Hakuho kicked off the second week of action with another swashbuckling win to keep his unblemished record intact, mowing down Russian Aran at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday. (Japan Times)

Hakuho kept his eyes firmly on the prize and wrapped up the first week of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with another high-octane performance against Takarafuji on Saturday. (Japan Times)

Honda is expected to announce shortly that it will return to Formula One in 2015 as an engine supplier to British team McLaren to revive their championship-winning partnership, a company source said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Yokozuna Harumafuji was sent to a shock defeat at the hands of Myogiryu on the second day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday. (Japan Times)

Four female curling teams, including former Olympians and new, younger athletes, are preparing for a September tournament that will determine who will represent Japan at a qualifying tournament for the Sochi Winter Olympics next February. (Yomiuri)

The Socceroos have commenced preparations for next month's crucial World Cup qualifier against Asian heavyweights Japan as they attempt to rebound from their poor showing against Oman. (watoday.com.au)

Mike Rodgers of the United States won the men's 100 meters on Sunday at the Golden Grand Prix. (newstimes.com)

Hideki Matsui brought down the curtain on his playing career on Sunday in an elaborate ceremony at his former home park, Tokyo Dome, as he and his first pro skipper Hall of Famer Shigeo Nagashima each received the People's Honor Award from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Kyodo)

Hideki Matsui returned to Japan on Friday for the first time since December, when he announced he was retiring from baseball after a 20-year career in Japan and in the majors. (Japan Times)

The International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday it would not be penalizing Tokyo after the Japanese capital's governor Naoki Inose made comments deemed critical of rival Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympics. (Kyodo)

A Japanese teenager has equalled the world junior 100m record, running 10.01sec at a meeting in Hiroshima, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said on Monday. (indiatimes.com)

Tokyo's bid committee for the 2020 Olympics expressed regret Monday about remarks made by Gov. Naoki Inose during a recent interview with the New York Times, which accused him of criticizing rival bidder Istanbul. (Kyodo)

Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa was hailed by the Japanese press after his club clinched their 20th Premier League title, but the midfielder said he could have contributed more to the historic feat. (Channel NewsAsia)

Takuma Sato became the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar race on Sunday in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. (Japan Times)

Five-time defending champions Japan got off to a flying start in the Asian Five Nations rugby tournament by scoring a humiliating 121-0 victory over the promoted Philippines on Saturday. (france24.com)

Daisuke Kitagawa turned 20 last month, but he does not know that. He has been in a coma since 2008, after a bad fall at a school judo competition, and his chance of waking up is extremely slim. He dreamed of becoming a police officer, but he never made it past the first month of high school. (New York Times)

A player from Nippon Pro Baseball’s Central League recently tweeted: “Even though I barely touched the ball, it carried into the stands. It reminded me of the era before the uniform ball was introduced. ”Shukan Post (Apr. 24) reports that balls are flying out of parks in Japan at a record pace. (Tokyo Reporter)

The Japanese government has formally decided to grant the People's Honor Award to former professional baseball stars Shigeo Nagashima and Hideki Matsui, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

Japanese figure skating star Mao Asada, the 2008 and 2010 world champion, said on Sunday she would retire from competition after next year's Sochi Winter Olympics. (The West)

Last season's 2-year-old champion Logotype snatched the first jewel of the Japanese triple crown with a record victory in the Satsuki-sho on Sunday. (Japan Times)