Â鶹´«Ã½

author

 
Â鶹´«Ã½
Search
 
August 11, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Jason Coskrey

Meta

Twitter

Jason Coskrey
Jason Coskrey is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His primary focus is Japanese baseball, but he has also covered soccer, American football, boxing and basketball. He previously worked for the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, Ga. A native of Detroit, he is a graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
A view from inside the Pacific League Marketing office in Tokyo. The company was founded by NPB's six PL clubs in May 2007.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 9, 2026
Pacific League Marketing sets sights abroad to build Japanese baseball fan base
While Japanese baseball has long been plagued by an inability, or intransigence, to market itself outside of Japan, Pacific League Marketing wants to make games more accessible.
Shiho Kuwaki appears at a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Aug 5, 2026
Kuwaki says first major victory is only now sinking in
Shiho Kuwaki finally broke through by winning the Women¡¯s British Open, becoming the latest Japanese golfer to make her mark on the global stage.
Players observe a moment of silence for victims of the Kumamoto earthquake before the NPB All-Star Game at Toyama Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyama Prefecture on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 31, 2026
Sports world steps up after deadly Kumamoto earthquake
Â鶹´«Ã½ sporting world has mobilized to support earthquake-hit Kumamoto, with leagues, clubs and players contributing to relief and encouraging donations for those affected.
Former Stanford first baseman Rintaro Sasaki was selected by the Marlins in the eighth round of the MLB draft on July 12.
BASEBALL / MLB / Sac Bunts
Jul 20, 2026
Rintaro Sasaki and NPB face separate challenges as slugger chooses to sign with Marlins
For Sasaki, a more direct path to MLB is worth the risk of grinding it out in the U.S. minor leagues, as opposed to starting in Japan, where he would be a big name.
Rintaro Sasaki was picked by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round of the MLB draft on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 13, 2026
Rintaro Sasaki faces life-altering decision after being drafted by Marlins
The Stanford slugger has until July 27 to sign with the Marlins and until July 31 to sign with the Hawks.
Toa Sasaki performs a trick during the men's skateboarding street competition at X Games Chiba.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Jul 7, 2026
In pictures: X Games Chiba 2026
The Japan Times sports desk was on hand to witness the action at Makuhari Messe.
XC Tokyo athletes at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture on Sunday
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Jul 7, 2026
X Games¡¯ team era takes shape as XC Tokyo challenges for title
X Games Chiba offered a glimpse of the X Games¡¯ future, as XC Tokyo¡¯s homegrown stars and young standouts helped put the new team competition firmly in the spotlight.
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Jul 3, 2026
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Athletes are chasing both individual gold and crucial team points in the debut season of the Formula One-style X Games League.
Hakuoh University's Rento Saito attempts a shot during an Asian University Basketball League contest.
BASKETBALL
Jun 22, 2026
Heading into its second year, AUBL aims to get Japan more involved
While China and the Philippines are regional basketball hotbeds, Asian University Basketball League stakeholders are working to gain traction in Japan.
Tigers players Seiya Kinami (left), Shota Morishita (center) and Seishiro Sakamoto pose for a selfie with Hanshin mascot To-Lucky following a win at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on May 20.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 2, 2026
Rob Fitts explores the hidden figures behind Â鶹´«Ã½ baseball culture
A new book by Rob Fitts shines a light on the overlooked people behind NPB games, showing how Japanese baseball¡¯s atmosphere is built as much off the field as on it.
White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami runs to first during the third inning against the Tigers in Chicago on Friday. Murakami was injured on the play and will miss four to six weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 31, 2026
White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami to miss four to six weeks with hamstring strain
Murakami has hit 20 home runs in his first 57 MLB games.
Shinnosuke Abe bows during a news conference in Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 26, 2026
Abe exits as Giants manager after allegedly assaulting daughter
¡°I have caused great trouble to many baseball fans, pro baseball officials and the company through my family troubles,¡± Shinnosuke Abe said.
The Dodgers¡¯ Shohei Ohtani posted a 0.60 ERA in his first five starts of the season.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 5, 2026
Shohei Ohtani named National League Pitcher of the Month
It marks the first time Ohtani has won a pitcher of the month award in MLB.
Kei Nishikori, who has won 12 titles on the ATP Tour and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings, on Thursday announced his retirement.
TENNIS
May 1, 2026
Tennis trailblazer Kei Nishikori announces his retirement
The tennis star made history at the 2014 U.S. Open when he became the first Japanese man in the open era to reach a Grand Slam final.
Buffaloes starter Anderson Espinoza pitches against the Fighters at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Friday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Apr 26, 2026
Anderson Espinoza leading early-season charge for first-place Buffaloes
Espinoza is off to a 4-0 start to the season.
Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa attempts a field goal against Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Oct. 18, 2025.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 26, 2026
Former Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa signs with Raiders
Matsuzawa is trying to become the first Japanese player to reach the NFL.
Riku Miura (left) and Ryuichi Kihara pose with their medals after winning gold in the pair competition at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Feb. 16.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 17, 2026
Pairs figure skating Olympic gold medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announce retirement
Known as ¡°RikuRyu¡± to their fans, the pair won gold in dramatic fashion in Italy in what can now be considered a fairy-tale ending to their careers.
Toyota's Mai Yamamoto attempts a shot while being defended by Denso's Mame Rawhave Ngom during the second quarter at Keio Arena Tokyo on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Apr 13, 2026
Star guard Mai Yamamoto excited about opportunity to play in Project B
The Toyota Antelopes¡¯ point guard says it ¡®is genuinely exciting¡¯ to have the opportunity to play alongside WNBA players in Project B, a global league set to debut this winter.
The Fighters' Haruki Nishikawa hits a three-run home run against the Buffaloes at Es Con Field Hokkaido in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Apr 6, 2026
Hard-slugging Fighters hitting homers at torrid pace to start NPB season
The Fighters have 22 home runs in nine games, while no other NPB team has reached 10 yet.
Kanoa Igarashi, seen during the 2024 Paris Games, has his sights set on a world title and Olympic gold.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 2, 2026
In pursuit of world title and Olympic gold, Kanoa Igarashi looks back with gratitude
The ¡°little kid¡± might have been lost when he debuted at 17 years old, but the man he is now is more confident in what he can do on a surfboard.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
How Â鶹´«Ã½ racehorses find second careers away from the track
TCC Therapy Park is supported financially by racing organizations as well as donations from members of the public.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER