Sport

High-flying Gamba Osaka stayed on course for their first J-League title in six years with a resounding 4-0 win over local rivals Vissel Kobe on Sunday.

Reigning champion Yoshie Ueno set up a meeting with France's Gevrise Emane in the women's 63-kilogram final on Thursday as she aims for her third consecutive title at the world judo championships.

Yomiuri Giants first baseman Michihiro Ogasawara was removed from the active roster Thursday after injuring his left wrist when he was hit by a pitch in a game against the Hanshin Tigers.

Panasonic Corp. said Wednesday it will provide its solar cells and lithium-ion batteries to a solar-powered car developed by a Tokai University team which will compete in the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia, one of the largest solar-powered car races in the world.

Urawa Reds' Japan midfielder Naoki Yamada failed to impress Olympic team coach Takashi Sekizuka as the former Asian champions went down 3-2 at the hands of Ventforet Kofu on Saturday.

Major sports events scheduled in Japan for Sunday, Aug. 21:
BASEBALL

Central League
Yomiuri vs Yakult. Tokyo Dome. 2 p.m.

Hanshin Tigers catcher Kenji Johjima, who has been sidelined with left knee and right elbow injuries, has undergone surgery as part of his rehabilitation, the Central League club said on Tuesday.

Public prosecutors demanded on Monday a prison term of six years for a former sumo wrestler charged with extorting 3.5 million yen in hush money from former ozeki Kotomitsuki in connection with illegal gambling on professional baseball games.

Naoki Yamada marked his first start for Japan's Under-22s in style on Wednesday, scoring one goal and creating the other as Takashi Sekizuka's side beat Egypt's U-22s 2-1 in a warm-up for the final round of qualifiers for next year's London Olympics.

Japan Under-22 coach Takashi Sekizuka is hoping Premier League giants Arsenal soften their stance and make teenage striker Ryo Miyaichi available for the final round of qualifiers for next year's London Olympics.

Borussia Dortmund star Shinji Kagawa returned to Japan on Sunday determined to make a winning comeback to the national team in Wednesday's World Cup qualifying warm-up against archrivals South Korea in Sapporo.

Saturday's Nadeshiko League game between Albirex Niigata Ladies and INAC Kobe Leonessa featured another record-setting crowd of 24,546 at Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium in Niigata.

Michihiro Ogasawara went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Shun Tono held  the damage to two runs in eight innings and the Yomiuri Giants continued their hot streak with a 5-2 win over the Hiroshima Carp on Saturday.

Leandro Domingues and Jorge Wagner both scored on Saturday as Kashiwa Reysol reclaimed top position in the J-League with a 2-0 win over Yokohama F Marinos.