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Defector

Lauren Theisen

view from my seat: Ishii and Boltin lock up

Pro Wrestling

New Japan Makes, The World Takes


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

Baby monkey named 'Punch' is seen with a stuffed animal at a zoo on February 20, 2026, in north of Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Abandoned by his mother at birth, the monkey found comfort with a stuffed animal.

Creaturefector

The Mournful Ballad Of Punch The Monkey

Hiroshi Tanahashi Leaves An Unfillable Void In Japanese Wrestling

Year In Review

The States Of Pro Wrestling In 2025

I Went To Japan To See One Building

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

USA's forward #9 Ally Sentnor celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the SheBelieves Cup football match between USA and Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, on February 26, 2025.

Soccer

Emma Hayes Shows Us The USWNT She Believes In

Dave McKenna

Japan’s Naoya Inoue poses during the official weigh-in in Tokyo on May 5, 2024 ahead of his super-bantamweight title boxing match against Mexico’s Luis Nery.

The Fights

The Big Stage Calls For Naoya Inoue

Patrick Redford

Japan's #08 Rui Hachimura leaves the court after being sent off for committing to successive unsporting fouls in the men's preliminary round group B basketball match between Japan and France during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France, on July 30, 2024.

Olympics

Cheating-Ass France Men’s Basketball Needed A Pair Of Miracles To Beat Japan

Israel Daramola

Gold medalist Yuto Horigome of Team Japan (C), Silver medalist Jagger Eaton of Team United States (L) and Bronze medalist Nyjah Huston of Team United States (R) pose on the podium uring the Men's Street Finals on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France.

In Street Skateboarding’s Second Olympics, Japan Cements Itself On Top

a bloody Minoru Suzuki with Kenoh in a wrestling ring

Minoru Suzuki Is Having The Coolest Midlife Crisis Ever

Barry Petchesky

Science

I Think I Found The Problem Here: The Rocket Blew Up

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Japan's Mai Yamamoto (C) celebrates the team's victory after the 2024 FIBA Women's Olympic qualifying tournament basketball match between Canada and Japan in Sopron, Hungary on February 11, 2024.

Women's Basketball

My Basketball GOAT Is 5-Foot-4

Kazuchika Okada’s Exit Is A Warning Siren For The Rest Of Japan

Billy Haisley

Ayase Ueda of Japan controls the ball against Thet Hein Soe of Myanmar during the FIFA World Cup Asian 2nd qualifier match between Japan and Myanmar at Panasonic Stadium Suita on November 16, 2023 in Suita, Osaka, Japan.

Japan Is For Real

Luis Paez-Pumar

Manuela Vanegas of Colombia celebrates after scoring her team's second goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia &amp; New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Germany and Colombia at Sydney Football Stadium on July 30, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.

The 16 Teams Left In The Women’s World Cup, Ranked By Coolness

Mary Fowler of Australia celebrates after scoring a goal with her teammates that was later cancelled as a result of VAR consultation during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 Group B match between Canada and Australia at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on July 31, 2023.

Canada And Spain Ate Shit And Deserved It

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Trevor Bauer pulls a face after giving up a first-inning dinger against a Japanese minor-leaguer.

Things We Actually Like

Heartwarming: Trevor Bauer Is Getting Lit Up In Japan

Tom Ley

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan pitches in the top of the 9th inning during World Baseball Classic Championship between United States and Japan at loanDepot park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida.

Pitches Shohei Ohtani Threw To Mike Trout, Ranked

The End Of Keiji Muto Was The Rebirth Of Japanese Wrestling

Naoya Inoue taunts Paul Butler during their fight

Boxing

Fear Won’t Save You From Naoya Inoue

Japan Finally Plays A Good Game And Loses Anyway

Albert Burneko

Japanese players celebrate their Group E win over Spain

Japan Is The Best Kind Of World Cup Killer

Japan And Germany Played A Perfect Game

Japan celebrate after the FIFA World Cup Qualifier football match between Australia Socceroos and Japan on March 24, 2022 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia.

Internationals

Fate Has Handed Japan A Nearly Impossible Task

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<p>Charles P. Pierce is a writer at <em>Esquire</em> and the author of four books, most recently <em>Idiot America</em>, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.</p>
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Charles P. Pierce

Kazuyoshi Miura of Japan falls after the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier final round match between Iraq and Japan at the Al-Ahly Stadium on October 28, 1993 in Doha, Qatar.