Latest news with #Okamura
Japan Forward
07-08-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
J.League Rematch Pits a Pair of Red-Hot Teams
Heading into a rematch of Vissel Kobe's 1-0 home win over FC Machida Zelvia on April 20, the title-chasing squads have had impressive results of late. Vissel Kobe's Taisei Miyashiro scores a first-half goal against Nagoya Grampus on June 15, 2025, in Kobe. Miyashiro is the team's leading scorer this season with nine goals. (©SANKEI) With five straight victories in the FC Machida Zelvia have moved to within six points of two-time reigning champion Vissel Kobe in the standings. Zelvia (12 wins, four draws, eight defeats) are currently in sixth place, though. Their 40 points puts them behind Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Kyoto Sanga, Kashiwa Reysol and the Kashima Antlers ― who are in fifth, fourth, third and second place, respectively ー heading into the holiday weekend of August 8-11. Vissel (14 wins, four draws, six defeats) hold a two-point advantage over Kashima and Kashiwa. In earning 46 points to date, manager Takayuki Yoshida's club is unbeaten since its 3-1 victory over Reysol on May 31. Vissel's current streak includes six wins and a draw. Most recently, Vissel earned a 2-1 triumph over Fagiano Okayama on July 20. On the same day, Zelvia prevailed 1-0 over Tokyo Verdy. Zelvia and Vissel renew their budding rivalry on Sunday, August 10. Kickoff is at 7 PM at Machida Gion Stadium. The teams' first showdown of 2025 was held on April 20. It was decided by a mistake ― an own goal by Zelvia in the 62nd minute produced the data for the history book: Kobe 1, Machida 0 at Noevir Stadium. Zelvia defender Daihachi Okamura expressed disappointment after that match. "We managed to defend stubbornly even when the opponent had the ball, but the goal conceded from a mistake was regrettable," Okamura told reporters in Kobe. star Yuya Osako, who had a combined 33 goals in Vissel's back-to-back title-winning campaigns, was a focal point of Okamura's defensive assignment in the April match. "I think it was a game that could have gone either way," Okamura commented. "Personally, I don't feel like Osako really got the better of me, but the team didn't get the result it wanted. So in that sense, we still have a lot of work to do." Zelvia manager Go Kuroda recognized that the match offered a valuable measuring stick for the team. "In the first and second halves, we tried to neutralize our opponents' strengths and connect them to our own attack," Kuroda said on April 20. "We were able to create many chances, but luck was not on our side, and we realized that we need to improve our skills." Kuroda continued: "While there are individual areas for reflection, I am deeply disappointed that the match ended in defeat due to an unfortunate goal." Kyoto Sanga's Rafael Elias (left) and FC Machida Zelvia's Gen Shoji compete in the first half of an Emperor's Cup fourth-round match on August 6 at Machida Gion Stadium. (KYODO) In the 2025 Emperor's Cup, aka the 105th Japan Football Championship, defending champion Vissel booked a spot in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Toyo University on Wednesday, August 6. Also Wednesday, Zelvia advanced to the tourney's quarterfinal round for the first time, with forward Shota Fujio notching the lone goal of their fourth-round game against Sanga in the 59th minute. Zelvia's Shota Fujio (right) scores in the second half of the Emperor's Cup fourth-round match in Machida, a western suburb of Tokyo. (©SANKEI) Zelvia manager Go Kuroda salutes the team's fans after the match on August 6. (©SANKEI) The quarterfinals are set for August 27, and Kuroda's target is crystal clear. "We will do whatever it takes to win," the Zelvia boss said of his team's title quest, according to Tokyo Shimbun . In 2024, in their first season in the first division, Zelvia placed third overall, just six points behind Vissel. And with capable leader Kuroda in charge, the Machida-based team's lofty expectations shouldn't be dismissed as unrealistic. Statistics don't tell you everything about a match, a team, or a player. But several months of stats help paint a picture about a team's strengths and weaknesses. For Zelvia, for example, offensive stalwarts Yuki Soma (seven goals, six assists) and Takuma Nishimura (six goals, three assists) are vital ― and seemingly irreplaceable. In addition, the team's overall intensity and hard-working persona is augmented by the tone-setting energy of Ibrahim Dresevic, Okamura, and Gen Shoji. Again and again, their physicality disrupts opponents. They've combined for 141 tackles in the team's 24 matches to date, with Dresevic's 51 leading the club. Vissel midfielder Daiju Sasaki (13) in action against Grampus on June 15. (©SANKEI) Taisei Miyashiro (nine goals) and Erik Lima (seven) lead the high-precision Vissel offense. And Osako (five goals) is always a threat to boot the ball into the net. Not to be overlooked is talented midfielder Daiju Sasaki, the team leader in assists (eight). Furthermore, Vissel are one of the top defensive clubs in the yielding just 0.9 goals per game (tied for the second-fewest allowed). But nobody insists that winning should always be easy. It isn't, as Monday's Vissel Kobe-Toyo University match demonstrated. The pro team was the clear-cut favorite, but victory wasn't secured until Miyashiro scored the winning goal in the second half of extra time. Vissel manager Takayuki Yoshida in a June 2025 file photo. (©SANKEI) Presiding over a consistent winner, Vissel boss Yoshida said the team had a subpar performance in the Emperor's Cup match. "We didn't meet our own standards," Yoshida said after game against Toyo University, according to the team's official website. "In the second half, we changed the lineup and regained our usual alertness, but we have to do what we have to do. Prediction, reaction, alertness ... we couldn't do any of it." Looking ahead, what will Vissel accomplish in their marquee match against Machida? And how will red-hot Machida handle the pressure of facing another team on an impressive run? We shall see. What's more, it could become one of the seminal matches of the season. Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan S p orts Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
Euractiv
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Tokyo-born Czech nationalist revives Czexit ahead of national election
PRAGUE – Tomio Okamura, the Tokyo-born leader of Czechia's far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, is making a political comeback before the October general election – and bringing the idea of a Czech EU exit back with him. Okamura has built a political career on hard-line nationalist positions, including proposals to ban the promotion of Islam , a strict anti-immigration agenda , and increasingly vocal criticism of Ukraine and the presence of Ukrainian refugees in Czechia. He has dismissed the EU's Green Deal as a ' crazy neo-Marxist plan ' and his party, SPD, continues to demand referendums on Czech membership in both the EU and NATO – ideas firmly rejected by mainstream parties. His position on a potential EU referendum is clear: "I would vote for the Czech Republic to leave the EU," he said . A recent STEM poll for CNN Prima News places SPD at 13%, third behind the populist ANO (32%) and the centre-right Spolu (21%). The rebound follows SPD's strategic merger with three smaller nationalist groups, forming a more unified anti-EU front. Okamura's nationalism stands in sharp contrast with his own personal biography . Born to a Czech mother and a Japanese-Korean father, he spent part of his childhood in Tokyo before moving to Prague. Before entering politics, he ran a series of tourism-related businesses and was a partner in a now-bankrupt travel agency, which let customers send toys abroad to be photographed in popular tourist locations . He later became vice-president and spokesperson for the Association of Czech Travel Agencies. In 2008, he was even appointed Czech ambassador for the EU's European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. SPD is his second political project, following a bitter split from his previous party, Dawn of Direct Democracy, in 2015. Among Okamura's fiercest critics are members of his own family. His older brother, Hayato Okamura, is an MP for the pro-EU Christian Democrats and accuses his brother of 'objectively supporting the Kremlin.' The youngest sibling, architect Osamu Okamura, ran for the Greens in the 2024 European elections, vowing to 'strengthen active EU membership.' Although the brothers have refrained from personal attacks in public, their ideological divisions are profound. In 2024, Hayato apologised in parliament for what he described as his brother's 'Ukrainophobia." Okamura has also been entangled in multiple legal disputes, mainly with media outlets and NGOs over alleged defamation – most of which he has lost. In early 2025, he was stripped of parliamentary immunity to face potential criminal charges related to an allegedly racially charged campaign in the 2024 European elections. Okamura is unlikely to achieve his long-held goal of taking Czechia out of the EU anytime soon. The populist party ANO, the frontrunner, shows no interest in Czexit, and the current centre-right government remains firmly pro-European. But with several smaller factions hovering near the 5% threshold to enter parliament, the SPD could emerge as ANO's only viable coalition ally, giving Okamura leverage to pull Czech politics further toward the nationalist, anti-EU fringe. (de, mm)
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Man with Ukrainian flag attacked at populist gathering in Czechia
Czech police are investigating an attack on a young man with a Ukrainian flag that took place last week during an event held by the right-wing populist parties SPD, Trikolora, Svobodny and PRO in Brno. Source: European Pravda with reference to Brnensky Denik, a Czech news platform focussing on news from Brno Details: The incident took place on 24 April in the afternoon. As can be seen in the video posted on X (Twitter), several participants of the gathering verbally attacked a group of people, one of whom was holding a Ukrainian flag, urging them to return to Ukraine. They then tried to take the flag away from the young man. During the scuffle, another man knocked the young man with the flag down. After that, several other people joined the incident. The victim reported the incident to the police. Quote from the police spokesman Pavel Schwab: "This person contacted us this morning [Monday 28 April - ed.] to report the incident, we are investigating it and will determine whether it is a criminal offence." SPD leader Tomio Okamura told the iDnes website that the attack took place after a political gathering ended and claimed that the young man attacked first. "On the empty streets of Brno, a Ukrainian activist was the first to elbow a defenceless Czech woman. A man then stood up for the woman. Of course, I condemn any violence," Okamura said. The attack was condemned on X by the human rights ombudsman Klara Šimáčková-Laurenčiková. "The most disgusting manifestation of aggression and prejudiced hatred. I will immediately contact the police. I believe in fair punishment," she said. The news website notes that during the demonstration in front of Brno Town Hall, politicians made harsh statements against the current government, "black migrants", LGBT people and Ukrainians. Okamura, in particular, claimed that Petr Fiala's cabinet had "allocated 232 billion CZK (US$1.4 billion) to Ukrainian refugees at the expense of Czech pensioners". He also promised to deport refugees and "revoke the residence permits of all Ukrainians who receive benefits here and are not working". The leader of the PRO party, Jindřich Rajchl, said that he "agrees with Donald Trump that Ukraine is to blame for the war, that it did not fulfil and did not want to fulfil the Minsk agreements". "I agree with Donald Trump that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator," Rajchl said. Background: Czechs trust Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy more than Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, while Slovaks trust the Russian ruler more. In early February, Czech President Petr Pavel signed an amended law to extend protection to refugees from Ukraine, criminalise unauthorised activities in favour of a foreign state, and tighten conditions for Russian applicants for Czech citizenship. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Asahi Shimbun
26-04-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Expert develops storage bag that keeps bread like just out of oven
Takehisa Okamura, right, president of Kinou Sozai Co. who developed a bread freshness-keeping bag called "Pan Oishii-mama," and Yukari Yamamoto, owner of the Marugen Kitchen bakery, pose for a photo in Kochi on March 17. (Kazunori Haga) KOCHI--Every time Takehisa Okamura ate bread at home, he wanted to savor the flavor of a freshly baked loaf. However, bread tastes best when it is served fresh out of the oven. It needs to be cooled before being packed in bags. Otherwise, the humidity rises inside the bag and causes mold to grow. Bread is sold in stores only after it cools and loses heat--and its fresh flavor as well. Being a material expert, Okamura, 55, thought that the problem could be solved by allowing only moisture to escape outside while keeping the aroma inside. Okamura is the founder of Kinou Sozai Co., an affiliate of Okamura-Kasei Co., a wholesale company dealing in paper, non-woven fabrics and other products for which he also serves as president. He established Kinou Sozai, which means "functional materials" in Japanese, in 2009 to manufacture and sell products made using such materials. Okamura spent the next three years finding the right material. FRESH EVEN AFTER DEFROSTING Regular food packaging films need to serve as barriers to prevent oxygen, water vapor and other gases from entering and maintain the food quality. Okamura developed a bag designed exclusively to store bread and maintain its freshness in 2020, using a special resin that prevents air entering from outside and allows moisture inside the bag to pass through. Because the bag is impervious to oxygen, it can help prevent oxidation. It also allows moisture to escape, keeping mold from forming. The product received an encouragement prize at the Local Industry Awards hosted by the prefectural government. To utilize it, users simply put bread into the bag and seal it with the accompanying clip. The bag created a buzz among bread enthusiasts as it can retain the aroma and flavor for a longer period. According to estimates from the Kochi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center, the aroma of bread remained unchanged even after the bread was kept in the bag for a week at room temperature. The product was given the straightforward name, "Pan Oishii-mama" (Keeps bread tasty). The innovation proved successful, and the number of bags sold doubled from 1 million in 2023 to 2 million in 2024. Another advantage is that Pan Oishii-mama helps prevent bread from frosting and developing a soggy texture even after it is stored in a freezer because it allows moisture to escape. "There is no need to bake it again, and you can let it thaw naturally to enjoy the flavor as if it is freshly baked," Okamura said. UNEXPECTED DEMAND The Pan Oishii-mama bag has attracted an increasing number of unexpected customers. Yukari Yamamoto, 39, who runs Marugen Kitchen, a popular bakery in Kochi that serves breads made from rice flour, said it is a "liberator" for bakeries run by one person. To prevent the aroma of freshly baked bread from escaping, she previously included a deoxygenating agent in a gas-filled bag used for wrapping sweets to maintain the freshness of her breads. But after she started using the Pan Oishii-mama, she was spared from having to add the freshness-retaining agent and just focus on making bread. For customers who buy a lot, she can tell them with confidence that they can savor the flavor even after the bread stored in a freezer is thawed. "We have been aiming to develop something that is a niche product but creates a steady demand," Okamura said. "We want to keep moving forward with our unique thinking and ideas, doing things different from other companies." A set of three Pan Oishii-mama bags, which are large enough to hold two loaves of bread, is sold at a starting price of 495 yen ($3.40).
Morocco World
03-04-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Crisis Prevention: IMF Approves 2-Year $4.5 Billion Credit Line Arrangement for Morocco
Rabat – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved on Wednesday a two-year $4.5 billion arrangement for Morocco designed for crisis prevention. The arrangement is under the Flexible Credit Line (FCL), the statement said on Wednesday, noting that Morocco has canceled the previous FCL arrangement. 'The Moroccan authorities stated their intention to treat the new arrangement as precautionary,' the IMF said, noting that this constitutes the second FCL with lower access in line with the authorities' goal of contributing to reducing access as risks permit in the context of their gradual exit strategy. Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair of the IMF, spoke of the new approved credit line, applauding the Moroccan economy's resilience to different shocks, particularly drought that affected agricultural production. 'Morocco's very strong institutional and policy frameworks have been effective in addressing these shocks, with well-calibrated fiscal, monetary, and financial policies,' Okamura said, stressing that Morocco's government is committed to continuing to implement its ambitious structural reform agenda towards a more resilient and private sector-led growth. Commenting on the new FCL arrangement, Okamura said the arrangement will continue to provide Morocco insurance against downside risks, acknowledging that the economy remains vulnerable to a worsening of global economic and financial conditions, higher commodity prices, and new occurrences of droughts. 'The authorities are committed to treating the new FCL arrangement as precautionary and gradually reducing access, in the context of their strategy contingent on the evolution of risks,' Okamura concluded. In March, the IMF's executive board also approved a $496 million loan for Morocco under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility arrangement, bringing the total disbursement under this arrangement to about $1.24 billion.
