In this week’s news roundup we report on Shohei Ohtani, who made history on Thursday by becoming the first member of the MLB’s 50-50 club. A few days earlier, the historical drama series, Shogun, also made history when it picked up its 18th Emmy Award, a record number. Also this week, we have the latest on the LDP leadership election. There’s sad news from China as a 10-year-old Japanese student is stabbed to death. And we pay tribute to former Jubilo Iwata striker Salvatore Schillaci, who died of colon cancer.
Shohei Ohtani Becomes the First Member of the MLB’s 50-50 Club
Shohei Ohtani made history on Thursday, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to post a 50-50 (50 home runs and 50 stolen bases) season. Playing against the Miami Marlins, he recorded his 50th steal of the campaign in the first inning, and then quickly followed that up with his 51st in the second. That was just the beginning. At the top of the sixth, he stepped up for his fourth at-bat and smashed a 438-foot shot to the right field of LoanDepot Park.
The Japanese superstar was now just one homer away from making history. The big moment then came in the seventh inning. From Mike Baumann’s pitch, he blasted his second home run and fifth hit of the day. In doing so, he broke Shawn Green’s Dodgers franchise record of 49 homers in a season. Ohtani wasn’t done yet, though. In the ninth, he made it home run number 51 for the season with a 440-foot drive. A third MVP in four years now seems a certainty.
LDP Leadership Election Is Wide Open
There’s a week to go until the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election and the race is still wide open. According to a recent survey by the Asahi Shimbun, Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to receive the most support from LDP lawmakers. He reportedly has the backing of at least 46 of them, ahead of Takayuki Kobayashi (43), Yoshimasa Hayashi (37) and Toshimitsu Motegi (34). The voting intentions of 289 of the 367 lawmakers eligible to vote were revealed.
In the first round, candidates will be competing for 734 votes: 367 from lawmakers and 367 from rank-and-file members and party supporters. If no one secures a majority — which seems like the most likely outcome — there will be a runoff between the top two finishers. In a Kyodo poll, LDP supporters were asked who would make the most suitable prime minister. Sanae Takaichi came out on top with 27.7% of the vote, ahead of Shigeru Ishiba (23.7%) and Koizumi (19.1%).
The Japanese School Building in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in Southern China | Image 深圳日本人学校
Japanese Student Dies After Being Stabbed in China
A 10-year-old Japanese boy who was attending a Japanese school in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province was stabbed by a 44-year-old man on Wednesday. Tragically, he died the following morning. “The boy was attacked by a man on his way to school yesterday, the 18th, and was receiving treatment at the hospital. He was a student at a Japanese school, but he passed away early on the 19th. This is very sad. I cannot express in words how I feel for his family,” said Japan’s consul-general in Guangzhou, Yoshiko Kijima.
According to the Japanese embassy in Beijing, the boy was on his way to school with his mother. The attack reportedly took place around 200 meters from the school. Police were on guard nearby and quickly subdued the suspect. He was taken in for questioning, but his motive remains unknown. The stabbing occurred on the 93rd anniversary of the Japanese bombing of a railroad track near Shenyang. Referred to as the 918 Incident, it led to the start of Japan’s invasion of north-east China in 1931.
Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada Win Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor in a Drama Series
On Sunday, Anna Sawai became the first person of Asian descent to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The Shogun star, who plays the noblewoman and practicing Catholic Mariko in the hugely successful series, was crying even before her name was read out. As well as thanking her mother and the cast and crew of the show, she also dedicated the prize to “all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”
Her co-star Hiroyuki Sanada, who Sawai thanked for “continuing to open doors to people like me,” became the first Japanese person and only the second Asian to win the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award. He stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who is based on one of Japan’s Three Great Unifiers, Tokugawa Ieyasu. “It was an East meets West project, with respect. Shogun taught me that when people work together, we can make a miracle,” he said after picking up the prize.
Shogun Wins a Record 18 Emmy Awards
As well as the acting gongs, Shogun also received the top prize for Outstanding Drama Series, becoming the first majority non-English series to win the award. Around 70% of the dialogue is in Japanese. Frederick E.O. Toye, meanwhile, walked away with the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series prize. “I had the honor of being asked to participate and this team of amazing actors and actresses led the way. I owe them everything,” he said in his acceptance speech.
Shogun, which was nominated for a record 25 awards, picked up four prizes last Sunday to add to the 14 it won at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards a week earlier. The 18 Emmy trophies it claimed in total is the most ever for a single drama season. Other big winners at the Emmys included The Bear and Baby Reindeer in the comedy and Limited or Anthology Series categories, respectively. The former, however, surprisingly lost out to Hacks in the Outstanding Comedy Series category.
Furuhashi and Maeda Both Score in Celtic’s Thumping Champions League Win
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League kicked off this week with several Japanese players in the competition, including Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda. They both netted in Celtic’s 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava. Takuya Ogiwara also scored. Unfortunately, his Dinamo Zagreb side were hammered 9-2 by Bayern Munich. In England, Yuki Ohashi bagged a brace for Blackburn and Tomoki Iwata opened his account for Birmingham. Keito Nakamura scored a last-minute winner for French side Reims and there were also goals for Shunsuke Mito (Sparta Rotterdam), Keisuke Goto (RSCA Futures) and Yuito Suzuki (Brondby).
There was sad news from Palermo on Wednesday, with the announcement that Salvatore Schillaci had died of colon cancer. The man nicknamed “Toto” became the first Italian player to play in the J-League when he signed for Jubilo Iwata in 1994. He bagged an impressive 56 goals in 78 games for the Shizuoka Prefecture-based club. Of course, he is most remembered for the 1990 World Cup. The surprise star of the tournament, he helped Italy to a third-place finish on home soil, scoring six goals to claim the Golden Boot.
