Features
[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Sanfrecce Hiroshima Triumph in the Fujifilm Super Cup
Tolgay Arslan and Hayato Araki scored for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a victory over Vissel Kobe in the J.League's traditional curtain lifter at National Stadium.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima scored the opening goal in the 12th minute on a Tolgay Arslan header, and Fujifilm Super Cup opponent Vissel Kobe never equalized on Saturday, February 8.
The J.League's annual lidlifter ended with Sanfrecce winning 2-0 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Hayato Araki also scored on a header, banging the ball into the net in the 70th minute.
Sanfreece, who finished four points behind Vissel in the 2024 J.League title race, outshot the two-time reigning champions 15-6.
An announced crowd of 53,000-plus fans witnessed Vissel manager Takayuki Yoshida's club begin their 2025 campaign with a 4-1-2-3 lineup, while Sanfrecce boss Michael Skibbe's squad countered with a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Vissel fan favorites Yoshinori Muto and Yuya Osako entered the match as second-half substitutes.
Sanfrecce midfielder Daiki Suga, another substitute after the intermission, made his presence felt on the pitch. He delivered a strong corner kick in the 70th minute, enabling Araki to be in position to smash the ball past Vissel goalkeeper Shota Arai.
A Satisfying Result for Sanfrecce Hiroshima
After the match, Skibbe, who has managed Sanfrecce since 2022, shared his overall impressions of the match.
"I think it was a great, interesting match today," the German manager told reporters, "and I think we were clearly the more active team in it. From the kickoff, we showed the aggressive and offensive soccer we wanted to play."
Added Skibbe, "We had a good response, especially in the first half, but I have the impression that we were doing well overall. I think Kobe also had two or three big chances. However, as far as today's game is concerned, I think we gave a performance that deserved the victory."
Sanfrecce Hiroshima captain Sho Sasaki said the victory on Saturday was significant for his club.
"Making a good start to the season brings momentum to the team," Sasaki was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "We have the J.League starting along with the Asian Champions League, and it's a good springboard to advance together as a team."
Additional Facts about the Fujifilm Super Cup
Kawasaki Frontale defeated Vissel 1-0 in the 2024 Fujifilm Super Cup.
Held annually during the J.League era since 1994, the Kashima Antlers have won the most titles (six), followed by Sanfrecce (five).
That said, in an earlier version of the tournament from 1977-84 during the Japan Soccer League era, the Urawa Reds collected three of their five event titles. They added tournament crowns in 2006 and 2022.
A Look Ahead
The J.League regular season kicks off on Friday, February 14 with Gamba Osaka taking on Cerezo Osaka, followed by a full slate of matches the next day.
What's next for Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Vissel Kobe?
In J.League games, the former faces FC Machida Zelvia on February 16 and the latter meets the Urawa Reds on February 15.
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- [ODDS and EVENS] Vissel Kobe Maintained Hunger for Another Title and Fulfilled Their Goal
- [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Sanfrecce Hiroshima Staying in the Title Hunt
Baseball
Hanshin Hall of Famer Yoshida Dies at 91
Yoshio Yoshida, who spent his entire playing career with the Osaka/Hanshin Tigers, and later managed the team to the 1985 Japan Series title, died on Monday, February 3. The cause was a stroke, and the NPB team announced his death at age 91 the next day.
A Kyoto native, Yoshida made his debut as a shortstop for the Central League franchise in 1953, when it was known as the Osaka Tigers. (Hanshin replaced Osaka in the team name in '61.)
Starting in his rookie season, he became a mainstay in the Tigers infield, appearing in 2,007 games and retiring in 1969. Known for his stellar fielding skills, Yoshida was a nine-time CL Best Nine selection at shortstop. In 1954 and '56, he led the CL in stolen bases with 51 and 50, respectively.
He retired with 1,864 hits, a .267 batting average and 350 stolen bases. The Tigers retired his No 23 jersey. He was a remarkable contact hitter, only fanning 325 times in 6,980 career at-bats.
Yoshida served three stints as Hanshin manager (1975-77, 1985-87 and 1997-98).
He enjoyed his greatest success as a dugout boss during his second stint. The Tigers won the CL pennant in 1885 with a 74-49-7 record and captured their first Japan Series title, beating the Seibu Lions in the championship series.
Yoshida was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
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Freestyle Skiing
Moguls Specialist Horishima Grabs 19th World Cup Victory
Displaying impressive technique throughout the competition, veteran skier Ikuma Horishima earned his first men's moguls title of the 2025 FIS World Cup season on Thursday, February 6.
In Deer Valley, Utah, Horishima received 86.24 points to finish ahead of Kazakh runner-up Pavel Kolmakov (84.95). France's Benjamin Cavet placed third with 83.82.
For the 27-year-old Horishima, Thursday's performance delivered his first 19th overall event victory on the World Cup circuit.
He achieved the top result with a dazzling showing "that left spectators and judges dumbfounded," the International Ski and Snowboarding Federation (FIS) reported.
Speaking after his winning effort in the six-man final at the Champions Run course, Horishima told reporters: "The name of this course is Champion. It's the feeling of being a champion at the top [and] it's a very amazing feeling tonight."
Horishima, the 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, is second in the World Cup moguls season standings, trailing only Canadian great Mikael Kingsbury.
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Boxing
'Monster' Inoue to Make Saudi Debut in December: Report
The Ring magazine reported on its website that undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue will make his Saudi Arabia debut in December 2025 against a TBD foe.
Before that, Inoue (29-0, 26 knockouts) is set to return to the United States for a high-profile title defense. The Japanese boxing legend hasn't fought overseas since June 2021.
In recent days, multiple media outlets have reported that Inoue will face Mexico's Alan Picasso (31-0, 17 KOs) on June 14 in Las Vegas.
It's possible that Inoue could also fight in the autumn in Japan.
If he defeats the 24-year-old Picasso, the WBC's top-ranked contender, it appears Uzbekistan's Murodjon Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs) is a likely opponent for Inoue in December in Riyadh.
Unbeaten WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani is also being mentioned as a possible opponent.
Stay tuned for further updates.
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Horse Racing
Keep an Eye on Japan's American Triple Crown Challengers
It's going to be a busy year for the Japanese horse racing community. In addition to the 24 Japan Racing Association Grade 1 races (check out the full calendar on SportsLook), the three American Triple Crown races are also a top target.
Robert Kieckhefer, United Press International's racing writer, distilled the facts in his latest article on Friday, February 7. "Churchill Downs announced Tuesday it has received 373 early nominations to the 2025 Triple Crown races, up 27 head from last year, with almost all the increase coming from Japan," Kieckhefer reported. "The 69 Japanese-based nominees, from 33 different trainers, represent an increase of 22 from last year's record 47."
Briefly…
Taiga Hasegawa clinched the FIS Snowboard World Cup men's big air season title on Wednesday, February 5 in Aspen, Colorado. The 19-year-old had already amassed enough points to secure the title before the final round of competition began a day later. Hasegawa placed runner-up in the final World Cup event of the 2024-25 season on Thursday.
Yuna Kasai and her twin sister, Haruka Kasai, placed 1-2 in the FIS World Cup women's Nordic combined competition in Otepaa, Estonia, on Friday, February 7. The competition consisted of a 5-km cross-country skiing race and ski jumping. Yuna, who turned 21 on February 4, was fifth in the skiing portion of the competition. She then had a 93.5-meter jump, the best of the night, to clinch the victory.
"I am very happy to stand on the podium with my sister Haruka for my first win," Yuna Kasai said, according to the FIS website. "Today's victory was not achieved by me alone, but by my family and all the staff members. Thank you so much to them."
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Quote of the Week
"I'm in good condition without any major injuries. As a challenger, I want to start from scratch again."
―Four-time world champion judoka Uta Abe, sharing her outlook for 2025, according to Kyodo News in the run-up to the Judo Grand Slam competition (February 14-16) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Abe, the women's 52-kg Olympic gold medalist at the Tokyo Games, suffered a shock loss in the second round at the 2024 Paris Games.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.