Latest news with #Kirishima
Japan Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Disappointing start to Nagoya tournament turns into fascinating final stretch
Ten days into the ongoing Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament and Ichiyamamoto — a 31-year-old journeyman who hasn't posted more than 8 wins in a basho since 2023 — stunningly led the race for the Emperor's Cup going into Wednesday's bouts. Coming off back-to-back losing records — with the most recent being a 5-10 outing in May — no one could have predicted such a hot start for the Chuo University graduate. The big question, of course, is whether or not Ichiyamamoto can keep his title charge going over the meet's final third, and become the 12th first-time champion to be crowned since January 2020. Given that he hasn't had to face any of the 16 highest-ranked men over the tournament's first ten days, the answer to that question is 'probably not.' Sumo's schedule makers will almost certainly ensure that if Ichiyamamoto is going to taste glory for the first time, he'll have to do it the hard way. And while he might have sole possession of first place at the two-third mark, a single-win lead over a chasing pack — including former ōzeki Kirishima, three-time champion Mitakeumi, ageless ironman Tamawashi along with rising stars Aonishiki and Kusano — isn't very secure. With newly crowned yokozuna Onosato also just one win further back, it's far more likely that the Emperor's Cup ends up claimed by one of his pursuers than by Ichiyamamoto himself. But even if he ultimately fails in his quest for silverware, Ichiyamamoto has been a bright spot in a tournament where fans' hopes for something not seen in years were almost immediately extinguished. Following Onosato's promotion to sumo's highest rank earlier this summer, everyone in the sport was looking forward to a first title showdown between yokozuna since March 2020. Those hopes were quickly dashed when Hoshoryu suffered three straight losses from the second day and had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. It was an unfortunate turn of events that means the 26-year-old grand champion will now finish his first three basho as a yokozuna with a record of 18 wins, 12 losses and 15 absences. That's not what anyone involved in sumo wants to see, and the sooner Hoshoryu gets back into action and wins a first title as a yokozuna the better — not just for his own career and legacy, but the sport as a whole. On the other side of the banzuke, Onosato has, by his own lofty standards, not been having a great tournament either. Three losses in 10 bouts doesn't rule him out of title contention by any means, but the sport's biggest star will need to recapture the form shown over the past few months if he is to claim a third straight championship. But even should Onosato lose one or two more matches, it wouldn't be a cause for concern as the first tournament after promotion to yokozuna is notoriously difficult for wrestlers — particularly younger ones — to do well in. With both yokozuna far from their best, there is a bigger window of opportunity for the aforementioned pack currently chasing Ichiyamamoto. Aonishiki (left) beats Oshoma by oshidashi at IG Arena on Saturday. | JIJI Aonishiki's incredible rise continues unabated with the 21-year-old from Ukraine looking like one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the sport despite only having joined professional sumo two years ago. Just three tournaments into his top division career he is making a 2024 column — which was described at the time as far too optimistic — now look understated. Aonishiki is in the opposite situation to Ichiyamamoto. He has won eight of his first 10 bouts while facing only the highest ranked men in the sport. Everyone that he will be matched up with across the final five days will be of a lower rank. In theory that gives the former refugee, who fled to Japan to escape war in his home country, the inside track to the Emperor's Cup. The mental side of sumo is arguably the most important, however, and being in such a high pressure situation at such a young age will be testing. If Aonishiki can hold his nerve in the spotlight it will create another chapter in what is fast becoming one of sumo's most fascinating stories. In his favor is the fact that all the other main title challengers will have tougher run-ins and are likely to drop bouts to each other. Should Onosato not turn things around, it appears as if Kusano and Kirishima are the main barriers to an Aonishiki championship. Kusano, who is making his top division debut, is currently riding a four-month hot streak. The Nihon University graduate reached sumo's highest tier on the back of consecutive jūryō division titles — something that prompted Hiro Morita, longtime NHK announcer and face of the Japan Sumo Association's English-language YouTube channel, to predict an Emperor's Cup win for the rookie in Nagoya earlier this month. Given that, when Takerufuji managed that exact feat in March 2024 he became the first debutant to win the title in over a century, Morita's prediction seemed outlandish at the time. Ten days later that's not the case, and Kusano has a viable path to history over the next five days if he can keep his hot streak going. Kirishima, meanwhile, not only has legitimate hopes of claiming a third title but also an outside chance of making it back to ōzeki should he do so. With a perfect run-in for the veteran adding up to a combined 32 wins over three tournaments — it's a score that would appear to be slightly short of the oft-cited mark of 33. That's not an official guideline, however, and sumo has just one ōzeki currently. A third Emperor's Cup for a former ōzeki could swing things in Kirishima's favor. However things turn out, a tournament that started in a disappointing manner heads into the final stretch with a range of exciting possible outcomes.
Tokyo Reported
20-07-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Satoshi Kirishima: Hiding in plain sight
KANAGAWA (TR) – In February 2024, Tokyo Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man who died in a hospital here the month before was Satoshi Kirishima, a fugitive wanted over a series of bomb attacks in 1974 and 1975. According to investigative sources, the man was admitted to a hospital in Kamakura City in early January under the name 'Hiroshi Uchida.' He was suffering from terminal stomach cancer. When he died the next month he was 70 years old. On January 25, he disclosed his real name to the hospital staff, saying, 'In the end, I want to die as 'Satoshi Kirishima.'' He died four days later. Kirishima had remained on the run for nearly half a century. One year after his death, TBS News (Mar. 1) visited the home where he lived. Through interviews, the network was able to get a glimpse into his life on the run, one where he was hiding in plain sight. Following a series of corporate bombings in the 1970s, Satoshi Kirishima was a fugitive for nearly 50 years (X) Hiroshi Uchida A photograph presented by the network shows a man smiling with a wine glass in hand. This is Satoshi Kirishima, the suspect who committed a series of corporate bombings in the 1970s. The photo obtained exclusively by the program was taken 30 years after he was put on a nationwide wanted list. His joyful appearance, in the company of friends, does not look like that of a wanted criminal who fears arrest. In Fujisawa City, there is a building where suspect Kirishima lived until just before his death. With special permission, the program was able to film the inside. There, he was left with his life under the pseudonym Hiroshi Uchida and the inner conflict of being a fugitive. His guitar, handwritten lyrics cards, manga, movie DVDs, and other items were piled up in a cluttered mess. Medicines prescribed under the name 'Uchida' and books on cancer also gave a glimpse into his later years. There is a magazine looking back at the year 1974, the year of the bombing. A number of words are scribbled: selflessness, courage, tenacity, weakness. Maruonouchi blast Kirishima was a member of Sasori (Scorpion), a unit for extremist group East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front. The extremist group was tied to a series of bombings in the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front said they were behind more than 10 bombings that targeted contractors and other organizations. In 1974, a time bomb exploded at an office of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. in the Marunouchi business district of Tokyo. The blast killed eight people and injured 380. It was the worst terrorist attack in Japan since the end of World War II. Kirishima is suspected of being involved in a bombing at a building of the Economic Research Institute of Korea in the capital's Ginza district on April 19, 1975. The next day, he was listed as wanted. Before he died last year, Kirishima denied involvement in the Ginza blast. However, he did admit to carrying out at least one of the three blasts on February 28, 1975 that rocked the Hazama Corp. headquarters and its plant in Saitama Prefecture. According to the Asahi Shimbun (Feb. 27, 2024), Kirishima told police, 'I had worked day-labor jobs in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, before living and working at the construction company in Fujisawa.' On the day of the publication of Asahi article, Tokyo police sent Kirishima to prosecutors over five cases on suspicion of violating the Explosives Control Law and attempted murder. Of the 10 members of the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, police arrested nine. Kirishima had been the only one to evade arrest. Toshikazu Ugajin (X) Daichi no Kiba Sasori joined East Asia Anti-Japanese Armed Front after the Mitsubishi blast, meaning Kirishima was not involved. Sasori was accompanied by another group, Daichi no Kiba (Fang of the Earth), in joining the extremist group. Either individually or together, the three groups carried out a total of 12 bombings. Sasori had a policy of not causing any casualties, but in 1975, a man was seriously injured by a bomb set by Kirishima. Afterward, eight member of the three groups were arrested. Kirishima and Toshikazu Ugajin, 72, a former member of Daichi no Kiba, were not among them. Ugajin tells TBS News that he immediately went to Kirishima's residence. 'The idea of using weapons or anything like that to achieve some goal was wrong in itself,' says Ugajin. Kirishima was shaken. '[Kirishima] had a look on his face saying, 'What have I done?' He said, 'I've done something that can't be undone,'' Ugajin remembers. The two men were afraid that the investigation would reach them, so they kept watch over each other's apartments as investigators closed in. Ugajin lived near Saginomiya Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line in Tokyo. Meanwhile Kirishima was at a residence two stations away. 'There were no investigators at Kirishima's apartment,' Ugajin says. 'But when Kirishima went to my apartment, there were about 10 people wearing white gloves.' Satoshi Kirishima with a glass of wine in 2005 (X) The escape Ugajin explains to the network how the two escaped 50 years ago. 'As we were walking, two of the [men in white gloves] followed us and said, 'Let's take a taxi to Shinjuku,'' Ugajin says. 'We were lying down on the grass and asking, 'What on earth should we do?'' While moving from one cheap lodging to another, Ugajin cut Kirishima's long hair with scissors. 'I thought if I cut his hair, they wouldn't know,' he says. 'The blade started moving around, and I wound up cutting it short.' After learning in the newspaper that they were wanted, the two decided to split up and go on the run. 'I was in a panic,' Ugajin says. 'It was bad to be together, so we decided to split up, run away and meet again.' Satoshi Kirishima at his favorite bar in Fujisawa (X) 'Never says no' Despite that promise, they never did meet again.,Ugajin was arrested seven years later and sentenced to 18 years in prison. Meanwhile, Kirishima continued to flee. There are people in his hometown in Hiroshima Prefecture, where he was born in 1954, who were caught up in Kirishima's flight. Kirishima's high school classmate, Ryutaro Okada, 71, went on to a different university in Tokyo than Kirishima. '[Kirishima] was easily influenced by others,' says Okada. 'If someone says, 'Hey, Kirishima, let's go hang out,' he'll go. He was the kind of guy who never says no.' When Kirishima was in his fourth year of university, his classmate was subjected to relentless questioning after Kirishima was put on the wanted list. 'Because he ran away, the police investigated his classmates in various ways, and I think his family got it even worse,' says Okada. 'I felt strongly that he should have come out quickly and say at least one word of apology.' 'I've seen you somewhere before' When Kirishima started his escape, he wound up at a steelworks plant in Fujisawa City. He was introduced to the manager by a gang member under the name 'Uchida.' Takashi Komura, 76, was that manager: 'The gang member said, 'Please take care of him for a bit.'' After working there for about three months, Kirishima disappeared. Komura remembers, 'I said to Kirishima, 'I've seen you somewhere before.' He responded, 'There are a lot of people who look like me.' Then he disappeared at the end of the month.' Kirishima then worked at another construction company for about 40 years. Acquaintances said that although he was quiet at work. But they also said that in his private life he acted boldly, which was hard to believe for a wanted man. At the height of the so-called 'bubble economy,' he danced at discos and visited Tokyo and Yokohama to watch live music. He also went skiing, camping and fishing with friends. 'Excited about movies and music' Kirishima frequented a bar in Fujisawa for 25 years. TBS News got the proprietor to speak on camera for the first time. 'We called him 'Woo-yan,' the manager says. 'He seemed to like getting excited about movies and music the most.' The nickname 'Woo-yan' is also written on the event list at the bar. The manager felt a special bond with Kirishima as a friend. 'He remembered my birthday and brought me something every year,' the manager says. 'He would give me old movie videos, or if he happened to go to a discount store and saw some clothes that looked good on me, he would buy them for me.' He was a cheerful figure at the bar, livening up the atmosphere with the regulars. 'There was a musician he loved,' the manager remembers, 'and he would save up cans of canned chuhai that he drank every day, put a lot of pebbles in them, tie them up with duct tape, and make dozens of them as maracas for all the customers who came in, telling them to support him.' In 2023, Kirishima confessed his illness to the manager. 'He told me he had pharyngeal cancer and said he couldn't go out drinking for a while,' he says. 'About a month later, he said he'd had surgery and was cured, so he'd come again.' That never happened. Satoshi Kirishima was wanted for 50 years Afterward Ugajin was released from prison in 2003. On January 29 this year, the anniversary of Kirishima's death, he visited a shrine in Kamakura. 'The place where I met Kirishima. The place where we agreed to meet again, three months after we started our escape,' he says. 'We parted ways, agreeing to talk things over [another time].' On the appointed day, 50 years ago, Ugajin walked around the shrine grounds, but could not find Kirishima. After that, he visited the shrine almost every year. 'I couldn't meet him. I couldn't meet him. I haven't seen him for 50 years,' he says. Kirishima's classmate Okada said he felt uncomfortable with the reports that Kirishima was involved in the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries bombing. 'He's being treated like a villain,' Okada says. 'There were some things about that that I couldn't forgive. But I want to make it clear to what extent Kirishima was actually involved. For Kirishima's sake.' For Okada, one question remains: Why did Kirishima join the extremists? To find out, he visited Kamakura to ask Ugajin. 'I thought that Kirishima was a man who was easily influenced by others. So I always had a strong feeling that he was pulled in that direction,' Okada says. Ugajin disagrees. He says, 'He's not the kind of person who is influenced by others.' After Okada suggests it was Ugajin who forced Kirishima to join the group, Ugajin says, 'Do I look like the kind of person who would pull someone along? Me? He wasn't pulled along by someone, he chose that fight of his own volition. That he's just a person who doesn't think about anything. That's absolutely wrong. It's wrong.' 'An apology' Okada and Ugajin's opinions were at odds. Later, the two visited visited the Fujisawa bar. 'When we talk, we only have happy memories,' the proprietor says. 'When I think about the victims, I can't express those feelings honestly. To me, Uchida is Uchida, and because we were close, it feels like a friend has died, so I'm sad.' In 2024, Ugajin wrote in his memoir that Kirishima's escape was a 'victory against the public security police.' Since then, his feelings have changed. 'He will live life anew as an ordinary human being, not a terrorist,' he says. 'It's not fitting to call it a 'declaration of victory.'' In January 2024, Kirishima was found unable to move on a street and was taken to the hospital. Stricken with cancer, he made the aforementioned confession as to his identity on his deathbed. When police arrived, he divulged information about the attacks and the background of Kirishimia that only the man himself could have known. The results of a DNA analysis verified his identity. Why did Kirishima reveal his real name at the end? 'He wanted people to know that it wasn't just some nameless person named Uchida who died, but that he was living as Satoshi Kirishima, pretending to be Uchida,' Ugajin says. The proprietor thinks the reason might run deeper. 'I think he was a serious person, so I feel like he drew a line under himself in the end,' he says. 'By calling himself Satoshi Kirishima, it felt like he erased Satoshi Kirishima, partly as an apology for the incident.' Ugajin also visited the building where Kirishima lived for the first time. 'I made a mistake, or rather, I fought in a way that I shouldn't have,' he says. 'I've come to understand that. I think that's natural. When I look at the people he's been with, there's not much difference between my feelings and theirs. I really want to know what he was thinking. I wish I did.' A piece of paper was left behind in Kirishima's room. Handwritten on it were the words of a philosopher: 'You can understand life by looking backwards.'
Japan Times
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Japan Times
Japan unable to present volcanic activity outlook for Shinmoedake
The Meteorological Agency has said that it cannot present an outlook for volcanic activity at the Shinmoedake volcano in the country's southwestern region after a recent series of eruptions. Increasing volcanic activity has been observed since late June at the mountain in the Kirishima range straddling the prefectures of Miyazaki and Kagoshima. To restrict entry to the mountain, the agency raised its volcanic warning level to 3 from 2. On June 23, an on-site survey found that discharges of volcanic gas were increasing after an eruption observed on the afternoon of the previous day. Volcanic smoke rose to a height of 5,000 meters from the crater Thursday. The previous time the mountain was observed erupting was June 2018. The agency said Tuesday that volcanic ash collected mainly by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) contained a very small amount of particles seen as fresh magma substance, soon after the eruptions began. But analysis of samples collected this month showed that the amount increased to around 3% of the ash, the agency added. "It is believed that the type of eruption at the volcano is changing from phreatic eruption not involving magma to magmatic eruption," an agency official said. "A large amount of volcanic ash and lava flows will be expected if a full-scale magmatic eruption occurs," the official said, warning citizens not to approach dangerous areas. According to the transport ministry's Kagoshima airport administrative office, some commercial flights scheduled to depart and arrive at the airport were canceled because of volcanic ash from Shinmoedake.
NHK
22-06-2025
- Climate
- NHK
Mt. Shinmoe erupts in southwest Japan, alert level remains at 2
Mount Shinmoe, located in the Kirishima mountain range bordering Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures in southwestern Japan, erupted on Sunday evening. The mountain last erupted seven years ago. The Kagoshima Meteorological Office says an eruption occurred around 4:37 p.m. and sent up a volcanic plume more than 500 meters into the sky. The plume is believed to have drifted east to the Miyazaki side. It is unconfirmed whether the material included volcanic rocks. Officials say residents of Takaharu Town in Miyazaki Prefecture reported that volcanic ashes were falling, and a security camera in Kobayashi City captured the eruption. The Japan Meteorological Agency lowered the volcanic alert for Mount Shinmoe to Level 2 from Level 3 on its five-level scale last month. Authorities kept the alert level at 2 after the latest eruption. They warn that large volcanic rocks may fall within about a two-kilometer radius from the crater, and that pyroclastic flows could travel within about a one-kilometer radius. They also urged people in downwind areas to be cautious of ash and small rocks. Ground movements continued to suggest the mountain is expanding, as volcanic earthquakes increased sharply on Sunday. Magma eruptions from the mountain in 2011 emitted large amounts of light rocks and ash, and the rocks and air vibrations from the blast caused damage.
The Mainichi
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Sumo: Onosato on verge of title, promotion, with 3-bout lead
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Ozeki Onosato moved to the brink of back-to-back championships and yokozuna promotion as he took a three-bout lead in the title race Thursday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. The 24-year-old ozeki improved to a perfect 12-0 with a decisive victory against up-and-coming No. 7 maegashira Hakuoho before his nearest rival for the championship, lone yokozuna Hoshoryu, dropped to 9-3 with a loss to sekiwake Kirishima on Day 12. If he defeats fellow ozeki Kotozakura on Friday, Onosato will clinch his fourth Emperor's Cup, along with promotion to sumo's highest rank, with two days remaining at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan arena. The powerfully built Onosato demonstrated his agility as he shifted sideways and slapped down the charging Hakuoho (8-4), marking his best start to a 15-day competition since debuting in the elite makuuchi division in January last year. Fighting in the day's final bout, Hoshoryu went chest to chest with fellow Mongolian-born grappler Kirishima but gave up a belt hold that the former ozeki used to position himself for victory by overarm throw. The yokozuna finished the day tied for second with Kirishima, sekiwake Daieisho, komusubi Wakatakakage and No. 17 maegashira Asakoryu. It was reported earlier in the day that Hoshoryu is preparing to apply for Japanese citizenship, a prerequisite to becoming a sumo elder following retirement from competition. Kotozakura secured a winning record at 8-4 by forcing out No. 4 maegashira Ichiyamamoto (4-8).
