WATCH: Meet an 82-year-old Japanese reporter who is currently in Brazil covering the FIFA World Cup for the 12th time.
He’s worked the beat for as long as can remember. And that’s going back.
An 82-year-old Japanese reporter who is currently in Brazil covering the FIFA World Cup for the 12th time has kept his passions alive for over four decades.
The 82-year-old Sokichiro Ushiki is now filing columns on this year’s World Cup for one of Japan’s largest newspapers, the Yomiuri Shimbun, where he has worked for 37 years.
Working with enthusiasm among younger colleagues during the preparation for the coverage of the Japan vs. Colombia match this week, Ushiki looked like he was reporting for the first time.
World record?
Covering the World Cup for 12 times may be a Japanese record, he said to the Associated Press.
And just maybe a world record.
Ushiki is the first Japanese reporter to have covered the World Cup and he has also covered a record number of the event since 1970 among all the Japanese reporters.
One of his colleague said he has been a role model for the younger generation of Japanese reporters in that he always follows strict journalism standards in his practice.
“In his columns, he’s always pretty sure about this and that. And sometimes, he’s really harsh, but sometimes he’s really, you know, like positive or negative. But he’s always straight, which I think is important as a journalist,” said one of his colleagues.
SEE MORE: COMPLETE WORLD CUP COVERAGE
It was the 1970 Mexico World Cup that had left him the deepest impression. Brazil won the champion of the tournament. And it was also at that time the reporter developed a passion for the Brazilian team.
“I have decided to cover 11 World Cups, because 11 is an important figure for football. But the 12th time is being held in Brazil, so I decided to cover the 12th World Cup,” said Ushiki.
Japan was knocked out of the World Cup after being beaten 1-4 by Colombia in Group C Tuesday. Now Ushiki has placed all his hope on the Brazilian team to claim the champion of this year’s tournament.
He said the day of the opening game of the 2014 World Cup happened to be his birthday.
— With files from Associated Press
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