.

yahoo.com - Apr 08
A Japanese karate official will quit after being accused of bullying a champion set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, he has told a local newspaper.

Reuters - Apr 08
Japan’s western region of Osaka will hold the Olympic torch relay in a park without spectators instead of on public roads, as record coronavirus infections prompted its government to declare a medical emergency on Wednesday.

NHK - Apr 06
Organizers of the Tokyo Olympic torch relay in Osaka Prefecture have called for holding the event in the capital city of Osaka at alternative sites amid a rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

Japan Times - Apr 06
The Japanese government on Tuesday rushed to gather information about the announcement by North Korea that it will skip this summer's Tokyo Olympics in order to protect its athletes from the novel coronavirus.