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June 30, 2026
 

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SAMURAI BLUE

Japan's Hiroki Ito (right) reacts with Ayumu Seko after the team's loss against Brazil at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 30, 2026
Japan pays price again for retreating against Brazil
Considering its World Cup debut was 1998, Japan has done incredibly well to assert itself as Asia’s preeminent soccer behemoth, but it has always missed that one final touch.
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
SOCCER
Jun 30, 2026
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Gabriel Martinelli’s winner in the 95th minute came at the end of a tense match and was the latest winning goal in normal time of a World Cup knockout game since 1966.
Daichi Kamada (right) has scored two of Japan's goals during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
SOCCER
Jun 29, 2026
Japan looking to upset Brazil at World Cup without injured Takefusa Kubo
Japan finished second to the Netherlands in Group F with a win ⁠over overmatched Tunisia and two ​draws.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu speaks during a news conference in Houston on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jun 29, 2026
Hajime Moriyasu to pick Japan’s penalty takers if clash with Brazil goes to shootout
Takefusa Kubo will not play after picking up an injury in the group stage.
Japan's Junya Ito controls the ball during the team's Group F match against Sweden during the FIFA World Cup in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 28, 2026
Former manager Philippe Troussier feels Japan can compete with Brazil
Troussier was hired to prepare Japan for the 2002 World Cup on home soil at a time when the country was a minnow on the international stage.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu (left) and Brazil's Carlo Ancelotti will be trying to guide their teams deeper into the World Cup when they meet in the round of 32 in Houston on Monday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 28, 2026
Brazil and Japan head into World Cup clash looking to settle old scores
The fixture also carries a deeper historical thread, as Brazil has long been a reference point for Japanese soccer, a relationship embodied by former Japan manager Zico.
Japan's Daizen Maeda (right) and Sweden's Gustaf Lagerbielke fight for the ball during a Group F match at the FIFA World Cup in Houston on Thursday.
SOCCER
Jun 28, 2026
Japan embraces ‘underdog mentality’ for World Cup clash against Brazil
Japan, considered by some to be an outsider to go far at the tournament in North America, beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side 3-2 in a home friendly in October.
Brazil's Rayan heads the ball during a Group C football match against Scotland during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 27, 2026
Brazil’s Rayan cramming for Japan test in World Cup knockout stage
The five-time champion faces the Asian side in the round of 32 in Houston on Monday.
Fans celebrate at the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on Friday as Japan advanced to the knockout round in the World Cup.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 26, 2026
Fans take over iconic Shibuya Crossing as Japan reaches World Cup knockout round
Fans watched in packed bars, cafes and even on the side of the road as the Samurai Blue secured a second-place finish in Group F at the World Cup.
Japan's Daizen Maeda celebrates after scoring against Sweden during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 26, 2026
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu relishes chance to face ‘serious Brazil’ in knockout stage
Japan advanced to the round of 32 as the runner-up in Group F.
Japan's Daizen Maeda scores against Sweden during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Arlington, Texas.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 26, 2026
Japan advances to World Cup knockout stage after draw with Sweden
Japan holds on to finish as the runner-up in Group F and ​book a meeting in ‌the knockout ‌stage with five-time champion ​Brazil.
Japan practices ahead of its World Cup match against Sweden at Southern Methodist University in Dallas on Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 25, 2026
Hajime Moriyasu praises Japan’s teamwork as squad eyes spot in knockout stage
With four points, the Japanese are likely to progress to the last 32 even if they lose to Sweden on Thursday, but Moriyasu has his sights set on the top spot.
Sweden coach Graham Potter speaks during a news conference in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 25, 2026
Sweden coach Graham Potter says team has to defend better against Japan
The Swedes followed up their opening 5-1 win over Tunisia with a loss by the same scoreline against the Netherlands and are third in Group F.
Chinese fans of the Japan national soccer team watching the 2026 World Cup match against Tunisia at a bar in Shanghai on Sunday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 24, 2026
Fans in China put politics aside to cheer Japan at World Cup
Chinese supporters of the Samurai Blue say their fandom has nothing to do with politics, reflecting instead a long admiration for Japanese soccer and what it represents for Asia.
Rui Nishizawa of East Tennessee Japanese School delivers a speech at Japan's World Cup training camp in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 23, 2026
Boy’s speech inspires Samurai Blue at World Cup
Head coach Hajime Moriyasu said he “almost cried” when he realized that his team’s efforts were encouraging children living far from Japan.
Japan's Ko Itakura clears the ball during the first half against Tunisia during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 22, 2026
Japan’s World Cup picture comes into focus after rout of Tunisia
Japan can book its place in the knockout round with a win over Sweden.
Ayase Ueda (center) celebrates with his teammates after scoring Japan's second goal against Tunisia during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Jun 21, 2026
Japan takes step toward knockout stage with 4-0 rout of Tunisia
Japan is the first Asian side to score four goals ​in ​a World Cup match.
Japan fans pick up trash in the stands after the nation's draw with the Netherlands in a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Arlington, Texas, on June 14.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 20, 2026
Hajime Moriyasu proud of fans’ reputation for cleanliness
Footage went viral online after Japan supporters were seen putting their trash in blue plastic bags following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in Texas.
Japan's Daizen Maeda kicks a ball during a training session in Santiago, Mexico, on Friday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 20, 2026
Japan looking to ramp up intensity against Tunisia in World Cup’s 1,000th match
Japan’s first match was played in Dallas, where the air conditioning in the stadium was noticeable, ‌but Monterrey presents a very different challenge due to the expected heat.
Tunisia coach Herve Renard (left) watches his players during a training session in Santiago, Mexico, on Tuesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 19, 2026
Tunisia coach Herve ⁠Renard braces for trial by fire against Japan
“I know very well the quality of this team,” Renard said. “Japan are the best team in ​Asia.”
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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