Tickets On Sale for February UFC Japan Card

In Japan and planning to attend the UFC's return to the Land of the Rising Sun? Get your credit card ready.

Tickets for UFC Japan go on sale today through UFC Mobile. On Tuesday, fans in Japan can get tickets through WOWOW and Nikkan Sports. WOWOW is a subscription-based Japanese broadcasting company; Nikkan Sports is a daily sports newspaper with a circulation of nearly 2 million.

Tickets will range in price from 5,800 Japanese Yen to ¥100,000. Current exchange rates between the Yen and U.S. Dollar (1/0.0128) make those tickets priced from just under $75 to nearly $1,300. The pricing breakdown is similar to major U.S. UFC pay-per-view shows.

Tickets for the general public will be made available starting Dec. 10 through Lawson Tickets, E-Plus and Kyodo Promotion. UFC Japan, as the card is being billed (UFC 144 in the numbered event system), will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, just north of Tokyo. The arena has hosted some of the biggest events in MMA history and was the home for many Pride Fighting Championship events.

The UFC on Monday announced the full fight card for UFC Japan with a press conference in Tokyo that featured many of the card's biggest names. Headlining the event will be a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Ben Henderson. The co-main event will feature a name plenty familiar to Japanese MMA fans – Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who was a Pride star for many years before coming to the UFC. Jackson will fight Ryan Bader in the co-main event six years to the day from his last fight in Japan.

Also appearing at the press conference alongside UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC international managing director Marshall Zelaznik and UFC Asia managing director Mark Fischer were Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jake Shields, who meet in a welterweight bout on the main card; Mark Hunt and Cheick Kongo; Joe Lauzon and Anthony Pettis; and Japanese fighters Yushin Okami, Takanori Gomi, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki, Takeya Mizugaki and Riki Fukuda, all of whom have fights on the card. The card features seven Japanese fighters, though only Akiyama will appear on the main card.

"Japan is the spiritual home of martial arts," Fertitta said in a release from the UFC. "The world has learned from the Japanese many aspects of how to compete in hand-to-hand combat with respect and honor. But Japan also has a proud history of modern mixed martial arts and I am excited to bring the Ultimate Fighting Championship back here ..."

The UFC last held a show in Japan in December 2000, prior to its purchase by Zuffa. Due to the time difference between Tokyo and the United States, the pay-per-view is scheduled to air live in the U.S. at 8 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 25. There is a 14-hour time difference between Tokyo and the Eastern time zone in the U.S.

Source http://www.heavy.com/mma/mma-news/2011/11/tickets-on-sale-for-february-ufc-japan-card/

Ishikawa fined by Japanese Tour despite earthquake relief fundraising efforts

Ryo Ishikawa's efforts to raise money for the Japanese earthquake relief fund may have been hit after he was fined £16,500 by the Japanese Tour for pulling out of two tournaments.

Japan's golfing superstar is giving his entire earnings for 2011 to the fund, which was set up after the huge quake and tsunami devastated the east coast of the country earlier this year. Ishikawa will also add a further £750 for every birdie he makes this season.

The Japan Golf Tour Organisation took a dim view of the 19-year-old's decision to withdraw from the Kansai Open in August and last week's Toshin tournament, which he missed for the second year running, citing a sore shoulder.

The JGTO handed him the first such fines for three years on the men's tour as punishment.

'Rules are rules,' the tour's executive director Andy Yamanaka said. 'They are put in place to protect the tournaments. They are not rules only for Ryo.'

Yamanaka insisted the Japanese tour would not make any special concessions to Ishikawa's enormous celebrity in Japan, where his grinning face looks down from giant billboards and appears frequently on TV commercials.

'Yes he's a superstar but he is also one of 200 (JGTO) members and everyone plays under one set of rules. You should not change rules for one person.'

JGTO chairman Tadashi Koizumi said the organisation would 'get tough' next year to tighten the rules and prevent players suddenly pulling out of tournaments.

'We want the players to support the Japanese tournaments,' said Yamanaka. 'They can't just pay money and take time off, so we want to amend the rulebook.

'Even if Ishikawa goes off and plays on the American PGA Tour he will still have to abide by our rules.'

Ishikawa apologised and produced a doctor's note.

'My left shoulder felt like it was about to dislocate,' Japan's brightest hope for a future men's major champion told Nikkan Sports.

'The doctor told me if I played on, it would develop into chronic inflammation so I made the tough decision to withdraw.

'Last year I was playing in Europe so had to pull out. It's bad timing.'

Source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-2037290/Ryo-Ishikawa-fined-Japanese-Tour-despite-earthquake-fund-raising-efforts.html

'Frog king' Kitajima leaps injury hurdle

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima is determined to overcome an injury-plagued build-up to the world championships as he steps up his quest for a third straight golden double at next year's Olympics.

For the Japanese breaststroke superstar, the Shanghai worlds will not just be a vital pre-Olympic test but also a chance to restore his reputation in China, tarnished by a poor showing in November's Asian Games.

The red-hot favourite in Guangzhou, the 28-year-old finished a disappointing fourth in both the 50m and 100m before pulling out of the 200m citing nagging pain in his shoulder and joints.

It was in sharp contrast to his dominant showing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he was labelled "Frog King" after retaining the 100m and 200m titles he won four years earlier in Athens.

"I feel I won't be satisfied just by winning," said Kitajima, who saw his world marks shattered when he sat out the 2009 world championships in Rome. "Records or medals. Both will be important after all."

Los Angeles-based Kitajima struggled against rising domestic rivals in April in his battle to qualify for both the 100m and 200m in Shanghai.

He won the 100m at the national trials and in the 200m he finished second to Asian Games champion Naoya Tomita, although it was a painful ordeal as he tore his left adductor muscle early in the race.

"The injury may have something to do with my age but I want to believe I am stronger than ever when it comes to my feeling and my heart," said the straight-talking son of a Tokyo butcher.

"Various kinds of experience make me stronger," he said, adding he has fully recovered and ready to add to his three gold, three silver and four bronze world championships medals since 2001.

Kitajima attributed his positive thinking to his laid-back training regime under American coach David Salo at the University of Southern California since June 2009.

Still remembered for his screams and exclamation "cho-kimochi-ii (I feel super good)" that accompanied his first Olympic double in Athens, the swimmer said he had been freed from pressure.

"We ride balance balls in the water. Sometimes we go to the beach together," Kitajima recently told Japanese media in Los Angeles. "It was a fresh surprise to find there is such a fun kind of swimming."

He attended the 2009 worlds as a TV commentator during his 15-month post-Olympics layoff and could only look on as Australia's Brenton Rickard broke his 100m record and Christian Sprenger lowered his mark in the 200m.

Kitajima said he was raring to beat the Australians and break the world marks they set in the era of high-tech swimming suits.

"I want to hear people say, 'What were those high-speed swimsuits after all?' Then, I'll say, 'Give me a break. Now you know the power of human beings,'" he told the Nikkan Sports daily.

Source http://www.supersport.com/aquatics/international-news/news/110721/Frog_king_Kitajima_leaps_injury_hurdle

Nintendo Japan constructing new $184 Million office building

News publication Nikkan has reported that Nintendo Japan will be investing 16 Billion Yen (roughly $184.4 Million AUD) into a new research and development facility located in Kyoto with their main office. Expected to be a massive 40,582 square meters in size, the new office is being built on a golf course which Nintendo has now bought out.

There will be six floors along with a basement level making the building 41 metres in height. There will be a meeting room located on the first floor with a cafeteria at the top so staff can take in the beautiful view on their lunch breaks.

Currently Nintendo has their research and development team scattered around Kyoto in various offices and buildings, this new office will allow the entire team to work under the one roof and thus improve the overall efficiency, productivity and communication. The new building will house up to 1,500 employees with construction to begin in January next year, Nintendo hopes to have the structure up and running by the end of 2013.


Source http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/news/nintendo-japan-building-new-184-million-office

Toshiba jumps on report chosen by Apple for small LCDs, Sharp

Shares of Toshiba Corp jumped 4 percent on Wednesday after a newspaper report that Apple Inc would invest in its production of small smartphone-use displays, dropping Sharp from the running for that business in Japan.

Shares of Sharp tumbled as much as 2.7 percent on the Nikkan Kogyo report but regaining ground after Sharp issued a statement saying the article was inaccurate and demanding the newspaper withdraw it. Nikkan Kogyo declined to comment.

Nikkan Kogyo said Apple had been in negotiations with both Toshiba and Sharp about investing 100 billion yen ($1.2 billion) each in production lines for small LCD displays to be used in an upcoming version of its popular iPhone.

Apple decided to focus its investments in Japan in one company and chose Toshiba, the newspaper said.

The decision, which follows Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami, reflects Apple's desire to diversify its risk of having too much investment in one country, the newspaper said.

Source http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/136204/20110419/toshiba-jumps-on-report-chosen-by-apple-for-small-lcds-sharp.htm

Kitajima ready to break swimming records

Two-time double Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima is all set to restore his fame as the world's fastest breaststroke swimmer following a ban on high-speed swimsuits, a report said Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Japanese told the daily Nikkan Sports that he was gearing up for the world swimming championships in Shanghai in July, hoping to win gold, although his real ambition was to get into the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

"I'm not just in it for the gold. I want to win an Olympic berth," Kitajima said as he prepared for this weekend's national trials for the Shanghai championships where the winners will get tickets to the London Games next year.

After defending his 100m and 200m Olympic titles in Beijing in 2008, Kitajima took a 15-month layoff, skipping the last 2009 world championships in Rome where both of his world records were shattered.

Brenton Rickard clocked 58.58secs in the 100m, breaking Kitajima's record of 58.91. Another Australian, Christian Sprenger, lowered the Japanese swimmer's 200m mark by 0.2 seconds to 2:07.31.

"They set world records by wearing high-speed swimsuits. I'm raring to break those records some day," said the Japanese, who was hailed as "Frog King" for his feats at the Beijing Games.

"I want to hear them say, 'What were those high-speed swimsuits after all?' Then, I'll say, 'Give me a break. Now, you know the power of human beings.'"

High-tech, high-speed "sharkskin" swimsuits, which helped shatter dozens of world records in Beijing and Rome, were banned at the start of 2010.

Kitajima, who moved his training base to Los Angeles in April 2009, won the 100m and 200m at the Pan Pacific championships in August last year by beating Rickard and Sprenger.

"I realised that I still had chances to compete globally," said the Japanese, who has changed his swimming style after the Beijing Games where he tried to reduce the number of strokes in order to swim faster.

"I have a different kick and the number of my strokes has increased... I can still use my hands well and kick well," he said. "I'd thought my swimming style was perfect in Beijing. But I've come to believe I can expand my style."

Kitajima said he was shocked when on March 11, while training in Los Angeles, he watched an earthquake and tsunami devastate his home country on television.

He said he wished to cheer up people in the disaster zones. "It may be difficult to convey my feelings merely by swimming but it'll be great if they can share my high spirits."

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jso5O__mvzHxgo4bNAuYDUB_0EHg?docId=CNG.897aaf456d2691082257863ec5125653.141

Central League's reputation takes hit in scheduling row

The league's old-school, bull-headed desire to begin the season on March 25 at all costs gave way slightly to the voice of reason on Saturday night. Not, however, before its reputation took a beating in some circles.

Agreeing to push its openers back to March 29 — a mere four days later — looks less like a concession and more like a bully, used to pushing people around, grasping for the last modicum of control it had left.

To its credit, the league will play as many day games as possible to save power, and will not allow games to go extra innings this year.

In the wake of the tragic events in the Tohoku and Kanto regions after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami battered a section of the country and in hours nearly wiped decades-old cities off the map, baseball was in its proper place on the back burner.

The Pacific League, which fields a team in one of the hardest hit areas — Sendai's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles — decided in the wake of the tragedy, and the logistical problems it caused, that it would be best to delay the start of the season, planned for March 25, to April 12.

Rather than stand in solidarity with the six PL clubs, the CL teams, with the Yomiuri Giants reportedly at the head of the train, steadfastly stuck to a March 25 start.

Predictably, the decision was met with widespread criticism from many corners, including some members of the government, respected minds from the academic community and even the league's own players, namely Hanshin Tigers star Tomoaki Kanemoto and Tokyo Yakult Swallows veteran Shinya Miyamoto, who each issued scathing criticisms.

"It might make sense to promote baseball when things improve," Miyamoto told Nikkan Sports last week. "If they are thinking it would help now, they are not thinking about it in the right way."

As with anything, there were differing opinions. While there were more players publicly against playing, some said it couldn't be helped.

As for the CL leaders, they touted baseball's role in the nation's recovery.

Others pointed out playing games so soon after one of the most tragic events in the nation's history wasn't such a great idea.

Those voices should've been heeded earlier.

After all, it's not like baseball was spared the impact of last week's event. The Eagles have a stadium that at the moment is unusable and a fan-base that was among the worst off in Japan after the disaster. So why not stand together with the Pa. League and have both leagues open simultaneously on April 12?

Central League leaders cited professional duty and baseball's place in Japanese culture as the reason they absolutely had to get on the field as soon as possible. It's a fine goal, that in this case looks misguided at best and self-serving at worst.

Which is a shame, since on some level the CL is right.

Baseball could be a great way to help lift spirits and aid the recovery process.

But not yet. The wounds are still too fresh, the images of destruction still too vivid.

There is a time and a place for everything and baseball will have its day. The game is embedded in the very fabric of the nation and it can be a healing salve when the country begins to move on.

Yes, the games must go on, but at the right time.

The Central League had a chance to stand up and do the right thing from the beginning.

Instead, the league took a giant hack and struck out swinging.

Source http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20110322jc.html