Real Issues, Real Voices, Real Japan Podcast

Listen in as Ed Odeven and Colin Morrison chat with JAPAN Forward's Galileo Ferrari about boxer Naoya Inoue and his one-sided destruction of British fighter Paul Butler, in their bantamweight title unification bout.

The much-anticipated match took place at Tokyo's Ariake Arena on December 13. Morrison's pre-fight analysis suggested Butler would need to rely on his maturity and experience to scrape out a tough win against Inoue.

As Odeven declared in his prediction, "Inoue, at age 29, is in the prime of his career." Fans were expected to be treated to another KO or a one-sided domination. And that was what happened.

• Why Naoya Inoue Will Win The Undisputed Bantamweight Title Fight

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Listen in as Colin Morrison chats with the JAPAN Forward editorial team regarding the Japan national soccer team's achievement of winning the group stage in the FIFA World Cup.

A combination of superb strategic coaching from Hajime Moriyasu and world-class execution by the Samurai Blue produced memorable come-from-behind wins against former FIFA World Cup champions Germany and Spain.

The Samurai Blue trailed both games at halftime.

Key substitutions and formation changes in both matches impacted the action immediately, resulting in the upset victories over the two European giants.

During our conversation, Morrison expressed caution for the round of 16 match against Croatia, and forecast what became a difficult game for Japan. (The Samurai Blue lost 3-1 in the penalty shootout.)

• Japan Shocks Germany in Teams' Group E Opener at the FIFA World Cup

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Listen in as Colin Morrison chats with the JAPAN Forward editorial team regarding the Japan national soccer team's shocking come-from-behind-win against Germany in their FIFA World Cup opener in Qatar on November 23.

Morrison attributes the win to great coaching by Hajime Moriyasu. He led Samurai Blue from a 1-0 halftime deficit into being a fiercely competitive team that would go on to win its opening match.

A combination of other factors are also articulated in the recording. For example, great goalkeeping by Shuichi Gonda and outstanding touch by Takuma Asano to complete the comeback. He also talks about Germany's defensive struggles in the podcast.

• Japan Shocks Germany in Teams' Group E Opener at the FIFA World Cup

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Listen in as sports editor Ed Odeven and reporter Jim Armstrong review the top highlights ー and lowlights ー of this year’s Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

For starters, Tamawashi claimed the Emperor’s Cup at age 37 years, 10 months on Sunday, September 25, becoming the oldest man to win a title in the modern era. 

The podcast features a brief analysis of the significance of the Mongolian’s second title at this stage of his career. Insights are also shared on the disappointing performances of two ozeki, Mitakeumi and Shodai, both of whom went 4-11 in the tournament.

Armstrong shares his thoughts on Sumo’s Flying Monkey Tobizaru‘s impressive 10-5 tournament record, which included big wins over lone yokozuna Terunofuji, who later pulled out of the tourney with a knee injury, and Kiribayama.

• Veteran Tamawashi Captures Second Emperor’s Cup And Etches His Name In The History Books

Join the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward’s [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven

Listen in as Daniel Robson and Arielle Busetto chat with the JAPAN Forward editorial team from the Tokyo Game Show exhibition venue at Makuhari Messe in Chiba.

After being forced by COVID-19 to close its doors to the public and instead offer a virtual online event for two years, the Tokyo Game Show once again welcomed the world to come in and play.

In 2019, there were 655 exhibitors from 40 countries. This year, there were 605 registered exhibitors representing 37 countries. The numbers reflected the game show’s return to near normalcy in 2022. 

PC and Nintendo Switch titles led the way with the most offerings at the show. However, virtual reality (VR) gaming has seen a huge increase since 2019, and PlayStation VR2 made its presence known at the show, alongside Meta Quest 2.

• 8 Things to Look Out For at Tokyo Game Show 2022

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Listen in as Grant Newsham chats with the JAPAN Forward editorial team on Japan’s security budget increase and strategic proposals for the near future that would make it more effective.

Newsham is a retired United States Marine Officer and a former US diplomat with many years of experience in Japan. He is a Senior Fellow with both the Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute in the United States, and a Senior Fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Japan. 

Newsham was the first US Marine liaison officer to the Japan Ground Self Defense force and was instrumental in promoting the JSDF’s initial moves towards an amphibious capability.

• Serious About the Defense of Japan: More Details, Please

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Listen in as Susan Yoshimura chats with the JAPAN Forward editorial team about the launch of Japan 2 Earth, a new website which is setting out to spark progress in the transition toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Bringing information from Japan to the world in English (and Japanese), the website will foster the conversation on SDGs, including a focus on innovations and initiatives by companies and communities in Japan and the region. 

Managing Editor of the new website, Yoshimura, who lives in Japan and has been based in Asia for over 20 years, is an American with a postgraduate degree in Environmental Education. Passionate about the environment, her background includes research program assistant at the United Nations University and more than 15 years of experience in Japanese-to-English translation in the environmental management field. 

• ‘Japan 2 Earth’: New Website Launches to Help Communities Achieve Development Goals

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Listen in as Arielle Busetto, and Daniel Robson, wrap up the 2022 Fuji Rock Festival, in Naeba, Niigata, sharing their highlights of Day 3 and the overall event.

COVID-19 has made it challenging for promoters to host large scale events involving the participation of international artists and meeting the demand of consumers, but Fuji Rock managed both for the 2022 festival.

Arielle and Daniel both commented on how positive the Fuji Rock Festival experience was. But on the other hand, ‘Fuji-rockers’ they spoke to expressed their concerns about COVID-19 as the latest wave continues to record big numbers in Tokyo and nationwide.

Despite COVID’s attempt to take center stage in the consciousness of festival goers, it was the power of music that brought everyone together for this special three day outdoor occasion.

Arielle and Daniel recalled their interviews with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and other bands they met on the last day. And they detailed some of the touching moments as they absorbed the live music surrounded by the beauty of nature at the Naeba ski resort. 

Look for our live coverage on Twitter, and our most recent Fuji Rock articles. First, though, check out these articles on the festival:

• HIGHLIGHTS: Fuji Rock 2022, Day 1

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Listen in as Arielle Busetto, Daniel Robson, and Micah Go, wrap up the second day of the 2022 Fuji Rock Festival, in Naeba, Niigata, sharing their highlights and giving a preview of Day 3.

The Green Stage produced a lot of memorable performances for the day. The team were impressed with Jack White, Bloodywood, and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra’s sets - with the latter two bands mentioned in the Day 1 wrap-up.

As Day 2 melts into the early hours of the final day of Fuji Rock, ZOMBIE-CHANG’s performance is one of the last performances on Saturday’s (early Sunday morning) schedule.

For Day 3, The team expressed their interest in covering JAPANESE BREAKFAST, ZUTOMAYO (ずっと真夜中でいいのに。), and veteran Fuji Rock artist, Takkyu Ishino.

Ishino is known for being one of the members of the techno-pop group, Denki Groove, and will close out the Fuji Rock Festival this year.

Look for our live coverage on Twitter, and our most recent Fuji Rock articles. First, though, check out these articles on the festival:

• HIGHLIGHTS: Fuji Rock 2022, Day 1

Join the conversation live every week. The announcements will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.