News: Japan knocked out of WCQS Div III

Fiji beat Japan by 83 runs in the second round of the EAP Trophy, hence knocking out Japan from the WCQS Div III. Fiji will now join Italy, USA, Uganda, PNG, and one qualifier each from Africa (probably Zambia), Americas (probably Caymans) and Asia (this is a tough one!).
Final score
Fiji 166 (50 overs)
Japan 83 (41.4 [...]

News: Japan barely scrap past Cook Islands

Cook Islands: 75 (50 overs) - target revised to 73 off 42 overs due to rain
Japan: 73-8 (37 overs)
Japan win by 2 wickets. The scorecard is here
This is a pathetic display of cricket by both Japan and Cook Islands. Cooks I can understand, because they have only 20K people in that country. But whats up [...]

News: Japan lose to Fiji

EAP Trophy game 1 - Japan v Fiji
Fiji won by 8 wickets
Japan 188 (50 overs)
Fiji 189/2 (42 overs)
Japan did manage to get Fiji pinned down at 22-1 in 10 overs, but Fiji took the game comfortably in the end. I am not surprised, because I was expecting Fiji to beat Japan, though I was hoping [...]

News: EAP Trophy itenerary

This is going to be a make or break tournament for Japan, who I think will try to one up Fiji and see if they can qualify for the WCQS Div III to be played in 2007. Fiji should on paper be too strong for Japan in this tournament, but the Japanese have been practising hard every week for [...]

Opinion: Off the grid

I would like to mention 5 countries that the ICC seems to be ignoring despite having huge potential, both interms of ICC's business of cricket, and also the spread.
Japan: I am baffled at why the ICC does not show the kind of interest in Japan the way it does in the US, even a 10th [...]

Cricket in Japan

The Kanto Cricket league in Japan has the following teams playing in them, along with the total number of players, the total number of Japanese players, and the league ranking as of end of 2005.   
 

Club
Total
Members
Japanese
Members
Jap.
Member
%
Rank

Milenium
27
22
81%
1

Tokyo Wombats
22
0
0%
2

YCAC
42
0
0%
3

Indian Engineers
30
0
0%
4

Friends XI
46
1
2%
5

Tokyo Giants
27
0
0%
6

Shizouka Kytes
28
2
7%
7

Wyverns
27
22
81%
8

Lalazar Sports
46
0
0%
9

British Embassy
24
2
8%
10

Dragons
48
1
2%
11

Fuji Far East
24
20
83%
12

Ichihara Sharks
23
0
0%
13

Nagoya
22
0
0%
14

Tokyo Bay Districts
22
6
27%
15

Adore
30
29
97%
16

Max
29
29
100%
17

Paddy Foley
44
0
0%
18

TOTAL
561
134
24%
 

It is interesting to note that the champion [...]