Yokozuna Onosato missed the first full tournament of his sumo wrestling career in May 2026 due to the lingering effects of a left shoulder injury.
Before that, he was sidelined for the final 12 days of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in March. Onosato, who was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder joint, withdrew from the 15-day tourney.
Now, the Ishikawa Prefecture native is back in the spotlight along with fellow yokozuna Hoshoryu, who pulled out of May’s Summer Basho after sustaining a hamstring injury on the first day of the meet.
The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament gets underway on Sunday, July 12.
Sumo grand champions Hoshoryu (left) and Onosato attend a news conference at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris on June 11. The media event was held during the Japan Sumo Association’s first overseas tour in France in 31 years. (©SANKEI)
Onosato takes on komusubi Yoshinofuji on Day 1. Hoshoryu, penciled in for the day’s final match, meets Oho, the other komusubi (sumo’s fourth-highest rank).
During the final week of preparations for the Nagoya Basho, Onosato participated in a Nishonoseki stable training session in Aichi Prefecture on Monday, July 6. It proved to be a good measuring stick for the five-time Emperor’s Cup winner.
In 11 practice bouts against ozeki Kotozakura, Onosato went unbeaten.
“It wasn’t bad, it felt good, too,” Onosato said of his left shoulder after the training session, Daily Sports reported.
Then-ozeki Onosato receives the Emperor’s Cup from Japan Sumo Association chairman Hakkaku after winning the Spring Basho on March 23, 2025, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. (©SANKEI)
Onosato Eyeing a Successful Comeback
In 2024, Onosato collected his first two grand sumo tournament titles in May and September.
A year later, he claimed back-to-back titles in March and May to earn promotion to yokozuna. He captured his first Emperor’s Cup as a yokozuna that September, outdueling Hoshoryu in a playoff to win the Autumn Basho.
This year, Onosato has endured the pain of a shoulder injury. He also fell short of his goal of ushering in 2026 with another title, finishing the New Year Basho with a 10-5 record.
Starting at Nagoya’s IG Arena, Onosato aims to kick off a title streak at the July meet.
“I usually come to Nagoya feeling good, but this time is different,” he said, according to Daily Sports. “There are three tournaments left this year. And since the first three didn’t go well, I hope to win all three in good form.”
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Tennis
Top-Ranked Kamiji Completes Career Grand Slam in Singles Play
World No 1 Yui Kamiji defeated Dutch rival Diede de Groot 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon women’s wheelchair singles final on Saturday, July 11. Kamiji’s overpowering performance in the championship match clinched her career Grand Slam.
The 32-year-old Hyogo Prefecture native has now won 12 Grand Slam singles titles. As a singles player in the four Grand Slam tournaments, she’s had the most success in the French Open, claiming the title five times, most recently in 2025.
Including her victory in the final at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Kamiji has now also achieved what is called the Golden Slam, titles in the four Grand Slam events plus the Paralympics.
“It was a dream of mine to win a career Golden Slam and the Wimbledon title was my biggest aim this year,” Kamiji told reporters at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. “I cannot really believe it has happened, but I am going to need more time to process what I have achieved.”
Kamiji attained the career Grand Slam in doubles by winning all four events in 2014.
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Shohei Ohtani is congratulated by teammates after hitting his 300th MLB career home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies on July 7 at Dodger Stadium. (©SANKEI)
Baseball
Ohtani to Skip the MLB All-Star Game Due to Knee Pain
Fan favorite Shohei Ohtani will miss the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 14. Instead of appearing in his sixth consecutive All-Star Game, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar will rest his ailing left knee.
The two-way standout has been coping with chronic knee pain, which intensifies when he pitches. He was scheduled to pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, July 11, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to give him the night off from mound duties.
Ohtani remained in the lineup as LA’s starting designated hitter, and he went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, his 21st of the season. The Dodgers lost, 9-3.
After the series finale against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, Ohtani is scheduled to have his left knee drained and get a prescription injection to ease the pain.
“The goal is to be able to throw according to the regular schedule,” Ohtani said through an interpreter on Friday, according to The Associated Press. “Although I could’ve started today, it would’ve still been pushing the envelope a little bit. But my every intention is to use the off days to make sure I’m in a good place to be able to be in the rotation.”
Since 2019, Ohtani has been dealing with chronic pain in his left knee.
“The knee flares up, sometimes it calms down,” Ohtani was quoted as saying. “There’s a lot of just kind of up and down.”
After the All-Star break, the two-time reigning World Series champion Dodgers resume their season on July 17.
Hanshin Tigers star Teruaki Sato homers in the second inning against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on July 11 at Koshien Stadium. (©SANKEI)
Tigers’ Sato is NPB’s Top Hitter in 2026
Hanshin Tigers star Teruaki Sato leads NPB with a .340 batting average (through July 10).
In his sixth season with the Kansai-based Central League club, Sato also has 16 homers and 52 RBIs.
During the 2025 season, Sato had career-best totals in batting (.277), homers (40) and RBIs (102).
Franmil Reyes of the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters leads all Pacific League players with a .323 average.
Rugby
Ireland Storms Past Japan in 2nd Half
After building a six-point lead by intermission, Ireland extended its advantage in the second half against Japan en route to a 36-20 victory on Saturday, July 11 in Newcastle, Australia.
In the Nations Championship round two match, Ireland scored five tries and held the Brave Blossoms to two.
Japan’s Taira Main had the first try of the match in the third minute, with Nick Timoney touching down for Ireland’s first in the eighth minute.
Tom O’Toole and Robbie Henshaw added tries for Ireland in the 20th and 34th minutes.
Japan trailed 19-13 at halftime.
Hayate Era scored Japan’s final try in the 58th minute. Before and after his big play, Sean Jansen and Tom Stewart delivered tries for Ireland.
“We came out with a game plan and I think we executed it pretty well in the first half,” Japan captain Warner Dearns said, according to Agence France-Presse. “I think in that second half, we got a bit stuck in how we controlled the game and let Ireland play the game that they wanted to play.”
Japan defeated Italy 27-10 in a Nations Championship first-round match in Tokyo on July 4.
Up next: In round three, the Brave Blossoms face France on July 18 at Tokyo’s National Stadium.
Japan guard Yuki Kawamura runs the offense against Bahrain in a 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier in Manama. (©FIBA)
Basketball
Pacers Coach Carlisle Shares Insights on Kawamura
Indiana Pacers bench boss Rick Carlisle, an NBA title-winning head coach with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, complimented Japanese guard Yuki Kawamura during a recent interview.
“He’s an easy guy to like, right?” Carlisle commented before adding, “he just kind of explodes into the game.
“When the coach points to him on the bench, he just flies up to the scorer’s table, and then stuff just starts happening.”
Kawamura, a former B.League season MVP for the Yokohama B-Corsairs, is playing for the Pacers in the ongoing NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Speaking on a Summer League game broadcast, Carlisle added: “He just really knows how to play. He’s seen some plays here (in Las Vegas) where he is seeing things before they happen. He has a great sense for how to draw contact and put the defense in jail. And he just goes hard, and so he’s a guy that’s easy to like.”
Kawamura had eight points, four assists and a rebound in 17 minutes off the bench in the Pacers’ first game of the NBA Summer League on Friday, July 10. The Pacers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-93.
The Summer League concludes on June 19.
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Japan’s Ryunosuke Sato competes against Indonesia in a FIFA World Cup qualifier on June 10, 2025, in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. (©SANKEI)
Soccer
Sato Joins La Liga’s Valencia on Long-Term Deal
Teenage midfielder Ryunosuke Sato has joined Spanish La Liga club Valencia. The team announced Sato had finalized a five-year deal on Tuesday, July 7.
Sato, 19, previously suited up for the J.League‘s Fagiano Okayama and FC Tokyo. While with Okayama, he was named the J.League’s Best Young Player for the 2025 campaign.
Valencia’s website summed up the rising star’s skill set this way: “Comfortable in a variety of midfield roles, whether cutting inside from the left, operating on the right or driving attacks from central areas, Sato stands out for his versatility, pace, technical quality and ability to combine with teammates, as well as his skill in beating opponents, particularly in tight spaces.”
Looking ahead, Sato aims to become a productive contributor for his new team, which is officially known as Valencia Club de Futbol (also Valencia CF).
“I believe La Liga is the best league in the world, both in terms of the level of football and the fans,” he told reporters at an introductory news conference on Friday, July 10. “As for Valencia CF’s style of play, they are very fast, they work very hard, and I want to contribute to that.”
Sato added, “It’s an honor to be the first Japanese player in Valencia CF’s first-team squad. I have to work hard and I want to play well and help the team.”
Sato made his Japan senior national team debut in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in June 2025 against Indonesia in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. He was the MVP of the U-23 Asian Cup in 2026. At that tournament, held in Saudi Arabia in January, he was tied for the lead in goals (four).
Matsukubo Takes Talent to the UK
Up-and-coming midfielder Manaka Matsukubo has signed a five-year contract with Chelsea, the English Women’s Super League squad announced on July 4.
Matsukubo, who turns 22 on July 28, scored 19 goals in 60 matches for the North Carolina Courage (2023-26), a team in the US-based National Women’s Soccer League.
In October 2025, she became the youngest player in NWSL history to score a hat trick, achieving the feat against Bay FC.
A Kagoshima native, Matsukubo finished with 11 goals for the Courage in the 2025-26 season. She earned the league’s Midfielder of the Year accolade.
“I’m so excited to be joining Chelsea, a club with a lot of history,” Matsukubo said in a news release. “As a small child, I followed Chelsea because it is a club everyone in the world knows about.
“The club has a strong history of winning trophies and has done so well at the top of the game, so I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. And I want to help continue this club’s tradition of winning trophies for years to come.”
The 2026-27 Women’s Super League season kicks off in early September.
As a member of the Japan women’s national team, Matsukubo competed at the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup and helped the squad capture the title. She’s earned 19 caps for Nadeshiko Japan.
Matsukubo began her pro career in 2023 with the WE League’s Mynavi Sendai Ladies.
Quote of the Week
“Obviously, you guys all know Shohei [Ohtani] is an awesome player, he’s the unicorn. Being able to match that record, yeah, it’s awesome. But I just want to do my best so that I can get closer to his level.”
―Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, on smacking his 22nd home run of the MLB season on July 10. Okamoto, who played for the Yomiuri Giants from 2015-25, matched Ohtani’s Japanese MLB rookie record for homers, set in 2018.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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