Latest news with #Inoue
Japan Times
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Junto Nakatani wins slugfest against Ryosuke Nishida to unify WBC and IBF titles
Junto Nakatani did not need anyone to tell him that Naoya 'Monster' Inoue was sitting ringside for his WBC and IBF bantamweight unification bout against Ryosuke Nishida. 'I saw him while I was looking up at the big screens,' he said with a chuckle. Nakatani (31-0 put on a show for Japan's most famous fighter, winning an electric and hard-hitting bout to retain his WBC title, relieve Nishida of the IBF belt and remain on a collision course with Inoue. Boxing fans around the world are salivating at the prospect of a blockbuster showdown between Nakatani, an undefeated three-weight champion, and also unbeaten Inoue. That fight, which both boxers have agreed to stage, could come in the spring of 2026. Nakatani, though, had to get past Nishida first. The bout got off to a start worthy of Natakani's 'Big Bang' nickname, as the pair fought at a frantic pace from the sound of the opening bell, as if each had the same strategy to land big blows early and often. 'Being aggressive in the first round and damaging my opponent was my strategy,' Nakatani said. 'I think it was successful.' The crowd, sensing early on that it might be watching something special, roared in approval through the first few action-packed rounds as Nakatani attacked with vicious, looping left-handed punches and uppercuts as Nishida tried to poke through his defenses. Nakatani managed to land a couple of blows early on that caused Nishida's eye to swell. Nishida's eye kept getting worse as Nakatani pushed forward. He was was exclaimed by the ringside doctor in the fifth round. The fight was stopped after the sixth due to Nishida suffering a dislocated shoulder. 'It was my first time to face a fighter like that, and that helped me focus more, and my motivation was even higher than in practice," Nakatani said. Earlier, kickboxer-turned-boxer Tenshin Nasukawa maintained his perfect record with a victory over Victor Santillian. This was a tough fight,' Nasukawa said. 'He was a really tough opponent.' Nasukawa won via unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight, 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91. He sounded less-than-pleased after the bout as he stood in the ring drenched in sweat and with blood visible over his left eye. 'I was not able to do well in the match,' he said. The good thing is that we have a lot of work to do.' Nasukawa, who many fans outside Japan saw for the first time in 2022, when he faced former boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a high-profile exhibition on New Year's Eve, improved to 7-0 as a pro boxer. He ditched his famous platinum blonde look and fought with jet black hair, with the character for 'Ten' shaved into the right side of his head. He walked out to Eikichi Yazawa's 'Tomarabai Ha-Ha,' and his green and black robe glittered under the spotlight once he reached the ring. Nasukawa landed a couple of solid blows in the fourth round, but Santillan did not look to be in immediate danger. Nasukawa, though, rocked his opponent with three lefts to the head in the ninth inning, breathing life into the partisan crowd. The fighters aggressively chased the win in the 10th and final round, which devolved into desperate, wild swings from both before the bell rang and Nasukawa wrapped his arms around Santillan. In other fights, Tomoya Tsuboi survived a 10-round battle against Vietnamese fighter Van Thao Tran to win the vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title. Tsuboi could not have asked for a better start to his career, as he claimed a title just 88 days after making his pro debut with a win over Boonrueang Phayom. Tsuboi defeated Tran via unanimous decision, displaying his speed and hitting his opponent with flurries of punches at points during the fight. 'I felt that Tran was very strong physically and mentally, and it was not going to be easy to knock him down,' Tsuboi said. 'So I knew it might go 10 rounds.' The Osaka native later said he wanted to work on finishing off his opponents in future fights. 'I think I learned a lot today by fighting through 10 rounds,' he said. Riku Masuda lived up to his growing stature as the successor of the nickname 'God's Left' in the first main bout of the undercard when he floored Michell Banquez in the opening round of their bantamweight bout. Former bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka was known as 'God's Left' because of his prodigious power, and Masuda is looking to inherit the mantle from the retired great. He looked worthy of the name after following a pair of right-handed jabs with a left to the head that sent Banquez straight to the canvas. Masuda, who has championship aspirations, is ranked No. 7 in the IBF rankings, No. 8 by the WBO and No. 11 by the WBC. 'I think I proved I am a championship-caliber fighter tonight,' he said.
Japan Forward
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
New Music Zine N.E.R.O. Launches June 19 with Shibuya Party and Three Cool Bands
When was the last time you picked up a really good music magazine? You know – a bound sheaf of pages filled with insightful interviews and striking photography of your favorite musicians? If you thought print was dead, now's your chance to witness the birth of a brand new zine: N.E.R.O. Chief Editor Yukiko Inoue is a veteran of the analog world. She began her career as a member of Flipper's Guitar, the seminal late-1980s/'90s Shibuya-kei band led by musicians Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada) and Kenji Ozawa. Later, in 2010, she founded the premium music magazine nero, whose pleasingly thick editions featured bilingual interviews with revered artists from Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon to Phoenix alongside a plethora of young up-and-comers. N.E.R.O. founder and Chief Editor Yukiko Inoue. Despite being an independent magazine, nero quickly attracted attention from music fans and fashionistas alike, with its glossy pages featuring exclusive shots from renowned photographers such as Ellen Von Unwerth and Autumn de Wilde. One issue even featured an exclusive cover illustration of French band Phoenix by artist Klaus Voorman, which referenced the cover artwork he made for the Beatles album Revolver in 1966. "I like print," says Inoue simply as we chat in a Shibuya cafe. "A lot of magazines have gone out of business over the years, and it has become tough, but I do believe that magazines, writing and photography will always remain. It's like fashion – the trends go round in circles." Borderless N.E.R.O. Now, Inoue is preparing to launch N.E.R.O., an English language publication made in Japan. It borrows from the aesthetics of fanzine culture to create bite-sized, carefully crafted issues themed around a different music artist each time. N.E.R.O. will launch with a party in Tokyo on June 19 that includes live performances from Melbourne band HighSchool, Paris-based Pol, and Tokyo's Luby Sparks. N.E.R.O. presents borderless night. The new zine's upcoming launch party will feature a live set by Melbourne band HighSchool. Inoue explains that N.E.R.O. was born from the ashes of her previous magazine nero, which faltered during the pandemic. "For various reasons, it felt like a good time to move on," she says. "I had some interviews already planned though, so I decided to find a new way to publish them, in a format that was more suited to the modern era. Magazines don't work the same way they used to, and a website didn't really appeal to me, as I am quite an analog person." With this in mind, Inoue settled on a zine format. While nero was presented as an aspirational magazine that made its bespoke photography look beautiful and timeless, N.E.R.O. will have a scrappier feel. It will be a series of zines devoted to one artist per issue, and readers can choose to buy just the ones they like or collect the whole set. Since each will have matching cover designs, they'll make a great collection. Countdown to the First/Last Issues Inoue is planning a set of around eight issues for this experimental first run – the first two of which feature interviews with HighSchool and POL. (Technically these are the last two issues, as they will count down backwards to zero, ending with an issue focused on Nick Knight.) Paris-based duo Pol will leave their first impression on Tokyo fans at the N.E.R.O. launch party in June. "In July, the next issues will be about Turnstile and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, who will be coming that month to play at the Fuji Rock Festival," says Inoue. "The great thing about doing separate issues about each band rather than one big magazine is that each issue can be timed to release when the band is in Japan, so fans can see their show and pick up the zine at the same time." The bands featured in N.E.R.O. are not exactly household names, as Inoue has a passion for discovering artists early in their career. Some of her discoveries have gone on to become relatively big, such as Sky Ferreira, The 1975 and Clairo. But more importantly, Inoue brings a sense of human curation that is essential in this digital world. The lineup for the June 19 launch event at Shibuya WWW is a great example of this approach, with three bands whose sound is individually unique yet who complement each other perfectly. If you like one of them, you'll probably like all three. Advertisement First Invites Melbourne band HighSchool "The first band I invited to join the party was HighSchool," explains Inoue. "They first came to play in Japan last year (2024), and I love their music and live performance. They have a nostalgic sound that reminds me of New Order and Joy Division, so I think they'll appeal to fans of that kind of music." HighSchool's bright guitar tones, downbeat vocal delivery and confessional lyrics recall classic British bands like The Smiths and New Order, while their live shows carry an intensity that is electrifying. Luby Sparks The next addition to the lineup was Luby Sparks, a Tokyo-based band. "I don't listen to much Japanese music, but I'm good friends with the band, and I thought they would be a good match for HighSchool," says Inoue. While Luby Sparks hail from Japan, their music homages the dreamier end of the '90s Britpop scale, underpinned with a US alternative-rock heart. The music video for their single One Last Girl featuring bedroom-wall posters of Echobelly alongside raunchier artists like Hole and Joan Jett, giving a clear indication of their influences. French band Pol Adding Goth and a Touch of France Deciding that inviting only one foreign band and one from Japan was not quite enough of a challenge, she added Pol to the lineup, flying them in from France. The band's music takes things a little further back to the '80s, with their guitar and synth combo drawing from the well of Gary Numan and the Human League. "Pol are not very well known in Japan yet, but they have a great visual style and their music has so much potential, especially since the type of new wave music they make is due a resurgence," says Inoue. Lillies and Remains vocalist Kent will perform a special DJ set. In addition, Kent, the vocalist from cult Japanese band Lillies and Remains, will also appear as a guest DJ, adding a ripple of Goth to the event. "There will be elements of guitar-pop and Goth, but it's all through the filter of just one person – me – so even if you don't know all the bands, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as an event," says Inoue. "People who love music and beautiful things, and people who want to meet likeminded people – give it a chance and come check out the show!" Advertisement Representing Asia's Music Scene The HighSchool and Pol issues of N.E.R.O. will be available to buy at the launch party. All the issues will also eventually be available to order online, with overseas delivery likely available too. Each issue will be published in English, with a foldout insert that includes Japanese translations. Melbourne band High School. Inoue writes the bilingual versions of her interviews with the help of a translator and an interpreter. For now, the majority of the musicians she interviews are from the West. However, she originally envisioned nero as a magazine that could represent Asia's music scene and which could be read in English around Asia and elsewhere around the world. Her new zine takes a similar approach, embracing a "borderless" concept. Inoue's selective approach means she is able to channel her passion for each artist into her interviews. In turn, that encourages them to open up. For example, in Volume 8 of nero magazine, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon spoke in detail about personal topics such as their family dynamic, making for an unusually engaging article. Tokyo band Luby Sparks round out the bill at N.E.R.O.'s launch event. Inoue's Secret: Listening "I've been told that I'm like a counselor," she says. "With Sean Lennon, he was a fan of my magazine, and he offered to pay a photographer he liked (Greg Kadel) so we could do a cover shoot together. I don't know why, but music producers like Mark Ronson seem to connect with what I do as well, and they really open up to me. Maybe it's because I'm a good listener." As someone who has interviewed hundreds of creative people myself over the past couple of decades, I know how hard it is to build a rapport with someone in the few minutes before you hit record, and to have them forget their media training and speak from the heart. So I ask Inoue her tips for getting the best out of her interviewees. "The most important thing is to listen to their music over and over beforehand," she replies. "If you love their music, you'll have no problem finding questions to ask them, because you're naturally interested in what they have to say. "And then you have to listen carefully to their responses and follow up with deeper questions. If you do it with love, they can tell." Advertisement Interested in the June Event? N.E.R.O. presents borderless night takes place on June 19 at Shibuya WWW in Tokyo. It includes live performances from HighSchool, Pol & Luby Sparks. For tickets and further information about the show and the first issues of N.E.R.O., visit or RELATED: Interview by: Daniel Robson Read Daniel's artist interviews and his series Gamer's World on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter).
Japan Forward
a day ago
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Kosei Inoue Poised for National and Global Judo Leadership Posts
Judo legend Kosei Inoue maintains an active lifestyle. For the foreseeable future, his daily calendar will get even busier. The men's under 100-kg division gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics is in the running for new administrative posts with the All Japan Judo Federation and the International Judo Federation. According to published reports, Inoue was formally approved as a candidate for the AJJF's board of directors during the organization's online meeting on Thursday, June 5. An election for the board's new members will be held on June 24. Ken Takayama, secretary general of Japan's judo governing body, believes Inoue is an ideal candidate to serve in a leadership role. "He has a strong sense of unity, knowledge of judo and energy. We have high expectations of him in all aspects," Takayama was quoted as saying by The Sankei Shimbun . Inoue, who turned 47 on May 15, previously served as the Japan men's national team head coach, including at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games. He also served on the AJJF's strengthening committee as a vice chairman. After stepping down as head coach in 2021, Inoue reiterated his passion for the sport. "Judo and sports will remain my contributions to the world," Inoue said at the time. In related news, All Japan Judo Federation President Shinichi Nakamura is expected to be reappointed for another term.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Junto Nakatani must ignore the 'Monster' under his bed as he prepares for Ryosuke Nishida's tough test
Seventy-nine seconds into Top Rank's official YouTube video titled "A Look Into Junto Nakatani's Training Camp" and the name Naoya Inoue is already mentioned. It's no surprise. The Japanese "Monster" has become boxing royalty down in the lower weight divisions and has been in the conversation for the sport's mythical pound-for-pound top spot for many years — but this weekend isn't about him. Advertisement In the early hours of Sunday morning inside Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum, Junto Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) makes the fourth defense of his WBC bantamweight title against IBF king Ryosuke Nishida (10-0, 2 KOs) — and in doing so, Nakatani is attempting to grease the wheel for a potential meeting with Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs) in a year's time. It's a mistake we've seen boxing make time and time again. When too much investment is placed in future, speculative real estate, it can cause the here and now to suffer. In this case, a three-weight world champion in Nakatani will see his career put on trial until he meets the one fighter who has been unfairly deemed his "final boss" — Inoue. This is not to suggest that us, as fans, shouldn't pine for these mouth-watering spectacles. But in doing so, context needs to be applied. The success of a boxing career isn't binary and Nakatani deserves his own moment in the sun before he is placed next to the Inoue measuring stick. Advertisement Nakatani, himself, is adding fuel to the Inoue fire. Though it's hard to dodge the bullet of questioning when it is fired so readily. "He (Inoue) inspires me to get better as a fighter," the 27-year-old explained during his final press conference ahead of his bantamweight unification clash. "We are hoping that this time next year we can get this fight [with Inoue], but a lot can happen between now and then." Like the "Monster," Nakatani has 30 wins on his pro slate, but has reached this milestone with less focus, attention and fanfare than his senior countryman. Based in the United States, the power-punching knockout artist has stopped all four of his opponents at 118 pounds so far, last hearing the final bell in September 2023 in a one-sided rout of Argi Cortes at super flyweight. I was in attendance that night in Tokyo, Japan, and it was Kenshiro Teraji and Tenshin Nasukawa who received the lion's share of the attention from the passionate yet traditionally subdued Japanese crowd. Much like that evening in his nation's capital, Nakatani's work thus far has been done in the shadow of others — but it has clearly been of benefit. The emotional drain of acting as the sport's flag-bearer for a nation can take its toll on those ill-prepared. Advertisement Nakatani's grounding is underpinned by his career-long head trainer, Rudy Hernandez, who has crafted his charge's tools since the age of 15. The head honcho of the L.A Boxing Gym knows all too well that nothing is promised in boxing. 'I believe that if it does happen (Inoue vs. Nakatani), it'll be the greatest fight in Japanese boxing history,' Hernandez told the Top Rank cameras. 'But there is not a single fighter in the history of this sport that maintained No. 1 forever. What comes up must come down. Junto is the guy today, but he might not be the guy tomorrow.' Nakatani's opponent this weekend can't be filed into the folder titled "William Scull and friends." Nishida is an unbeaten champion in his own right, and will be viewing Nakatani as his own potential stepping-stone to greatness in the sport. Both southpaws share similarities in their styles, and despite just the two stoppages on his record, Nishida has real pop in his punches. It's important we don't wish-cast careers like Nakatani's away. If he wins this weekend, he will undoubtedly deserve credit and to receive his flowers for unifying the bantamweight division, not to simply be treated as the victor of a supposed 'No. 1 contender' fight for Inoue. Similarly, if he loses, we shouldn't reduce his career to 'what might have been,' speculating on the size of the damage caused.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Daihatsu Launches New Move for Turnaround
The Yomiuri Shimbun Daihatsu's new Move minivehicle on Thursday, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan's Daihatsu Motor Co. released on Thursday the fully revamped Move minivehicle, the company's first new model since July 2022, hoping to make a turnaround in the market. Daihatsu had suspended new vehicle releases since its testing scandal came to light in April 2023. At the launch event in Tokyo, President Masahiro Inoue apologized again for the scandal. 'We've established a foundation to tackle problems with the Toyota group as a team,' Inoue said, adding that the release of the new Move is 'the first step in our restart.' The seventh-generation Move, which has gone through the first full model change for the popular brand in 11 years, targets senior drivers. It is the first Move model equipped with sliding doors, making it easier to get in and out. Safety features are also enhanced with systems such as brake control to prevent sudden acceleration caused by pressing the wrong pedal. The price starts at ¥1,358,500 . The monthly sales target is 6,000 units.
