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July 02, 2026
 

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Joel Tansey

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Joel Tansey
Joel joined The Japan Times in 2017 after four years as a reporter with Black Press Media in western Canada. He's currently a senior news editor and in 2022 he helped launch a new section of the paper focusing on climate change, earth science and other environmental issues.
Japanese athletes participate in the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina Olympics in Verona, Italy, on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Feb 23, 2026
Japan proved its winter sports prowess at the Milano Cortina Games
The 24-medal haul ranked Japan fifth in the world, while the number of gold matched the country’s all-time high at a Winter Olympics, set at the 1998 Nagano Games.
Team USA celebrates after winning gold in the Olympic men's ice hockey final on Sunday in Milan.
OLYMPICS / Ice Hockey
Feb 22, 2026
U.S. beats Canada to win men’s hockey gold for first time in 46 years
Jack Hughes was the hero less than two minutes into overtime as the U.S. men won gold for the first time since the Miracle on Ice.
Silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto (left) and bronze medalist Ami Nakai, both of Japan, celebrate after the figure skating women's single free skating final at the Milano Cortina Games in Milan on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Feb 22, 2026
Even as Sakamoto exits, Japan’s figure skating future looks bright
The country’s Olympic skaters have made one thing clear at this year’s Winter Games: Team Japan need not worry about its future.
The Netherlands' Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong skates to Olympic gold in the women's 1,500 on Friday in Milan.
OLYMPICS / Speedskating
Feb 21, 2026
Netherlands’ Rijpma-de Jong takes gold as Takagi finishes sixth in 1,500
Takagi looked to be on pace to challenge for gold but her pace fell off dramatically in the final lap and she finished well back in seventh.
The U.S. and Switzerland compete in women's ice hockey during the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, one of the venues in Milan, Italy's commercial capital.
OLYMPICS
Feb 20, 2026
Italy’s decentralized Milano Cortina Games offer glimpse of Olympics’ future
But whether it works as a model going forward is another matter.
Silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto shares a laugh with teammate Ami Nakai, who took bronze, after the women's free skate on Thursday at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Feb 20, 2026
U.S. star Alysa Liu tops Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai to take Olympic gold
Sakamoto, skating in her final Winter Games, came just short of winning her first Olympic gold medal.
Canadian players celebrate after Mitch Marner's overtime winner on Wednesday at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Ice Hockey
Feb 19, 2026
Canada survives Olympic scare to advance to men’s hockey semifinals
Canada slipped past Czechia in overtime thanks to the heroics of Mitch Marner and Nick Suzuki.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara react after performing in the free skating at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics in Milan on Monday.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Feb 18, 2026
Tears, a pep talk and a nap: How Kihara and Miura rebounded to win gold
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara overcame despair to stage a stunning free skate comeback, fueled by belief and a timely nap.
Japan's Kaori Sakamoto cheers after completing her short program in the women's singles competition at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Feb 18, 2026
Japan skaters shine as Sakamoto prepares to ‘say goodbye’ to Olympic stage
Kaori Sakamoto, Ami Nakai and Mone Chiba all put themselves in contention for medals on Tuesday in the women’s short program.
Japan's Miho Takagi leads her team during the bronze-medal skate against the U.S. on Tuesday at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Speedskating
Feb 17, 2026
Takagi wins milestone 10th Olympic medal as Japan takes bronze in team pursuit
Takagi is just the second speedskater ever to win double-digit medals on the oval.
Ikuma Horishima (right) hugs Mikael Kingsbury following the men's moguls event at the Milano Cortina Olympics in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 12.
OLYMPICS
Feb 17, 2026
How mogul stars Horishima and Kingsbury pushed each other to new heights 
“He’s an inspiration,” Mikael Kingsbury said of Ikuma Horishima after the moguls event on Feb. 12, in which the two won medals.
Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara pose with their gold medals after their free skate at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Monday in Milan.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Feb 17, 2026
‘Pure magic’: Japan’s Miura and Kihara take pairs gold after brilliant free skate
Miura and Kihara put together their best free skate of the year on Monday, earning 158.13 points, thunderous applause and, most importantly, an Olympic gold medal.
Japan's Ikuma Horishima celebrates after winning silver in the men's dual moguls competition at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Sunday.
OLYMPICS / Freestyle skiing
Feb 15, 2026
Horishima takes Olympic silver in men’s dual moguls behind rival Kingsbury
The silver medal is Horishima’s second medal of the Milano Cortina Games after he took bronze in the moguls last week.
Yuto Totsuka in action during the third run of the men's halfpipe final in Livigno, Italy, on Friday
OLYMPICS / Snowboarding
Feb 15, 2026
How Team Japan became world-beaters in Olympic snowboarding
Japan’s snowboarders have grabbed three gold medals and six medals overall so far at the Milano Cortina Olympics. How did the nation grow to be so dominant?
Gold medalist Yuto Totsuka of Japan (left) and bronze medalist and compatriot Ryusei Yamada pose on the podium after the snowboard men's halfpipe final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Livigno, Italy, on Friday.
OLYMPICS
Feb 15, 2026
Medal bonanza: Team Japan on a tear, one week into Winter Games
At the 2022 Beijing Games, Japan set a national record with 18 medals. Now sitting at 15, that record is almost certain to fall — and likely with time to spare.
Gold medalist Yuto Totsuka celebrates after winning Olympic gold in the men's halfpipe on Friday night in Livigno, Italy.
OLYMPICS / Snowboarding
Feb 14, 2026
Flawless Yuto Totsuka stomps to gold in men’s halfpipe
Australia’s Scotty James prevented a Japanese sweep of the podium, with Ryusei Yamada taking bronze and Ruka Hirano finishing fourth.
Gold medalist Gaon Choi of South Korea celebrates on the podium after winning the women's snowboard halfpipe on Thursday in Livigno, Italy.
OLYMPICS / Snowboarding
Feb 13, 2026
South Korea’s Choi dethrones halfpipe star Kim as Ono takes bronze
Choi bounced back from a brutal fall in her first run to triumph over the two-time defending Olympic champion.
Gold medalist Cooper Woods of Australia between silver medalist, Canadian Mikael Kingsbury, and bronze medalist, Japan's Ikuma Horishima, after the Olympic men's moguls final on Thursday in Livigno, Italy.
OLYMPICS / Freestyle skiing
Feb 12, 2026
Horishima settles for bronze in epic men’s moguls final
Horishima was forced to settle for bronze for the second straight Olympics.
Hinako Tomitaka finishes her run during the Olympic women's moguls final at Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS / Freestyle skiing
Feb 11, 2026
Heartbreak for Japan’s Tomitaka as tiebreaker keeps her off Olympic moguls podium
Tomitaka scored 78.00 points in her final run on Wednesday at the Olympics, dead even with France’s Perrine Laffont, but lost a tiebreaker due to a lower turn score.
Team Japan leaves the ice after losing to Sweden on Monday in Milan. The loss eliminated Japan from the Milano Cortina Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Ice Hockey
Feb 11, 2026
After early end to Olympic campaign, where does Smile Japan go from here?
Coach Yuji Iizuka and his players say European teams have grown leaps and bounds since Beijing. How can Japan close the gap?
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
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.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
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."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
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.

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