Latest news with #Ishikawa
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
UC San Diego impacted by crackdown on student visas
SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) — The future of many international students is in jeopardy again as the Trump administration halted interviews for student visas and announced it will revoke visas of Chinese nationals. The latest moves are impacting students at UC San Diego. 'It's just scary to think that if I came to UCSD next year, even if I got in, I wouldn't be able to come just because of the visa,' said Rei Ishikawa, an international student from Japan. Ishikawa said his interview process was fairly simple and included questions about what he wanted to study and his future career goals. San Diego international students stripped of visa have records restored The U.S. State Department temporarily halted those interviews while it works to expand its screening policies to include reviewing social media activity. 'People are scared to speak or post on social media in case they say the wrong thing,' said Ishikawa. The State Department said it also plans to revise the criteria for future applicants from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong after it announced it will revoke visas for Chinese students. They include those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or who are studying in critical fields. 'I mean, what country is next? Which people are going to be booted next?' Ishikawa questioned. In a statement about the halt, the University of California says it is very concerned, saying in part: 'It is critical that interviews resume as quickly as possible to ensure that applicants are able to go through the process and receive their visas on time so they can pursue their education.' In April, the Trump administration revoked dozens of student visas at UC San Diego, but later reinstated some. 'My roommate came home one day and was just distraught because he got this call from the UCSD office that deals with this and he was told that his visa was revoked,' said Ryan Peng, a recent graduate. He added that his roommate's visa was reinstated. He said he thinks the Trump administration has the right to determine who comes into the country, but he believes there is some ambiguity. 'The process of my roommate getting reinstated also seemed confusing to the lawyers he talked to, so I hope there is some clarity in this situation moving forward,' Peng said. There is no word yet on when student visa interviews will resume or how many Chinese international students at UC San Diego will be impacted by the Trump administration's latest move. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Big surprise in sumo. The sport has a new champion - and he's Japanese
Onosato receives the trophy after winning in a sumo wrestling tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO — Japan has a new sumo grand champion — or yokozuna — and the big news is he's Japanese. Onosato, the new grand champion, weighs 191 kilograms (421 pounds) and he is the first Japanese competitor to reach the top rank since 2017. By comparison, the average weight of an NFL lineman is about 140 kilos, or just over 300 pounds. The sport has recently been dominated by Mongolians and prior to Onosato, six of the previous seven yokozunas have been from Mongolia. 'I'll devote myself to training so that I will not disgrace the title of yokozuna,' Onosato said Wednesday, dressed in a formal kimono and bowing as he sat on the floor. 'I will aim to become a one-and-only yokozuna.' Onosato, whose real name is Daiki Nakamura, is only 24 and was promoted Wednesday to sumo's top rank by the Japan Sumo Association. Onosato was promoted by winning last week's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which came after he won another prestigious tournament in March. Onosato is from Ishikawa prefecture, which was hit on Jan. 1, 2024, by a devastating earthquake and tsunami that killed about 600 people in the prefecture and caused widespread damage. Much of the destruction was centered on an area known as the Noto Peninsula. 'I will work hard as a yokozuna to encourage and cheer up the Ishikawa prefecture and the Noto region,' he said. He then added: 'I determined that yokozuna should be my goal once I entered the world of sumo,' he said. 'It's not easy to achieve and I'm really delighted.' Sumo is regarded as Japan's national sport, or most sacred sport, and many of the ritual elements are connected to Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion. Sumo's origins date back more than 1,000 years, and Japan is the only country where it is contested on a professional level. The sport is highly regimented with many wrestlers living in communal training facilities where food and dress are controlled by ancient traditions. Onosato's promotion will set up an instant rivalry with Mongolia-born Hoshoryu, who is the other wrestler in Japan to hold the yokozuna title. The Japanese news agency Kyodo said the two sumo stars are due to meet in a tournament in July in the central city of Nagoya. ___ Stephen Wade, The Associated Press
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Japan finally has another yokozuna atop nation's beloved sport of sumo
Sumo is Japan's beloved sport. Yokozuna is the sport's most prestigious title. And after 20 years of near-total dominance by Mongolian giants, a Japanese man once again holds the highest title in the country's national sport. Ōnosato Daiki, a 24-year-old from Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture, officially stands at 6-feet-3 and weighs just over 420 pounds. On Wednesday, he became the 75th recognized yokozuna, the sport's highest title, in sumo's more than 1,000-year-old history. Advertisement It took just six minutes for the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, an advisory group within the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), to unanimously approve Ōnosato's promotion to yokozuna on Monday. Two days later, the century-old JSA ratified his new rank in a ceremony that saw Ōnosato posing with two massive fish and toasting with a glass of beer. The historical origins of yokozunas remain wrapped in myth and mystery, but the term itself refers to the white, 44-pound rope yokozuna wear around their waists during tournaments' opening ceremonies. Winning two consecutive grand tournaments is generally considered the modern qualification for promotion to yokozuna. Ōnosato accomplished that feat with back-to-back championships in the March and May tournaments. Ōnosato won promotion after just 13 tournaments, the fastest anyone has achieved yokozuna status since the official process began in 1958. It took Wajima Hiroshi, his closet competition for that record, 21 tournaments to win his promotion in 1973. 'I am truly happy. Now, things will become more important than ever. I want to stay focused and continue to work hard,' Ōnosato said at a press conference Wednesday. 'This is a very much unknown territory for me. I want to maintain my style, be Ōnosato, and I will work hard to become a unique and unparalleled yokozuna.' Ōnosato is the first Japanese yokozuna since 2017, when his mentor, Kisenosato Yutaka, won promotion. Kisenosato was the first Japanese yokozuna since 1999, but his reign was brief as he retired in 2019 due to nagging injuries and a series of losses that reportedly made him seriously question his abilities. Every other yokozuna named since the turn of the century has been Mongolian, a changing of the guard within the sport which can be partially attributed to a dip in sumo's popularity in Japan, an increase in countries represented at sumo tournaments and Mongolia's ancient wrestling tradition of its own. Some origin stories date the first sumo match to around the time of the Roman Empire's founding, but these days, professional sumo has six divisions. Within those are five ranks, and wrestlers earn promotions and relegations based on their performance. At the top is the rank of yokozuna. Wrestlers at that level do not face demotion, so there can be, and often are, multiple yokozuna at one time. Advertisement Because so few men have ever held the top rank, yokozuna face immense pressure to perform, and are expected to retire as soon as they are unable to compete at the highest level. Once they step away, they become 'elders' and often stablemasters, a role akin to head coaches in American sports if head coaches oversaw nearly every aspect of their athletes' lives. At that point, they generally take on a new name to accompany their new identity. Yokozuna didn't become a ceremonial status until the 1700s, wasn't part of the sport's official historical record (the banzuke) until the 1890s and wouldn't become an official 'rank' until 1909. There are six 15-day Grand Sumo tournaments, or honbasho, each year. Wrestlers win their matches by either forcing their opponent to the ground or pushing them out of a central circle called a dohyo. There's a short break and reset if the wrestlers reach an impasse. The longest sumo match on record lasted 32 minutes and included two of those pauses. But on average, a match lasts under 30 seconds. Before Ōnosato's promotion this week, there was only one active yokozuna: Hōshōryū Tomokatsu of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. At 26 years old, 6-foot-2 and 331 pounds, Hōshōryū earned his white rope in January. The start to Hōshōryū's run as yokozuna has had its ups and downs. He lost his very first match after achieving the rank at the March Grand Tournament, and midway through the event, he pulled out of the competition entirely due to a shoulder injury. He ended up with a 5-5 record. The same injury contributed to a 2-2 start in this month's tournament, though he rebounded to win seven straight matches. Another loss came in round 12. But Hōshōryū finished strong with two more wins. Then, in a showdown that portends a budding rivalry between sumo's top warriors, Hōshōryū handed Ōnosato his sole loss in the May tournament finale in Tokyo. Advertisement Smashed backward by a brutal charge and throat strikes by Ōnosato, who outweighs him by about 100 pounds, Hōshōryū's foot nearly left the dohyo twice within the bout's first five seconds. But Hōshōryū managed to grab hold of Ōnosato's belt and use the leverage to hurl him toward the edge. Ōnosato reached for the yokozuna's belt but could not get hold of it. Less than a second later, Hōshōryū flipped Ōnosato into the dirt and out of the ring. Turning to the crowd, he gave a triumphant, forceful nod and stalked away from Ōnosato, who grimaced in pain and frustration. The two shared a final ceremonial bow and went their separate ways. It was a huge moment for both men. This month's competition was Hōshōryū's first full grand tournament as yokozuna, and his victory spoiled Ōnosato's undefeated streak through the most consequential honbasho of his career. Ōnosato took home the Emperor's Cup with a 14-1 record. His dream run was nearly perfect. Somewhat poetically, though, the man he now stands alongside was the one obstacle he couldn't overcome. Hōshōryū finished with a 12-3 record and rose to 6-2 against Ōnosato overall. 'You could say he's my rival or perhaps even my benchmark. I certainly see him as a hurdle I have to clear,' Ōnosato said the day after the match. As columnist John Gunning wrote for The Japan Times earlier this week, sumo could be in for a new golden age with the emergence of Hōshōryū and Ōnosato. And fans won't need to wait long to see a rematch. Sumo's next grand tournament is in Nagoya in July. When the festivities reach their conclusion, it will be the first time in nearly six years that two yokozuna face each other to close a honbosho. Each will be motivated to avenge something. For Hōshōryū, it will be another shot at his first Emperor's Cup as a yokozuna. For Ōnosato, it will be another shot at perfection. Both are looking for their first true triumph with a white rope. In a thousand-year-old sport where a split second can decide everything, two months will probably feel like an eternity.
CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Sumo wrestling gets its first Japanese grand champion in 7 years as 24-year-old Onosato reaches top rank
Tokyo — Japan has a new sumo grand champion — or yokozuna — and the big news is he's Japanese. Onosato, the new grand champion, weighs 421 pounds and he is the first Japanese competitor to reach the top rank since 2017. By comparison, the average weight of an NFL lineman is just over 300 pounds. The sport has recently been dominated by Mongolians. Prior to Onosato, six of the previous seven yokozunas have been from Mongolia. "I'll devote myself to training so that I will not disgrace the title of yokozuna," Onosato said Wednesday, dressed in a formal kimono and bowing as he sat on the floor. "I will aim to become a one-and-only yokozuna." Japanese sumo wrestler Onosato (C) and his Nishonoseki stable master (R) attend the "yokozuna," or grand champion, promotion ceremony in Ami Town, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, May 28, 2025. STR/JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Onosato, whose real name is Daiki Nakamura, is only 24 and was promoted Wednesday to sumo's top rank by the Japan Sumo Association. Onosato was promoted by winning last week's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which came after he won another prestigious tournament in March. Onosato is from Ishikawa prefecture, which was hit on Jan. 1, 2024, by a devastating earthquake and tsunami that killed about 600 people in the prefecture and caused widespread damage. Much of the destruction was centered on an area known as the Noto Peninsula. "I will work hard as a yokozuna to encourage and cheer up the Ishikawa prefecture and the Noto region," he said. He then added: "I determined that yokozuna should be my goal once I entered the world of sumo," he said. "It's not easy to achieve and I'm really delighted." Onosato looks on during the 15th day of the Grand Sumo May Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan, May 25, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. ETSUO HARA/Getty Sumo is regarded as Japan's national sport, or most sacred sport, and many of the ritual elements are connected to Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion. Sumo's origins date back more than 1,000 years, and Japan is the only country where it is contested on a professional level, though competitors come from around the world. Last year the sumo world lost one of its contemporary greats, Hawaii-born Akebono, who died at the age of 54. The American was the first foreign-born wrestler to reach the level of yokozuna. The sport is highly regimented with many wrestlers living in communal training facilities where food and dress are controlled by ancient traditions. Japanese sumo wrestler Onosato holds up fish as he celebrates after the "yokozuna," or grand champion, promotion ceremony in Ami Town, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, May 28, 2025. STR/JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Onosato's promotion will set up an instant rivalry with Mongolia-born Hoshoryu, who is the other wrestler in Japan to hold the yokozuna title. The Japanese news agency Kyodo said the two sumo stars are due to meet in a tournament in July in the central city of Nagoya.
Japan Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Historic rise to yokozuna just the beginning for Onosato
It's been an historic week for Japan's national sport, with Onosato's rapid rise to yokozuna forcing major revisions to sumo's record books. So head-spinningly fast has the 24-year-old's ascent been that it's hard to know where to even begin when describing the impact. First and foremost, there is a good argument to be made that Onosato is already the most widely decorated wrestler in sumo history. In addition to becoming just the second ever student yokozuna to reach the same rank in professional sumo, after fellow Ishikawa prefecture native Wajima, Onosato is also the first grand champion to have been amateur yokozuna, World Games gold medalist and National Sports Festival champion. Of course most stars of the past turned pro while still in their teens, and weren't part of the collegiate and international amateur circuit that Onosato dominated for years. Even so, the Nippon Sport Science University graduate has achieved far more in just two years as a professional than the vast majority of wrestlers manage over an entire career. With a fourth Emperor's Cup in just nine top division tournaments, the Nishonoseki stable man has reached the top of his chosen sport faster than anyone in modern sumo history. That Onosato has done so without posting a losing record in any tournament to date is simply mind-boggling. Since reaching the paid ranks he has won an incredible 82% of his bouts and reached double digits in 9 of 11 meets. Only 18 months ago Onosato had yet to compete in sumo's top division, yet now he becomes just the 75th man to reach the sport's ultimate rank. Onosato turns 25 on June 7 and is already in a place where it's simply a matter of burnishing his legacy. A first title as a yokozuna, followed by the five more that would put him in rarefied air, and then all that's left is chasing the marks reached by the sumo's greatest legends. Writing so flippantly about five championships – a number that many yokozuna never reached – should feel strange, but so overwhelming has Onosato been to date that it doesn't seem far-fetched. Sumo's newest grand champion isn't invincible as Hoshoryu demonstrated on the May meet's final day. However even that loss was hard-fought, and with the title (and promotion) having been sealed on day 13, a certain lapse in concentration was understandable. Failing to go unbeaten just gives Onosato something else to aim for in the future, and given how things stand in sumo currently it'd be a surprise if he doesn't achieve a perfect 15-0 championship soon. Predictions of greatness have become the norm when it comes to Onosato, but as he prepares to ascend to the sport's highest rank, it's worth pondering just how far he can go. In an activity as violent as sumo, where career-derailing injures are common and rikishi put their bodies on the line every time they step into the ring, success is never guaranteed. However if Onosato can avoid major harm, he should be able to match the achievements of the aforementioned Wajima and perhaps go even further. In addition to the sheer size and power that enables him to blow opponents away with ease, Onosato has gradually reduced his tendency to pull when a first attack stalls, which was his one remaining obvious weakness. With that one habit now almost entirely overcome, the new yokozuna goes into every fight with a significant advantage in physicality, offense and defense, making him incredibly difficult to defeat. While fellow yokozuna Hoshoryu has the ability to beat any opponent – including Onosato – he must work much harder to do so. That's not simply a matter of size. Virtually all great yokozuna have a side to their sumo that gives an almost insurmountable edge. Whether the massive bulk of Akebono, the technical perfection of Takanohana, or the raging intensity of Asashoryu, the sport's greatest exponents have at least one weapon that tips the balance in their favor most of the time. Hoshoryu is getting there in terms of aggressiveness and technique but isn't yet the finished product, while Onosato already has significant and established advantages in both power and offense. That means that while head-to-head bouts could lean toward the Mongolian native for a while, Onosato is far less likely to suffer the same two or three soft losses each tournament that have prevented Hoshoryu from claiming more silverware. With no one else able to consistently hit the same level that Onosato can manage, the 75th yokozuna should steadily add to his trophy cabinet over the next five years. On that timeline, if a conservative estimate is taken with Onosato winning an average of two to three tournaments a year, then the sport's newest grand champion will be more than capable of surpassing Terunofuji, Musashimaru and Wajima by the time he hits 30. The gap from Wajima's 14 Emperor's Cups to Takanohana's 22, though, is a large one with almost all of the most successful yokozuna — Chiyonofuji aside — having started their Emperor's Cup collection at a young age. There is no doubt that Onosato has the ability to write himself into the history books further and find himself described as a "dai-yokozuna" (great yokozuna) by the time he retires, but the most tantalizing part of his rapid rise is that he already shows all the traits needed to go even further and become part of the elite group of names mentioned in discussions about the all-time greats. It's been an historic ascent for Onosato already, but his greatest days may be yet to come.
