Running around the Imperial Palace has become one of Tokyo's most popular fitness activities, but growing numbers of runners and pedestrians sharing narrow sidewalks are raising safety concerns and prompting calls for stronger rules and better infrastructure. (News On Japan)

The Japan Sumo Association announced the rankings for the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on August 31, with last tournament's champion Aonishiki returning to ozeki after two tournaments and taking the second position on the east side of the rankings. (News On Japan)

Japan's high school baseball national team began preparations for the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship with a training session in Yokohama on August 28, as the squad looks to capture the continental title at the tournament opening in Taiwan on September 7. (News On Japan)

From September 4 to 13, the German capital will become the epicenter of women’s basketball. (News On Japan)

Families and children tried their hand at cricket at an event in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on August 29, designed to build interest in the sport ahead of its competition at the Asian Games. (News On Japan)

Around 1,500 competitors from across Japan gathered in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, for the National Goldfish Scooping Championship, testing their skills in three-minute contests to determine the country's best goldfish scoopers. (News On Japan)

Japan's delegation for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held a team formation ceremony at a hotel in Tokyo on August 19, exactly one month before the competition opens, with wrestler Akari Fujinami pledging that the athletes would "fight through to the very end" on home soil. (News On Japan)

Organizers of the Asian Games and Asian Para Games are preparing evacuation plans for athletes and officials staying in temporary container houses and a cruise ship at Nagoya Port, with around 20,000 participants and related personnel expected to visit Aichi Prefecture during the 23-day competition period beginning September 19. (News On Japan)

STAGE:0, one of Japan's largest esports tournaments for high school students, has opened in Osaka, bringing together more than 2,000 teams from across the country to compete for the title of national champion. (News On Japan)

Teqball, a sport combining elements of soccer and table tennis, will make its Asian Games debut when the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games open in September, giving Japan's players a major opportunity to raise the profile of a discipline that has so far attracted relatively little attention domestically. (News On Japan)

Major sporting goods retailer Alpen is opening Alpen OSAKA, one of the largest sports and lifestyle stores in the Kansai region, at the former Uniqlo site in Osaka's Chayamachi district, with six floors offering everything from running shoes and golf equipment to hands-on product testing. (News On Japan)

On August 3, 2026, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced the launch of the "Thoroughbred Championship Series" to determine the top 3-year-old thoroughbred, starting next season, as reported by Sponichi Annex. (News On Japan)

Wakana Uchikoshi, a 27-year-old recruitment professional at Ajinomoto AGF, has built a demanding but rewarding life that combines her weekday corporate career with twice-weekly practices as a cheerleader for a company-affiliated American football team. (News On Japan)

A former member of Japan's weightlifting team at the Tokyo Olympics was arrested after allegedly stealing eggs and other items from a convenience store and injuring an employee who confronted him, investigative sources said. (News On Japan)

Watch the Men's highlights between Japan and USA of the Volleyball Nations League 2026 in Ningbo Beilun (China)! (News On Japan)

Sapporo TV Tower tested the countdown display that will signal the start of the Hokkaido Marathon, with about one month remaining before the race on August 30. (News On Japan)

Sekiwake Aonishiki said he will target sumo’s highest rank after winning his third career championship at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament and securing an immediate return to ozeki. (News On Japan)

World Boxing Council bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue will face top-ranked challenger and former kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa in a highly anticipated rematch at Toyota Arena Tokyo on September 27, organizers announced on July 23. (News On Japan)

Former professional tennis player Rika Hiraki, who won the mixed doubles title at the 1997 French Open, has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a romance scam. (News On Japan)

Japan's largest pickleball facility has opened in Higashiizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, with 20 courts available by reservation as the town seeks to establish itself as a leading destination for the fast-growing sport. (News On Japan)