Overview
- Aoyama Gakuin University won the Hakone Ekiden outbound leg for a third straight year and eighth time overall, setting the pace after five stages from Tokyo to Hakone.
- Waseda University defeated Teikyo 31–21 in the national university rugby championship semifinal in Tokyo, booking a place in the final.
- The National High School Soccer Championship advanced to the last eight, with Ryutsu Keizai Kashiwa routing Oita Tsurusaki 5–1 among the day’s results.
- Leeds midfielder Aoi Tanaka made a stoppage‑time appearance in a 0–0 Premier League draw away to Liverpool on January 1.
- Japan women’s basketball guard Asami Yoshida said on Instagram she had cancer detected last summer and underwent surgery, while Hokkaido logged a severe cold snap with −24.7°C in Rikubetsu and season‑low readings at 42 observation points, according to the Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory.