Sota Fujii successfully defended his Oi title for a seventh consecutive year after defeating fellow 24-year-old Takumi Ito in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series, winning the match 4-2. (News On Japan)

Japan's men's volleyball team defeated Australia in straight sets on September 9 to complete the preliminary round of the Asian Championship with three consecutive victories, advancing to the knockout stage as pool winner and moving within three wins of securing a place at the Los Angeles Olympics. (News On Japan)

Japan's sporting calendar moved deeper into its busy autumn season on September 8, with the professional baseball pennant races tightening, Shohei Ohtani indicating that his pitching season is probably over, Japan completing an unbeaten preliminary round at the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship, and preparations accelerating for the Asian Games, the September Grand Sumo Tournament and a succession of major international events. (News On Japan)

Ticket sales for the Asian Games are gathering pace with less than two weeks until the competition begins, with more than 60% of tickets sold for the opening ceremony and 31 sports as of September 7, although organizers say seats remain readily available for events including soccer and baseball. (News On Japan)

A school-based torch relay for the Asian Games began in Aichi Prefecture on September 7, with students and other runners set to carry the flame through 14 schools before it reaches the main venue on September 16. (News On Japan)

Athletes competing in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games began arriving in Japan in greater numbers on September 6, with competitors from countries including Jordan and South Korea entering through Chubu Centrair International Airport in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, ahead of the September 19 opening. (News On Japan)

The 20th FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup will be held in Berlin from September 4 to 13, 2026. (News On Japan)

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)