STEPHEN WADE

AP Sports Writer
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates with his trophy on the podium after the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen holds off McLarens to win his fourth straight Japanese GP
Max Verstappen of Red Bull has won the Japanese Grand Prix, his first victory of the season and just the third in 17 races. It was his 64th career GP win.
 
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates after the qualifying session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Verstappen takes pole for Sunday’s F1 Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Norris and Piastri
Max Verstappen of Red Bull will start from pole position in the Japanese Grand Prix after turning the top time in qualifying on Saturday in his final attempt.
 
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain arrives his team house before the third practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Lewis Hamilton tempers expectations as he settles in with Ferrari
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is not used to aiming lower. But he may need to as he adjusts to his first season with Ferrari. He’s won a record of 105 Formula 1 races, but it’s anyone’s guess when he’ll make it 106.
 
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia prepares to drive his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
F1’s Japanese GP has storylines that may be as fleeting as the country’s cherry blossoms
The Japanese Grand Prix is only the third Formula 1 race of the season, but several storylines are developing that promise a few twists. And they could be as fleeting as the cherry blossoms seen all over Japan at this time of the year.
 
Team RB driver Liam Lawson of New Zealand responds to a journalist's question during a news conference at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Thursday, April 3, 2025, ahead Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Red Bull-demoted Liam Lawson doesn’t sound hopeful of a move back up to its top F1 team
No one knows better than Liam Lawson how quickly things can change in results-driven, money-driven Formula 1.
 
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan responds to a journalist's question during a news conference at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Thursday, April 3, 2025, ahead Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Red Bull’s Tsunoda is the latest in a long line of Japanese drivers seeking F1 success
Yuki Tsunoda finally has his promotion at Red Bull. He was elevated last week and Liam Lawson was demoted to Red Bull’s second team — Racing Bulls — after failing to score points in the season’s first two races.
 
A 10-year-old boy who caught the home run ball hit by the Los Angeles' Shohei Ohtani, shows the ball to the media during an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephen Wade)
A 10-year-old boy in Tokyo ended up with Shohei Ohtani’s first home run of the season
Sota Fujimori is the luckiest 10-year-old in Japan. Sitting in right-center field on Wednesday night at the Tokyo Dome, he watched Shohei Ohtani’s home run in the fifth inning fall off the hands of another fan nearby — and back onto the field.
 
Fans of the Chicago Cubs take selfie at the Tokyo Dome ahead of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Ohtani and the Dodgers keep the Cubs and their rich history in the shadows in Japan
Chicago Cubs fans take pride in being underdogs, a role that ended briefly when they won the World Series in 2016 to end a 107-year drought between championships.
 
People wait in queue to enter an official shop before an MLB Japan Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Baseball in Japan looks about the same, but the food and the vibe are different
The jammed sellout at the Tokyo Dome as the Dodgers and Cubs opened their regular season had a different vibe than the usual MLB game.
 
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, bottom center, bats against the Hanshin Tigers during the third inning in an MLB Japan Series exhibition baseball game, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Shohei Ohtani merchandise is prompting long lines — even in the rain — in Tokyo
The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani an unprecedented $700 million contract hoping to drive interest — and the dollars that come with it — from fans across the Pacific. It seems to be working.
 
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) bats against the Hanshin Tigers during the third inning in an MLB Japan Series exhibition baseball game, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
What’s the future of baseball in Japan as the best players leave for MLB?
Shohei Ohtani is widely regarded as the best player in Major League Baseball. He’s among many Japanese stars who have left to play in North America.
 
Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani, left, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, center, and Roki Sasaki, right, pose for photographs during the official Press conference Friday, March 14, 2025, in Tokyo, as the Dodgers play their MLB opening games against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome next week. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Shohei Ohtani and four other Japanese players come home to start the MLB season
It’s the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome to start the Major League Baseball season. It’s only two games.
 
Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival as a staff installs partitions to block fans from the arrival route of the Dodgers team members at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Dodgers to play their MLB opening games against and Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Ohtani’s Tokyo airport arrival hidden from fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Japanese star
Hundreds of fans at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport lined up 10 deep and hoping to catch a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as he arrived. But they saw nothing of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.
 
Dr. Grover Smith, right, works out with exercise scientist Dr. Irv Rubenstein, left, at STEPS Fitness, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Get motivated to exercise regularly like these gym rats in their 70s and 80s
You know you should develop a regular exercise routine, but you lack motivation. Promises to yourself are quickly broken, and you never establish enough of the workout habit to experience any rewards.
 
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, moves the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
LeBron, Lindsey Vonn, Ronaldo keep going; Faster, stronger and longer, with plenty of help
Elite athletes are competing longer and at a higher level than ever before. LeBron James and Lindsey Vonn just turned 40, and Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo turns 40 next week on Feb. 5. It used to be a rarity.
 
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts speaks during a sponsor's promotional event in Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Mookie Betts has advice for Shohei Ohtani: Get some sleep now before the ‘baby comes’
Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka are expecting their first child. Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts has some advice. Betts says: “He should get his sleep now. Because when the baby comes he won’t get any.”
 
Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, of Japan, hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 31, 2009, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Ichiro is about to get his Hall of Fame moment. For Japan, he’s more than just a baseball star
Ichiro Suzuki is all about baseball, but he is much more than that at home in Japan. Ichiro is a wellspring of national pride — like Shohei Ohtani now — and his fame across the Pacific was therapeutic as the national economy sputtered through the so-called lost decades.
 
Jacob Bullard warms up on an elliptical machine while undergoing physical therapy at WashU, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Physical therapy is ‘the best-kept secret in health care’
Most people think of physical therapy as rehabilitation. But many physical therapists want the profession to be seen as preventive medicine. Think of a physical therapist the way you do a dentist.
 
Shota Imanaga, a Japanese pitcher of the Chicago Cubs, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, shake hands during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Tokyo, as he was invited to the event dubbed the U.S. Global Entry to promote a way for travelers to get quicker clearance on arrival. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Should Sasaki join Cubs? Emanuel, a fan of the team and ambassador to Japan, is being diplomatic
During a news conference at the United States Embassy in Tokyo, Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga was asked what he’d say to countryman Roki Sasaki to convince him to join his team.
 
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts attends a press conference on the commercials he appears Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Does Shohei Ohtani still owe his manager Dave Roberts a new Porsche?
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked that Shohei Ohtani may still owe him a new Porsche, which the Japanese superstar seemed to hint at early in 2024 season.
 
A staff member distributes an extra edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reporting that Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player award, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Ohtani again wins MVP and Japanese newspapers print more special editions to mark history
Shohei Ohtani is going to save the newspaper industry in Japan — singlehandedly. The Japanese and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar won his third Most Valuable Player award, this time picking up his first MVP in the National League.
 
Personal fitness trainer Richard Lamb, leads a group in an outdoor gym class in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
How to choose the best personal trainer for your fitness goals — and budget
It can be a maze finding the trainer who is best for you. How much should credentials and education matter, or are personality and motivational skills more important? What about the cost? And how frequently should you use a personal trainer?
 
A staff member distributes an extra edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in Tokyo, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, reporting on the Los Angeles Dodgers' victory in the World Series baseball match after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 in New York. The headline of the newspaper said "Dodgers is No. 1 in the World." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan celebrates as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto win World Series with Dodgers
The World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but there’s a hearty celebration going on across the Pacific Ocean in Japan, too.
 
People react as they watch a live view of Game 4 of the baseball World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees during a public viewing event in Oshu, northeastern Japan, the hometown of Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Shohei Ohtani’s hometown waits another day for superstar’s first World Series title
A small group of about 60 fans gathered Wednesday morning in northern Japan for a watch party at the city hall in Shohei Ohtani’s hometown.
 
Hironobu Kanno, representative of a private fan club of Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, speaks surrounded by his collection goods of Ohtani at his beauty salon in Oshu, northeastern Japan, the hometown of Ohtani, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Shohei Ohtani’s rural hometown honors its superstar son -- from city hall to the hair salons
Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan is a rural place, famous for its high-quality Maesawa beef, its history of making traditional ironware and the intense green hills and mountains that surround it.
 
People watch a live stream before the start of Game 3 of the baseball World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees during a public viewing event in Oshu, northeastern Japan, the hometown of Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Fans in Shohei Ohtani’s Japanese hometown watch Dodgers reach brink of World Series title
Hundreds of fans filed into a public viewing center in Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan on Tuesday morning to cheer the country’s top celebrity in Game 3 of the World Series.
 
Nico Echavarria of Colombia poses with the trophy after winning the PGA Tour Zozo Championship at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai on the outskirts of Tokyo, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomohiro Ohsumi)
Nico Echavarria claims the Zozo Championship for his second PGA Tour victory
Nico Echavarria claimed the Zozo Championship for his second PGA Tour victory. He shot a 3-under 67 to win by one shot over Max Greyserman and Justin Thomas. Echavarria is a Colombian who played at the University of Arkansas.
 
Nico Echavarria of Colombia is seen on the 16th hole in the third round of the PGA Tour Zozo Championship at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai on the outskirts of Tokyo, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomohiro Ohsumi)
Nico Echavarria eagles the final hole for a 2-shot lead at the Zozo Championship
Nico Echavarria shot 5-under 65 and finished with a tap-in eagle on the 18th for a two-shot lead over Justin Thomas after the third round of the Zozo Championship in Japan.
 
Collin Morikawa, the defending Zozo champion, signs autographs after his second round of the PGA Tour Zozo Championship at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai on the outskirts of Tokyo, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Wade)
Nico Echavarria shoots another 64 to lead the Zozo Championship by 2 shots after the second round
Nico Echavarria shot a 6-under 64 — matching his 64 on Thursday — to lead by two shots over Taylor Moore and Justin Thomas after the second round of the Zozo Championship in Japan.
 
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, tees off on the 6th hole in the first round of the PGA Tour Zozo Championship at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai on the outskirts of Tokyo, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Moore leads by one shot at Zozo Championship after opening with 7-under 63
Taylor Moore shot a 7-under 63 to lead by one shot after the first round of the Zozo Championship, the only PGA Tour event in Japan.
 
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