The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Japan

  • World Cup Update: Japan 2-2 Senegal

    Senegal and Japan fans who have received international acclaim for their cleanliness in the stadium where rewarded when their team ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday in Yekaterinburg.

    Both teams won their opening games of the World Cup, yet it was the two sets of fans who grabbed the headlines.

    Videos posted on social media showed Japanese fans cleaning up after themselves in the wake of their win over Colombia, picking up litter under their section stadium seats .

    Senegal fans were also filmed being similarly hygienic following their win over Poland.

    Both sets of fans were at it again on Sunday, making the job of the volunteer cleaners at the Yekaterinburg Arena much easier.

     

    “Also we like to try and support our team by waving the blue big dustbin bags, so I think like we make the most of the dustbin bags as well,” said Japanese fan Wataru Morita outside the stadium.

     

    “So we are looking forward to showing our culture to the world through this competition as well.”

     

    “You know, we have to do that. We have to show the world that we are doing something nice,” said Senegal fan Gora Ndoye after the match.

     

    “We don’t come here to leave the rubbish here. We have to take it out after every game to show the world that we are disciplined people.”

     

    “When we do that, next time wherever we go we have a good reception, that is why we are doing it.”

     

    Speaking before the match, Japanese defender Maya Yoshida said the Samurai Blue players were also fastidious in their cleanliness.

     

    “Well our locker room after the match, compared to those in the Premier League, is much cleaner,” said the Southampton defender.

     

    “In terms of fans, we were very impressed. For our fans to come from Japan to Russia and be praised by the media and the whole world…

     

    ” We are very proud of that.”

     

    “There is a saying in Japan that we must leave things cleaner than it was at the time we came to a place…

     

    ”That is one of the virtuous things fans are supposed to do. So that’s what they did.”

     

    Scott North, a professor of sociology at Osaka University, says that maintaining high standards of cleanliness is engrained in Japanese culture.

     

    “Cleaning the school is a part of the school day and an aspect of the education that students receive,” explains North.

     

    “Cleaning up contributes to keeping the environment liveable in the densely populated cities and is also an expression of care and regard for one’s neighbours,” North said.

     

    “I think the Japanese are proudly conscious of their reputation as a clean culture, and they probably expect other places to be somewhat less so.” (Reuters/NAN)

  • Post match cleanup: Like Japan like Senegal!

     

    You may wonder what Senegal and Japan have in common.  Both are campaigning at the ongoing world cup in Russia and both have won their opening matches. Japan won 2-1 against Colombia and Senegal won 2-1 against Poland, but that is not all.

    Recall that at the last world cup in 2014 in Brazil, Japan lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife.

    But rather than being downcast by the loss, to Didier Drogba and co, the Japanese fans armed with Liners patrolled their side of the stadium and gathered up discarded litter. An open announcement to those who probably don’t understand that football though a competition in which a winner must emerge is also an entertainment that should be enjoyed with animosity

    While gathering waste after a sporting event is customary in Japan, the spectators’ actions came as a shock to football fans from other countries. You could say they had a stake after all the co-hosted the championship with Korea, but African representatives Senegal who only Tuesday showed class by being the first African country competing in Russia to win a match re-enacted what Japanese fans did four years ago by cleaning up the stadium 40 minutes after their match against Poland. The West Africans, who received a lot of accolades on social media following their performance on the pitch, have added more accolades with their cleanup effort.

    The on and off the pitch action of the Senegalese have turned them into the darling of many soccer fans now praying for them to do well in Russia just like they did in Korea/Japan.

    Interestingly both teams will lock horns on June 24th where the Taranga Lions will be hoping to take control of Group H should they earn another victory against Japan. Senegal are appearing in the world cup for the second time their first being in 2002 where the made it all the way to the Quarterfinals announcing their arrival with a 1-0 defeat of France in the opening match.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Japan sacks Halilhodzic two months to World Cup

     

    Japan has sent head Coach Vahid Halilhodzic packing less barely 66 days to the kick off of the World cup in Russia.

    Former Japan international Akira Nishino leaves his role as head of the JFA’s technical committee to step in as head coach  but will have only 10 weeks to prepare his players before their Group H opener against Colombia in Saransk on June 19.

    Halilhodzic was appointed in March 2015, having guided Algeria to the last 16 of the previous finals in Brazil, and the Blue Samurai advanced to Russia 2018 as winners of Group B in the Asian section of qualifying.

    But their preparations have been thrown into chaos with Monday’s announcement that Halilhodzic has been sacked and Nishino – who guided Gamba Osaka to the J-League crown in 2005 and the AFC Champions League title in 2008 – confirmed as the 65-year-old’s replacement.

    Halilhodzic is no stranger to such last-minute turmoil, having been dismissed by Ivory Coast shortly ahead of the 2014 tournament in Brazil, before joining Algeria. After facing Colombia, Japan take on Senegal and Poland.

    Japan made it to the group of 16 when they co-hosted with Korea in 2002, crashed out in the group stage in 2006 in Germany. At the 2010 edition hosted by South Africa Japan again hit the group of 16 only to crash out in the group stage in 2014 in Brazil.

  • FIFA women’s rankings: Germany drop to third, Nigeria now 38th

    Germany dropped out of the top two in the FIFA women’s rankings for the first time since 2009 after a poor run of results while the U.S. retained top spot.

    The U.S. team was unbeaten as they won this month’s She Believes Cup on home soil, while Germany failed to register a single victory at the annual invitational tournament.

    England’s second place in the tournament under new manager Phil Neville secured those No.2 spot in the rankings for the first time.

    France rose to fifth after finishing third in the She Believes Cup.

    Netherlands remain at No.7 while Sweden rose to ninth after being named joint winners of the Algarve Cup.

    Canada, who finished fifth at the event, climbed to fourth in the rankings.

    Japan, who won the World Cup in 2011 and finished runners-up in 2015, has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2007.

    They lost two of their four matches this year.

    Cyprus Cup champions Spain rose to 12th, their best yet.

    Read Also: Nigeria’s U-20 arrive Polkwane For FIFA Women’s W/Cup Qualifier

    Nigeria dropped one step to 38 on the rankings, after amassing 1608 points, five less than the 1613 it gathered a month earlier.

    But Nigeria is still Africa’s number one on the CAF rankings; with Ghana and Cameroon maintain their second and third places respectively.

    Top 10 FIFA women’s rankings (previous positions in brackets):

    U.S. (1)

    England (3)

    Germany (2)

    Canada (5)

    France (6)

    Australia (4)

    Netherlands (7)

    Brazil (8)

    Sweden (10)

    Korea DPR (11)

    NAN

  • Osaka too strong for Sharapova in California

    Osaka too strong for Sharapova in California

    Former world number one Maria Sharapova lost her second consecutive first round match with a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Japan’s Naomi Osaka at the BNP Paribas Open in California on Wednesday.

    Sharapova, who returned to tennis last April following a 15-month doping ban, continued to struggle to find form this season as she dug herself into an early hole and never fully recovered.

    Now ranked 41st in the world, Sharapova fought back from early breaks in both sets.

    But ultimately came up short on the key points in a performance that saw her commit six double faults and lose five service games to her 20-year-old opponent.

    “I knew (Sharapova) would fight for everything because I’ve watched her since I was little,” world number 44 Osaka said in a courtside interview after winning the first meeting between the pair.

    “I was just really honoured to play her.”

    A two-time champion at Indian Wells, Sharapova won the Tianjin Open in October for her first triumph since returning to the WTA Tour, but has not come close to challenging for a tournament victory since.

    In earlier action, American teenager Amanda Anisimova recorded her first top-level victory with a 6-2 6-2 thrashing of Pauline Parmentier.

    The 16-year-old’s poised and polished performance came in stark contact to the dismal display of Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who was humbled 6-3 6-4 by American qualifier Sachia Vickery.

    Anisimova, the junior women’s U.S. Open champion, was stronger than the 32-year-old Parmentier in every facet of the game on the slow hard court in Indian Wells. “It’s very exciting.

    “I’ve worked really hard for this so I’m proud of myself,” Anisimova told Tennis Channel, adding that adjusting to the senior ranks had been more mental than physical.

    “The biggest thing is being tough mentally. I’ve learned about how to just be stronger during matches.”

    She will face Russia’s 23rd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.

    Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who was also a teenage prodigy but has had her career blighted by injury, also advanced by overcoming an awful start and seeing off a match point to beat Hungarian Timea Babos 1-6 6-1 7-6(4).

    Former world number five Bouchard was outclassed by 100th-ranked Vickery in her first match since reaching a settlement with the U.S. Tennis Association ( USTA ), over a locker room fall during the 2015 U.S. Open.

    Her weak second serve was particularly costly as Vickery pounced time and again in front of a sparse late-afternoon crowd on centre court.

    All eyes will be on Serena Williams on Thursday when the American plays in her first singles event since giving birth last September.

    The two-time champion starts her campaign against Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan in a first round encounter.

    Reuters/NAN

  • Japan extends $700m loan to ADF

    The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a loan agreement with the African Development Fund (ADF) designed to provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan to the tune of 73.601 billion Japanese Yen (about $700.9 million).

    The loan is part of Japan’s contribution to the African Development Fund’s Fourteenth Replenishment (ADF-14). This is the first JICA loan provided to the ADF.

    The loan will provide the ADF with resources to support recipient countries during the ADF-14 period (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019), and contribute to economic growth as well as poverty alleviation in Africa’s least developed countries.

    The President of the African Development Bank Group, Akinwumi Adesina, expressed the bank’s gratitude and appreciation to the government of Japan.

    Signing the notes of exchange, Adesina said: “One often hears about many international pledges of development cooperation remaining unfilled. I would like to commend the full accomplishment of Japan’s commitments to Africa’s development. With its $700-million loan, which came on top of $328 million in the form of a grant, Japan has significantly contributed to the ADF commitment capacity for the period 2017-2019.”

    Adesina said Japan was a longstanding development partner for Africa, with a significant portion of its aid commitments to the continent channeled through the African Development Bank Group. “Japan is the second-largest contributor to the ADF in cumulative terms, and it has increased its contributions significantly over time,” he said.

  • LCCI, Japan’s trade body sign MoU

    LCCI, Japan’s trade body sign MoU

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) to enhance mutual trade agreements between the two countries organised private sector.

    The formal agreement will also promote trade relations and investments which will add economic value to both countries.

    LCCI president, Chief Nike Akande said the formal agreement was needed due to JETRO’s continuous support of the chambers activities and the benefits the body can do to  Nigerian entrepreneurs.

    She said this yesterday during the signing of the MOU at the ongoing Lagos International trade fair.

  • Japan spies on Quadri in Belgium

    Japan spies on Quadri in Belgium

    As the host of the 2020 Olympic Games, Japan is doing everything possible to ensure that any player that might stand between them and the titles at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is well studied.

    This has confirmed series of enquiries being made by various Japanese media on Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri at the just concluded ITTF World Cup in Belgium.

    In the last six months, Quadri had defeated five Japanese who are members of the Japanese national team in his quest to win major matches at the 2017 Bulgaria and Polish Opens.

    At the Bulgaria Open, Quadri came from 3-1 down to beat Yuto Kizukuri 4-3 (8-11, 7-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9) in men’s singles second round.

    As if that was a tip of the iceberg, Quadri went further to edge out another Japanese star – Asuka Machi  4-1 (11-3, 6-11, 11-3, 12-10, 11-6) in the quarterfinal stage.

    To be crowned the 2017 Polish Open champion, it was another Japanese sensation – Kaii Yoshida that suffered defeat in the hands of Quadri. In an explosive final at the Polish Open, the Nigerian beat the southpaw Japanese 4-2 11-7, 11-13, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 14-12) to win his first ITTF title outside Africa and the player from the continent achieve such feat.

    From electronic media to print, the enquiries about Quadri continued to grow each as NationSport has been bombarded with series of information regarding the Nigerian star.

    However, confirming this to NationSport in Liege, Belgium, the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief of Tokyo-based World Table Tennis Magazine, Noboru Konno said the enquires became necessary as most Japanese are still stunned about the skills and talents being displayed by Aruna Quadri globally.

    “I must be sincere with you that most Japanese are still surprised that an African can be that good in table tennis that he commands followership globally.  The only thing most Japanese knew about African athletes is their prowess in football but for an African to be that good to be beating some of the respected Japanese stars is still a misery to them. That is why all these enquiries are vital to them in order to know their possible threat to claim medals at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo,”he said.

    Konno, who also conducted an exclusive interview with Quadri in Belgium, said the Nigerian star has become a phenomenon in the sport with his ferocious forehand which most times confused his opponents.

  • Brazil names costa, drop Luiz against Japan

    Brazil names costa, drop Luiz against Japan

     

     

    Brazil have called up Juventus winger Douglas Costa and left out Chelsea defender David Luiz for their international friendlies against Japan and England next month.

    Brazil will play Japan on November 10 in the French city of Lille, and four days later face England in London. All of the teams have qualified for the World Cup.

    The priority was to test midfielders and forwards like Costa and still keep the team’s identity, coach Tite said in a news conference on Friday.

    ‘We called Costa at times in which he had physical problems, and that did not give him the chance to perform well,’ Tite said.

    ‘In the latest games we watched, he is going back to his level.’

    In place of Luiz, Tite said he was trying out Monaco’s Jemerson. The coach also said he will rotate the captaincy, even during the World Cup.

    ‘There is an idea behind this: We all have responsibilities,’ he said.

    ‘In the 1958 World Cup final Sweden scored against Brazil and Didi went to the back of the net, talked to all the players. And he was not the captain, but he behaved like one. Every player has to behave as if he was the captain.’

    BRAZIL SQUAD FOR FRIENDLIES AGAINST JAPAN AND ENGLAND

    Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Cassio (Corinthians)

    Defenders: Dani Alves (Paris Saint-Germain), Danilo (Manchester City), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Alex Sandro (Juventus), Marquinhos, Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Miranda (Inter Milan), Jemerson (Monaco)

    Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Paulinho (Barcelona), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Giuliano (Zenit St. Petersburg), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Willian (Chelsea), Diego (Flamengo) Douglas Costa (Juventus)

    Forwards: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Diego Souza (Sport Recife), Taison (Shahktar Donetsk)

  • Elementary sch. children hospitalised after acid spill

    Elementary sch. children hospitalised after acid spill

    Thirteen children were hospitalised on Friday after hydrochloric acid was spilled during a science experiment in a class in an elementary school in Fukuoka, south-western Japan, local media reported on Friday.

    According to the reports, the local board of education said that 13 pupils in the sixth grade felt ill following the accident, with some of them complaining of sore eyes and headaches.

    Read Also:‘Good nutrition vital for child development’

    At around 11:20 a.m. local time, one of the students at Nagazumi Elementary School in Minami Ward, Fukuoka Prefecture, accidentally spilled around three milliliters of hydrochloric acid from a test tube onto a table.