2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Date
On 7 November, the UN Security Council called for the election to be held by mid-2009 at the latest. At a meeting of the Ivorian political parties in Ouagadougou on 10 November 2008, it was decided, as expected, that the 30 November date could not be met and a delay was necessary. The three main candidates—President Gbagbo, Alassane Ouattara, and Henri Konan Bédié—attended the meeting, as did Prime Minister Soro. A new date for the election was not announced, and the parties asked the CEI to submit an updated timetable no later than 31 December.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Date
Blaise Compaoré, the President of Burkina Faso, said that the progress of voter registration had to be considered in setting any new date, while expressing his hope that registration would be finished before 1 January 2009. Ouattara said that a date should only be set when "good visibility" existed, while Bédié said that they had "put the cart before the horse" and that a new date should not be set until it was clear that the identification process was successful.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Date
In early 2009, Innocent Anaky, the President of the Movement of the Forces of the Future (MFA), said that he did not believe that the election would actually be held in 2009.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Date
Soro announced on 14 May 2009, that the election would be held on 29 November 2009. In a statement on 15 May, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on "all Ivorian parties to respect this date and to work together to complete the remaining tasks related to the electoral process."


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Date
The first round of the election had been delayed six times in the previous five years.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
The public hearings of the identification process were intended for people born in Ivory Coast who did not yet have identification papers. The hearings were launched on 25 September 2007, and were to be held first in Ouragahio and Ferkessédougou, respectively the home regions of Gbagbo and Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. Gbagbo asserted that there were about 300,000 eligible voters who could be identified through the process, but the New Forces said that there were up to three million eligible voters. The French company Sagem was designated as the technical operator of the electoral register in November 2007.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
The second meeting of the Cadre permanent de concertation (CPC), which is responsible for the implementation of the peace agreement, was concluded in Ouagadougou on 24 January 2008. At this meeting, it was decided to facilitate voter registration for those individuals receiving supplementary birth certificates through the identification process, to allow parties to begin campaigning in February, and to publish the voter list from the 2000 presidential election on the Internet.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
In an assessment of the public identification hearings on 10 April 2008, the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (ONUCI) said that 400,000 back-up birth certificates had been issued over the course of six months and that 7,337 public hearings had been held in 11 administrative areas.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
1,500 of the necessary 6,000 cases of material for voter registration cards arrived in Côte d'Ivoire on 10 August 2008, according to Sagem; the remaining material was expected to arrive within one week.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
The Ministry of Justice announced on 19 August that 50 voter identification teams would be sent from 27 August to 12 September to areas of the country that were inadequately covered in the previous identification process.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
The electoral census began on 15 September and was planned to continue for 30 to 45 days. The purpose of the census was to update the electoral register and provide citizens with new identity cards; all citizens above the age of 16 were to be included in the census, although only those above age 18 were to receive voter cards. The initial phase of the census was to occur in three southern towns—Grand-Bassam, Dabou, and Gagnoa, as well as three northern towns—Ferkessédougou, Bouna, and Man—and Yamoussoukro, the capital.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
Once the electoral register was completed, there was to be a one-month period during which the register could be challenged; however, Gbagbo said shortly before the beginning of the census that he wanted this period for challenges to be reduced to 15 days. According to Gbagbo, if this reduction was not accepted, it would be necessary to delay the election from 30 November to 15 December.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
11,000 centers for identification were intended to be opened around the country; by 10 November, when the election was delayed to 2009, 774 centers had opened in Abidjan, but in the rest of the country the process had stalled.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Voter identification and registration
There were 5.4 million registered voters at the time of the 2000 presidential election; it was expected that the number of registered voters for the new election could be up to eight million. However, in early December 2008 only 2 million voters had registered.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
In an interview with Agence France Presse on 20 May 2007, Henri Konan Bédié, who was president from 1993 to 1999, said that he would be the presidential candidate of his party, the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire - African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), in the 2008 election. He said that his party was impatient for the election to be held, and also said that the opposition would not back a single candidate in the first round of the election. Bédié addressed a rally in Dabou on 22 September 2007, in which he declared the need for a "shock treatment" to return the country to normal, promised to restore the economy, and strongly criticized Gbagbo.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
Alassane Ouattara, who was Prime Minister from 1990 to 1993, was designated as the presidential candidate of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR) at a congress of his party held on 1–3 February 2008. At the congress, he invited the New Forces, from whom he had previously distanced himself, to team up with the RDR for the election.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
The RDR and the PDCI-RDA are both members of the Rally of Houphouëtistes, and while Ouattara and Bédié will run separately in the first round of the presidential election, each has agreed to support the other if only one of them makes it into a potential second round.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
While Ouattara and Bédié have said that full implementation of the peace agreement, including total disarmament of the New Forces, is not necessary prior to the holding of the election, Pascal Affi N'Guessan, the President of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), Gbagbo's party, has said that disarmament must be completed before the election.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
Soro, as Prime Minister, is barred from standing as a candidate by the peace agreement. Describing himself as an "arbiter of the electoral process", Soro said in a March 2008 interview with Jeune Afrique that the New Forces would not back any candidate and its members could vote for whomever they wished. Rumors have suggested that Soro and Gbagbo have secretly agreed on an arrangement whereby Soro would support Gbagbo and, in exchange, Gbagbo would back Soro in the subsequent presidential election; Soro derided these rumors as "gossip".


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
On 26 April 2008, the Republican Union for Democracy (URD), which is part of the National Congress for Resistance and Democracy (CNRD), announced that it was backing Gbagbo's candidacy.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
Speaking in Soubré on 27 April, Bédié urged "peace-loving Ivorian citizens and the international community to ensure that elections ... are fair, transparent, clean and open".


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
Gbagbo was designated as the presidential candidate of the ruling Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) on 30 August 2008 at the end of a party congress in Yamoussoukro, in which over 3,000 delegates participated. He was the only candidate for the FPI nomination at the congress, which he did not personally attend. According to FPI President N'Guessan, Gbagbo intended to wait until October to make his formal announcement that he was running for re-election.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
By September 2008, Gbagbo and his wife Simone, as well as Bédié, had toured parts of the country in preparation for the election, but Ouattara was, by comparison, viewed as inactive following his nomination in February. The RDR announced on 11 September that Ouattara would present his programme at a convention in Yamoussoukro on 4 October.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Candidates
The Assembly for Peace, Equity and Progress (RPP) announced on 6 September 2009 it would support Gbagbo.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
On 22 December 2007, a disarmament process planned to take place over the course of three months began with government soldiers and former rebels withdrawing from their positions near what had been the buffer zone; the forces of the two sides respectively went to barracks in Yamoussoukro and Bouaké. Gbagbo and Soro were present at Tiebissou to mark the event; Gbagbo said that, as a result, the front lines of the conflict no longer existed, and Soro said that it "effectively, concretely marks the beginning of disarmament". Government forces completed their withdrawal from the front lines on 24 January 2008.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
After meeting with Burkinabe President Blaise Compaoré, the mediator of the Ivorian crisis, in Ouagadougou, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Ivorians to "move forward in the process of disarmament, reunification of the country and full restoration of state authority". Although he noted that progress had been made, Ban said that he and Compaoré agreed that there was much more to do. The New Forces have blamed the stalling of the process on lack of money.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
On 29 April, Ouattara called for the public identification hearings, which were due to end in May, to be extended by one or two months, saying that many people had not yet been able to participate.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
The process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the New Forces, which had been launched on 22 December 2007, began in Bouaké on 2 May 2008 with 1,000 former rebels. 43,000 former rebels were planned to ultimately be involved in the process, which is intended to last for about five months, with completion envisioned by late September, according to New Forces General Soumaïla Bakayoko. Bakayoko said that about 22,000 former rebels would "receive funding to carry out micro-projects", while the remainder would be integrated into the army. The numbers were later given as 36,000 total, with 10,000 to be integrated and 26,000 to participate in rehabilitation projects or national civic service. The government said that it did not have the money to fund rehabilitation projects.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
By late May, with the disarmament process continuing, 2,568 New Forces soldiers had been grouped in camps. As part of the process, each of the former rebels were planned to each receive 90,000 CFA francs per month for three months; the first of these monthly payments occurred in May. A delay in the June payment caused unrest among the New Forces in Bouaké.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
Members of the New Forces loyal to Zacharia Koné, a New Forces commander who was dismissed from his command in May 2008 for indiscipline, briefly mutinied in Vavoua and Seguela on 28 June. An aide to Soro, Alain Lobognon, subsequently said on 30 June that the government did not have enough money to complete the disarmament and implementation of the peace agreement, complaining that the international community was not sending aid. According to Lobognon, "the peace process is in danger because the prime minister does not have the means to implement his policies", and he described the situation as a "crisis".


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
Choi Young-jin, the UN Special Representative to Ivory Coast, launched an ONUCI program in Bouaké on 15 August to fund 1,000 microprojects for those members of the New Forces who were not integrated into the army. According to ONUCI, the program was intended "to create a stable security environment for free and transparent elections by re-introducing ex-fighters socially and economically back into their old communities". The cost of this program was estimated at about 44.4 billion CFA francs, and financing for it was to be partially provided by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
A security plan for the election was approved by the commanders of the Ivorian forces and the ONUCI peacekeeping forces on 12 September 2008. ONUCI commander General Fernand Marcel Amoussou also spoke positively of the cooperation between the national army and the New Forces on this occasion, saying that it was proceeding "in a brotherly, pleasant and effective manner".


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
A New Forces camp in Seguela was attacked on 24 November 2008; the attackers were said to have freed prisoners and attempted to take guns and ammunition. According to the New Forces, eight of the attackers were killed, along with one of their own men.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, Disarmament and security
Gbagbo, Soro, and Compaoré signed an agreement on 24 December 2008, according to which 5,000 New Forces soldiers would be integrated into the army over the course of two years, while another 3,400 would enter the police and gendarmerie. In addition, all of the New Forces soldiers being demobilized were to be paid 50,000 CFA francs.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, International funding and involvement
On 7 May, several other countries, including France, Japan, and the United States, announced that they were providing 115 billion CFA francs in aid money to fund the election and the process of resolving the civil war. The third meeting of the CPC, chaired by Compaoré, was held on 9 May at the House of Deputies in Yamoussoukro; those present included Gbagbo, Soro, Ouattara, and Bédié. Soro was to present a report on the peace process and CEI President Robert Mambé was to present a report on CEI's work. The meeting concluded with a communiqué urgently appealing to the international community to provide financing for the electoral process. According to Soro, another 35 billion CFA francs are needed.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, International funding and involvement
At a meeting with the United Nations Security Council on 9 June, various important figures in the election, including Gbagbo, Ouattara, and Mambé, expressed confidence that the election would be held on schedule. South Africa's Ambassador to the UN, Dumisani Kumalo, observed that, in contrast to the situation a year beforehand, all sides appeared committed to holding the election on a specific date. Members of the Security Council wanted to hear from representatives of the bodies carrying out the electoral census and registration, and these representatives agreed that it would be possible to meet 30 November date.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, International funding and involvement
Kumalo credited the unprecedented progress that had been made over the previous year to Ivorian control of the process, and he said that the UN had only an "accompanying" role. According to Kumalo, Gbagbo asked the Security Council to apply pressure to speed up the process, which he felt was not going fast enough, and also wanted the UN to take a larger role in financing the election; however, he was rebuffed by the Security Council on both points.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, International funding and involvement
Despite the council's concerns about security, Gbagbo did not feel that this would be a problem; Ouattara said that it was important for UN peacekeepers to ensure security during the election. Mambé, for his part, said that he was actively working to finalize the system of voter registration, and he called on electoral observers to begin observing the registration process, rather than waiting until "two or three days before the election to observe". Bakayoko, the former New Forces commander, also spoke to the Security Council, saying that disarmament was proceeding "little by little".


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, International funding and involvement
On 14 June, Kouchner visited Ivory Coast and met with Gbagbo and Ouattara, among others. He accepted that there was still not enough money to fund the election and agreed to help Côte d'Ivoire find African and international financial assistance, although he said that France would not send any more of its own money. The cost of the election had been estimated at over 100 billion CFA francs, and although 115 billion had already been pledged by other countries, part of that money was to go towards the disarmament process.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, International funding and involvement
Although the mandate of ONUCI and French peacekeepers was set to expire on 30 July 2008, the UN Security Council unanimously voted on 29 July to extend the mandate to 31 January 2009 so that the peacekeepers could "support the organization of free, open, fair and transparent elections". The Ivorian Permanent Representative to the UN, Alcide Djédjé, said that the election would enable his country to get off the Security Council's agenda and "regain [its] full sovereignty", but also emphasized that money was still needed to fund the election.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Background, Controversy, International funding and involvement
On 27 January 2009, the Security Council voted to again extend the peacekeepers' mandate by six months, while also reducing ONUCI's size from 8,115 to 7,450 personnel. Additionally, the Security Council called for the establishment of a clear timetable for holding the election. UN envoy Choi Young-jin expressed concern that "for the first time since the signing of the Ouagadougou peace deal in March 2007, the Ivorian people and the international community have neither a date nor a timeframe for the elections." He argued that the organization of the election could falter if it was not driven by a clear objective.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Results, First round
As the polls closed for the first round, more unrest was feared as the former rebels were still armed in the north, powerful militias still existed in the west and neither armed group was willing to accept defeat. The second round date was confirmed despite opposition allegations of fraud and demands for a recount of the first round of votes.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Results, First round
Expatriate ballots had former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara ahead of incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, with former President Henri Konan Bédié in third place. Some other sources put Bédié in the lead with 42% to Gbagbo's 31% and Ouattara's 24%. Official provisional results had Gbagbo in the lead with 38.3%, Ouattara with 32.1% and Bédié with 25.2%. The opposition parties called for a recount, but the Constitutional Council quickly announced official results and confirmed Gbagbo's first round lead.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Results, Second round
With the second round looming, Gbagbo's supporters went on the offensive with aggressive criticism of Ouattara; FPI President Pascal Affi N'Guessan called him "the godfather of the political violence and the rebellion." Bédié, meanwhile, initially hesitated to provide his expected endorsement of Ouattara; Bédié's position was considered a crucial factor for the second round, as the votes of his supporters could decide the outcome of the election. Bédié and Ouattara had been seen all along as somewhat incongruous allies, in light of their 1990s rivalry, and Bédié's hesitation suggested to some that their alliance was tenuous. Bédié endorsed Ouattara shortly thereafter, however. Declaring that "this alliance is our strength, the doubters will be proved wrong", Ouattara predicted victory.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Results, Second round
Despite Bédié's position, Gbagbo's campaign hoped to draw some of Bédié's supporters over to their candidate's side. Bédié's support was largely concentrated among members of the Baoulé ethnic group. Both sides employed harsh rhetoric at their rallies, denouncing their opponents as practically criminal. Gbagbo declared that the election was "a true battle between the democrats and the coup leaders", accusing Ouattara of orchestrating both the 1999 coup that ousted Bédié and the 2002 coup attempt that failed to topple Gbagbo and set off the civil war. Ouattara, for his part, accused Gbagbo of working "to divide Ivorians, to bring war to Ivory Coast and to loot the resources of one tribe and one clan", and he said that Gbagbo's accusations were lies.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Results, Second round
The second round was held on 28 November 2010. Results for the diaspora vote were announced first, on 29 November 2010; Ouattara had 6,371 votes (59.97%) and Gbagbo had 4,252 votes (40.03%). This batch of results was too small to be particularly meaningful, however. Before any further results were announced, Gbagbo supporters began raising objections to the conduct of the election in the overwhelmingly pro-Ouattara north of the country; they alleged disruptive and abusive behavior by Ouattara supporters that invalidated the results in certain regions, or even the election as a whole.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Results, Second round
Bamba Yacouba, speaking for the CEI, attempted to announce the first significant batch of results at a press conference on 30 November, but a pro-Gbagbo member of the CEI, Damana Adia Pickass, snatched the papers away from him and tore them to pieces, contesting the validity of the results Yacouba was preparing to announce. No results were announced.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Results, Second round
In a tense atmosphere, each side accused the other of attempting to win the election through fraud. Ouattara's camp alleged that Gbagbo's aim was "obstructing the electoral commission and confiscating power". At an RDR office in pro-Gbagbo territory in Abidjan, eight Ouattara supporters were reportedly shot and killed by security forces late on 1 December 2010.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Aftermath, CEI announcement
On 2 December 2010, CEI President Youssouf Bakayoko announced provisional results showing that Alassane Ouattara had won the election in the second round with 54.1% of the vote, against 45.9% for Laurent Gbagbo; he reported that turnout was 81.09%. Results had been expected and then postponed for days, beyond the deadline, and Bakayoko's appearance to announce the results—at an Abidjan hotel heavily guarded by the United Nations—took the press by surprise. Bakayoko reportedly chose to announce the results at the hotel, which Ouattara had been using as "his base", because he wanted to have the security of UN protection when doing so.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Aftermath, Proclamation of the Constitutional Council
Paul Yao N'Dre, the President of the Constitutional Council then took to the airwaves to say that the CEI had no authority left to announce any results, because it had already missed its deadline to announce them, and consequently the results were invalid. N'Dre announced that the results in seven northern regions were cancelled, thereby swinging the outcome narrowly in favor of Gbagbo, who was credited with 51.45% of the vote while Ouattara had 48.55%. According to article 94 of the Ivorian Constitution, the Constitutional Council decides on electoral disputes, and proclaims the definitive results of presidential elections.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Aftermath, Ouattara announcement
On the basis of the CEI's results, Ouattara maintained that he was "the elected President" and said that the Constitutional Council had abused its authority.


2010 Ivorian presidential election, Aftermath, Ouattara announcement
The New Forces and Prime Minister Soro both supported Ouattara's claim to victory; Soro said that he considered Ouattara the rightful President and offered his resignation to Ouattara on 4 December.


2010 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series
The 2010 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series took place at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium in New York City on May 8 and 9, 2010. The series matched the regular season champions of each of the league's two divisions. Dartmouth, the winner of the series, claimed the Ivy League's automatic berth in the 2010 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. It was Dartmouth's second consecutive, and second overall, coming in their third consecutive appearance.


2010 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series
Columbia made its third appearance, and second in three years in the Championship Series.


2010 Ixian Grand Aegean Tennis Cup
The 2010 Ixian Grand Aegean Tennis Cup was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was part of the Tretorn SERIE+ of the 2010 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Rhodes, Greece between April 26 and May 2, 2010.


2010 Ixian Grand Aegean Tennis Cup, Champions, Doubles
Dustin Brown /  Simon Stadler def. Jonathan Marray /  Jamie Murray, 7-6(4), 6-7(4), [10-7]


2010 Ixian Grand Aegean Tennis Cup – Doubles
Karol Beck and Jaroslav Levinský were the defending champions; however, Beck chose to compete in Ostrava instead and Levinský chose not to compete this year. Dustin Brown and Simon Stadler won in the final 7-6(4), 6-7(4), [10-7] against Jonathan Marray and Jamie Murray.


2010 Ixian Grand Aegean Tennis Cup – Singles
Benjamin Becker was the defending champion, however he chose to compete in Rome instead. Dudi Sela defeated Rainer Schüttler in the final. He defeated him 7–6(3), 6–3.


2010 J.League Cup
The 2010 J. League Cup, more widely known as the 2010 Nabisco Cup, was the 35th edition of the most prestigious Japanese soccer league cup tournament and the 18th edition under the current J. League Cup format. It began on 31 March 2010 with the first matches of the group stage and ended on 3 November 2010 with the Final at National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo.


2010 J.League Cup
Teams from the J1 took part in the tournament. Kashima Antlers, Kawasaki Frontale, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Gamba Osaka were given a bye to the quarter-final due to the qualification for the AFC Champions League group stage. The remaining 14 teams started from the group stage, where they were divided into two groups of seven. The group winners and the runners-up of each group qualified for the quarter-final along with the four teams which qualified for the AFC Champions League.


2010 J.League Cup
The competition was won by Júbilo Iwata, who defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima 5–3 after extra time. They qualified for the 2011 Suruga Bank Championship.


2010 J.League Cup, Knockout stage, Quarterfinals, Second leg
Sanfrecce Hiroshima won by away goals rule (2-2 on aggregate).


2010 J.League Cup, Knockout stage, Quarterfinals, Second leg
Shimizu S-Pulse won by away goals rule (1-1 on aggregate).


2010 J.League Cup Final
2010 J.League Cup Final was the 18th final of the J.League Cup competition. The final was played at National Stadium in Tokyo on November 3, 2010. Júbilo Iwata won the championship.


2010 J.League Division 1
The 2010 J.League Division 1 season was the 46th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 18th season since the establishment of J1 League. The season began on March 6 and ended on December 4.


2010 J.League Division 1
A total of eighteen clubs participated in double round-robin format. At the end of the season, top three clubs received automatic qualification to the following years' AFC Champions League. Also the bottom three clubs were relegated to J2 League by default.


2010 J.League Division 1
Nagoya Grampus won their first Japanese championship. This was also the first time since the advent of the J.League that the top scorer scored less than 20 goals; the honour of scoring 17 goals was shared between Nagoya's Joshua Kennedy and Júbilo Iwata's Ryoichi Maeda. Additionally, this was also the first Japanese top division season in which clubs from the Kantō region did not place among the top three.


2010 J.League Division 1, Clubs
The following eighteen clubs will play in J.League Division 1 during the 2010 season. Of these clubs, Vegalta Sendai, Cerezo Osaka and Shonan Bellmare are the newly promoted clubs. For the first time since 1995 season all top-flight teams are located on a single island (Honshū).


2010 J.League Division 1, Format
Eighteen clubs will play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 34 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order:


2010 J.League Division 1, Format
A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied at the first place, both clubs will be declared as the champions. The bottom three clubs will be relegated to J.League Division 2. The top three clubs will qualify to AFC Champions League in the following year.


2010 J.League Division 1, Attendance
Updated to games played on December 4, 2010Source: Notes:† Team played previous season in J2.


2010 J.League Division 2
The 2010 J. League Division 2 season was the 39th season of the second-tier club football in Japan and the 12th season since the establishment of J2 League. The season began on March 6 and ended on December 4.


2010 J.League Division 2
In this season, the number of participating clubs was increased by one, making the total number, nineteen. As opposed to the last two seasons, clubs will play double-round robin, instead of triple-round robin. At the end of the season, the top three clubs will be promoted to J. League Division 1 for the 2011 season. Furthermore, there will be no relegation to the third-tier Japan Football League.


2010 J.League Division 2, Clubs
The following nineteen clubs will play in J. League Division 2 during the 2010 season. Of these clubs, JEF United Chiba, Kashiwa Reysol, and Oita Trinita were relegated from J1 League last year. Also, Giravanz Kitakyushu (formerly known as New Wave Kitakyushu) newly joined from Japan Football League.


2010 J.League Division 2, League format
Nineteen clubs will play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 36 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order:


2010 J.League Division 2, League format
A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied at the first place, both clubs will be declared as the champions. Three top clubs will be promoted to J1 (see below).


2010 J.League Division 2, Attendance
Updated to games played on December 4, 2010Source: Notes:† Team played previous season in J1.‡ Team played previous season in JFL.


2010 JL88
2010 JL88 is an unnumbered asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 19 meters in diameter. It was first observed by the Siding Spring Survey, Australia, on 15 May 2010. It is known to be the fastest rotator with an unambiguous period solution, having an exceptionally rapid rotation period of less than 25 seconds.


2010 JL88
On May 17, 2010, it passed 0.00257 AU (384,000 km) from Earth. It is on the lower of the Sentry Risk Table.


2010 JL88, Earth impact possibility
2010 JL88 has an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.45 Lunar Distances However, it only has a 1 in 1,449,000 (0.000069%) chance of impacting into Earth sometime after 2049. Even if it did impact, 2010 JL88 is so small that it would simply disintegrate in a manner similar to the Chelyabinsk meteor.


2010 JL88, Rotation
The asteroid was found to have a rapid rotation by the Magdalena Ridge Observatory's 2.4-meter telescope. It rotates at an extremely rapid rate of 24.5 seconds. 2010 JL88 is the second fastest natural rotating object discovered in the Solar System, after 2014 RC, which has a period of 16 seconds but still an uncertain period solution.


2010 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana
The 2010 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the ninth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2010 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Champaign, United States between 15 and 21 November 2010.


2010 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana, ATP entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2010 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana, ATP entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received a Special Exempt into the singles main draw:


2010 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana, Champions, Doubles
Raven Klaasen /  Izak van der Merwe def. Ryler DeHeart /  Pierre-Ludovic Duclos, 4–6, 7–6(2), [10–4]


2010 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Doubles
Brian Battistone and Dann Battistone were the defending champions. They were not compete this year. 3rd seeds Raven Klaasen and Izak van der Merwe won in the final 4–6, 7–6(7–2), [10–4], against 1st seeds Ryler DeHeart and Pierre-Ludovic Duclos.


2010 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Singles
Michael Russell was the defending champion, but decided not to participate. Alex Bogomolov Jr. defeated Amer Delić 5–7, 7–6(7), 6–3 in the final to win the tournament.


2010 Jackson State Tigers football team
The 2010 Jackson State Tigers football team represented Jackson State University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season.


2010 Jacksonville Dolphins football team
The 2010 Jacksonville Dolphins football team represented Jacksonville University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Dolphins were led by fourth-year head coach Kerwin Bell and played their home games at D. B. Milne Field. They were a member of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 10–1, 8–0 in PFL play to finish tied for first place. They won their second PFL Championship in school history.


2010 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League and the 8th under head coach Jack Del Rio. The Jaguars, who were in their second year of "rebuilding" under general manager Gene Smith, improved upon their 7–9 record from 2009, but narrowly missed the playoffs with an 8–8 record. Although blackouts were a problem in 2009 for the franchise, they sold out all of their 2010 home games.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season
The 2010 Jacksonville Sharks season was the inaugural season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Les Moss and played their home games at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The Sharks put together a 12–4 record, winning the South division and was also the top team in the American Conference. However, the Sharks lost a back-and-forth game at home to the Orlando Predators in the opening playoff round by a score of 69–73.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Standings
z - Clinched division and conference's best recordx - Clinched playoff berth


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season schedule
The first game in franchise history for the Sharks was on April 3 as they visited the Yard Dawgz. Their first home game for the franchise is on April 16 during Week 3 against the Predators. The conclusion of the regular season was at home in Week 18 against the Shock on July 30.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 1: at Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
The first game in franchise history for the Sharks was a low-scoring affair in the 1st half, with the Sharks holding a slight lead at 13–10 at halftime. The Sharks pulled away in the 3rd quarter with three touchdown passes. Their lead fell to only 10 points with just over 4 minutes to play, but the Sharks' special teams returned an onside kick for a touchdown to seal their first-ever win. The Sharks only put up 225 yards of total offense, while quarterback Aaron Garcia, who had most recently played for the New York Dragons in 2008, completed 11 passes on 16 attempts for 154 yards, but 5 of those passes were touchdowns.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 2: at Alabama Vipers
The Sharks led by a touchdown at halftime, but gave up 42 points to the Vipers in the 2nd half, losing the game 63–49. After scoring the 2nd half's first touchdown, the Sharks went nearly 20 minutes without another touchdown, allowing the Vipers to take a 21-point lead in the meantime. It was a deficit too great for the Sharks to overcome, despite scoring a touchdown on their last two drives of the game. Quarterback Aaron Garcia threw for 186 yards, with 5 touchdowns, but 2 interceptions. The Sharks had only 190 net yards in the game.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. Orlando Predators
The Sharks took on one of their in-state opponents for the first time ever in what was called the "Jive on 95," similar to the name of the Predators' in-state rivalry with the Tampa Bay Storm, The War on I-4. The Sharks never trailed in the game, holding a 24–7 lead at halftime. After a Predators field goal in the 3rd quarter, Jacksonville scored 27 of the next 34 points of the game. Aaron Garcia completed 21 of 29 passes for 206 yards and 6 touchdowns. With the win, the Sharks improved to 2–1.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 5: vs. Tulsa Talons
Neither team made a defensive stop in the 1st half, but the Sharks led 28–26 at the break thanks to a pair of missed extra points by the Talons. The scoring exploded in the 4th quarter, as the teams combined for 47 points. With 56 seconds left in the final quarter, the Talons used up all but 8 seconds left to pull ahead with a 4-yard touchdown pass, making the score 60–56 in favor of Tulsa. After receiving the ensuing kickoff, the Sharks had time for one more play.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 5: vs. Tulsa Talons
Aaron Garcia's pass to the end zone was nearly caught for a touchdown, but fell incomplete. This should have ended the game, however a defensive pass interference penalty was called on the Talons, meaning the Sharks would be given another shot on an untimed down. Jacksonville capitalized on the second chance with a 9-yard pass from Garcia caught by Dallas Baker for a touchdown, giving the Sharks their third win of the season.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 5: vs. Tulsa Talons
Garcia completed 24 of 33 passes for 294 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Baker finished with 105 receiving yards on 8 catches, with 4 touchdowns. Jomo Wilson caught for 106 yards on the night, with just a single touchdown.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 6: at Tampa Bay Storm
In a game that saw neither team lead by more than 6 points, the Sharks came out on top by a final score of 46–43. Tampa Bay took a 43–38 lead with just over a minute to play in the 4th quarter. Jacksonville answered with a touchdown drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown reception by Sale' Key. The Storm's hopes of a last-second score vanished after a fumble on their ensuing drive that was picked up by the Sharks' Micheaux Robinson. Jacksonville then ran out the clock to seal their fourth win. Aaron Garcia threw for 342 yards and 5 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. Jomo Wilson led all receivers with 148 yards on 10 catches for 3 touchdowns, and also ran for a touchdown in the game.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 7: vs. Dallas Vigilantes
The Sharks had control of the game in the 1st half with a 36–7 lead late in the 2nd quarter, although Dallas scored another touchdown to make it 36–14 at the half. The Vigilantes scored the first two touchdowns of the 3rd quarter, and by the end of the 3rd quarter, Jacksonville's lead shrunk to just 43–35. Turnovers had been a problem for Dallas all night, and lost their third fumble of the game in the 4th quarter. The loose ball was scooped up by Jacksonville's Justin Parrish and returned for a touchdown to give the Sharks a 63–41 lead. The 21-point lead would turn into the margin of victory as the Sharks took the game by a 70–49 score.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 7: vs. Dallas Vigilantes
Aaron Garcia threw for 318 yards and 8 touchdowns. Jomo Wilson caught 4 touchdowns in the game, and had with 123 yards, was the team's leading receiver.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 15: at Utah Blaze
By defeating the Blaze, the Sharks clinched a playoff berth.


2010 Jacksonville Sharks season, Regular season, Week 18: vs. Spokane Shock
With the win over the Shock, the Sharks clinched the American Conference's best record.


2010 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team
The 2010 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Jacksonville State competed as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) under 11th-year head coach Jack Crowe and played its home games at Burgess-Snow Field.


2010 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team
In the season opener at Ole Miss, Jacksonville State stunned its Division I FBS opponent with a double-overtime upset, 49–48. In the second overtime period, the Gamecocks matched Ole Miss with a touchdown and Crowe ordered his team to attempt a two-point conversion to end the game. Quarterback Coty Blanchard connected with running back Calvin Middleton on a shovel pass in the end zone for the win. Crowe, who had been fired as Arkansas head coach after losing to Division I-AA The Citadel in 1992, said, "If you stay in this long enough, it goes both ways."


2010 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team
Jacksonville State entered the regular season finale against underdogs Tennessee Tech ranked fourth in the nation, with a share of the Ohio Valley Conference championship on the line. The Gamecocks mounted a 21-play, 94-yard scoring drive that left 11:33 remaining to play and gave them a 24–7 lead. Tennessee Tech, however, successfully mounted four rapid-fire touchdown drives to win, 35–24, and denied Jacksonville State the OVC automatic playoff berth. The Gamecocks did receive an at-large berth, and after a first-round bye, lost in the second round of the FCS Playoffs to Wofford, 17–14.


2010 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation
The 2010 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation (Chinese: 2010年度十大勁歌金曲頒獎典禮) was held on January 15, 2011. It is part of the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation series.


2010 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation, Top 10 song awards
The top 10 songs (十大勁歌金曲) of 2010 are as follows.


2010 Jalaun district bus crash
The 2010 Jalaun district bus crash occurred on 17 February 2010 when a bus with approximately 70 passengers, mostly wedding guests, crashed into the Yamuna River at around midnight. It killed 22 of the passengers with at least 13 still unaccounted for.


2010 Jalaun district bus crash
At around midnight on 17 February 2010, a bus heavily laden with passengers coming back from a wedding, lost control on a makeshift bridge spanning the Yamuna River in Jalaun District of Uttar Pradesh in India. 40 people on the bus managed to escape, by breaking windows, however 22 lost their lives, whilst 13 are still unaccounted for, presumed drowned. Local authorities worked throughout the morning to free trapped people inside the bus and helped save many lives. There is no word on whether the bride and groom who were believed to also be travelling on the bus survived the incident.


2010 Jama Masjid attack
The 2010 Jama Masjid attack occurred on 19 September 2010 when two gunmen on a motorcycle fired at a tourist bus near Gate 3 of the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, India and injured two Taiwanese tourists. The incident provoked fears about security for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi. About three hours later a car parked approximately 150 meters from the spot caught fire, apparently due to a minor blast.


2010 Jama Masjid attack
Two bike-borne gunmen opened fire at a stationary tourist bus purportedly carrying a TV crew from Taiwan at 11:24 pm, near Gate 3 of Jama Masjid. An explosive-laden device was planted in a Maruti 800 car, parked near a transformer near the mosque. The car had approximately 20 litres of fuel in its tank, which would have caused considerable damage if it had exploded successfully, but bomb timers failed and it did not go off. There were two victims of the shootout, Zeseweiu (27) and Chiang (28), both Taiwanese citizens. Zeseweiu head was grazed by a bullet while trying to escape, while Chiang was shot in the abdomen and had to be operated on. Both were declared to be out of danger the next day when the state CM and Union Home Minister paid them a visit.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Batla House encounter link
The attack is significant because it took place on the second anniversary of the Batla House encounter on 19 September 2008, in which Atif Amin, suspected member of the Indian Mujahideen was killed. The Indian Mujahideen had been blamed earlier for a number of terror attacks, in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur Surat and Faizabad, between 2007 and 2009. According to investigating agencies, the revival of the group was announced in an email to the media, which also elaborated on the outfits intention of avenging the death of their former members.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
Subsequent police investigations revealed that one of the timers of the cooker bomb was timed to go off exactly at 11:37 am, approximately the time when the Batla House encounter was reported to have taken place two years before on the same day.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
The terror attack took place barely 200 meters away from the Jama Masjid police station, and at the time of the shooting, the cops from PCR van stationed at gate number 3 had gone to settle a family brawl nearby in the Khankhana street, in the Machli Bazar area, allowing the bikers to flee. The Guide (Vikrant K.Sharma) accompanying the T.V team took the injured inside the bus and called the police immediately, the 20 CCTVs which were installed near the Masjid, were found to be lying defunct.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
The cameras had been installed on 14 April 2006, after the twin blasts at the Masjid. According to the police, the terrorists were divided in two groups; the first reached the spot on a motorcycle and the second group followed them in a Maruti car, which later caught fire due to the "crudely assembled" pressure cooker bomb in it. Police detained 30 people for questioning.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
Subsequent investigations revealed that the revelatory email was sent through a SIM card connection whose location was traced to Borivali. It was purchased by a man in his 20s, from a shop in the Dadar Truck Terminus area in Mumbai, and the police were looking for a man from Beed in Maharashtra, who had furnished a driver's license and a pan card under the name "Purva Shinde".


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
On 30 November 2011, the Delhi Police arrested six suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives whom they claimed to be the perpetrators of the 2010 Pune bombing, the Chinnaswamy stadium blast and the 2010 Jama Masjid attack. One Pakistani national was also reported to have been arrested. Two of the seven people were arrested in Chennai and were identified by the Delhi Police as Mohammad Irshad Khan (age 50) and Abdul Rahman (age 19), hailing from the Madhubani district of Bihar.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
Another individual – Ghayur Jamil – a student at a madarsa in Darbhanga was also arrested from Madhubani on the charge of recruiting youths from near the Indo-Nepal border for terrorist activities, Abdul Rahman was said to one such recruit. Jamil's father disputed his son's arrest and billed him as a good orator and an honest, religious man who had lost a bag containing his belongings – including his PAN card, residential proof and photos – a few days back.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
In August 2013, Yasin Bhatkal co-founder of the Indian Mujahidin and his close aid Assadullah Akhtar alias Haddi were arrested by National Investigation Agency and as per NIA, in the interrogations they accepted that they had carried out the attack at the Masjid. As per NIA, Yasin said that he was instructed by Karachi-based IM head Riyaz Bhatkal to target the mosque as the group was upset with Imam Ahmed Bukhari for allowing "semi-naked" foreigners inside it.


2010 Jama Masjid attack, Investigation
On 19 April 2014, the special cell of Delhi Police filed its final report before a local court in Delhi against the two under various sections of the IPC including 307 (attempt to murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act. The police claimed in the charge sheet that Bhatkal was instructed by Pakistan-based handlers to carry out terror attacks just before the beginning of 2010 Commonwealth Games which were held in Delhi.


2010 James Madison Dukes football team
The 2010 James Madison Dukes football team represents James Madison University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Dukes were led by 12th year head coach Mickey Matthews in what proved to be a roller-coaster season. The Dukes made college football history when they knocked off in-state power #13 Virginia Tech, on the road, in front of over 66,000 fans. James Madison became the second FCS team to beat a nationally ranked FBS opponent since Appalachian State defeated #5 ranked Michigan in 2007. Not long after the victory of Virginia Tech the injuries began to mount up and paired with a difficult in-conference schedule. JMU finished the season 6–5 with nine of the eleven games decided by 7 points or less.


2010 Japan Football League
The 2010 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第12回日本フットボールリーグ, Hepburn: Dai Jūni-kai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu) was the twelfth season of the Japan Football League, the third tier of the Japanese football league system.


2010 Japan Football League, Overview
At the end of the 2009 season, three new clubs were promoted from the Japanese Regional Leagues by virtue of their final placing in the Regional League promotion series:


2010 Japan Football League, Overview
Before the season corporate TDK SC were renamed to Blaublitz Akita and started operations as an independent football club. Hitachi Tochigi Uva S.C. has dropped the company prefix and changed its name to simply Tochigi Uva F.C.


2010 Japan Football League, Overview
Matsumoto Yamaga were approved as J. League associate members at the annual meeting in February. Zweigen Kanazawa applied for the membership later in April but the application was not accepted because of incomplete documentation.


2010 Japan Football League, Overview
Gainare Tottori are the first club to be promoted to J. League Division 2 as champions since Ehime FC in 2005 season.


2010 Japan Football League, Attendance
Updated to games played on November 28, 2010Source: , Notes:† Team played previous season in Regional Leagues.‡ Some Honda Lock games were played without spectators because of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Miyazaki Prefecture.


2010 Japan Football League, Promotion and relegation
Due to Gainare Tottori being promoted to J2, the Regional League promotion series champions and runners-up, Kamatamare Sanuki and Nagano Parceiro, were promoted automatically. The third-placed Sanyo Electric Sumoto S.C. faced Arte Takasaki in the promotion and relegation series.


2010 Japan Football League, Promotion and relegation
Arte Takasaki won the series 4–1 on aggregate and stayed in JFL.


2010 Japan Golf Tour
The 2010 Japan Golf Tour season was played from 15 April to 5 December. The season consisted of 25 official money events in Japan as well as the four majors and the four World Golf Championships.


2010 Japan Golf Tour, Tournament results
The table below shows the 2010 schedule. The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Japan Golf Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Japan Golf Tour members (does not include the four major golf championships and the World Golf Championships). All tournaments were played in Japan.


2010 Japan Series
The 2010 Japan Series was the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) championship series for the 2010 season. It was the 61st Japan Series and featured the Pacific League champions, the Chiba Lotte Marines, against the Central League champions, the Chunichi Dragons.


2010 Japan Series, Background, Chiba Lotte Marines
In what was a roller coaster of a year for seemingly the entire Pacific League, the Chiba Lotte Marines finished third in the league behind the second-place Saitama Seibu Lions and the first-place Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. In the first round, Lotte earned the nickname "Miracle Marines" after pulling off two extra-inning wins, the first of which came thanks to a four-run 9th inning comeback against Seibu. Lotte continued their comeback trend after rallying from a 3-games-to-1 deficit against the Hawks to win the Pacific League title, their first since 2005.


2010 Japan Series, Background, Chiba Lotte Marines
The team was led by a rookie manager, former player Norifumi Nishimura. Many of the team's components from the 2005 championship year were still in place, as Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Toshiaki Imae, Saburo Ohmura, and Kazuya Fukuura were all still in the lineup and contributing.


2010 Japan Series, Background, Chiba Lotte Marines
New faces littered the pitching staff and the lineup, as Yoshihisa Naruse won 13 games and was the ace of the staff, but the Marines' true pitching strength came from the back end of the bullpen, with one-time Major Leaguer Yasuhiko Yabuta, Takuya Furuya and Tatsuya Uchi, all potent middle relievers, setting up for starter-turned-closer Hiroyuki Kobayashi.


2010 Japan Series, Background, Chunichi Dragons
The Dragons had been perennial contenders in the Central League, but had been ousted in the Climax Series by the Giants each of the last two years. Chunichi took first place in the CL and defeated their rivals to reach the Japan Series, needing just four games to do so. Chunichi owned the lowest team ERA in the league at just 3.29, but were next to last in stolen bases and in team batting average.


2010 Japan Series, Background, Chunichi Dragons
Despite using 13 different starters during the season, the Dragons still had a potent pitching staff. Taiwanese lefty Wei-Yin Chen led the team with 13 wins, while Kazuki Yoshimi had 12. Like the Marines, the Dragons' strength was the back of their bullpen. Takuya Asao and Akifumi Takahashi made for a potent two-headed relief monster, as they combined for 78 holds. Hitoki Iwase, the team's longtime closer, recorded 42 saves in 2010.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Starting on short rest after the deciding Game 7 win, Naruse was pegged as the Game 1 starter against veteran Kazuki Yoshimi. After matching 1-2-3 innings in the first, Lotte scored the first run of the Japan Series on a two-out RBI double by Shoitsu Omatsu that scored Saburo. However, the Dragons would strike back in the bottom of the inning, as hometown hero Kazuhiro Wada and venerable catcher Motonobu Tanishige, playing in his 5th Japan Series, each hit solo home runs for a 2-1 lead.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
However, that lead would he short-lived as Lotte countered with two more runs in the top of the 3rd. Rookie outfielder Ikuhiro Kiyota hit a solo blast of his own after hitting just two in the regular season to tie the score. Tadahito Iguchi legged out an infield single to continue the assault, and Saburo was hit with a pitch to set up 2005 Japan Series MVP Toshiaki Imae. Imae got a base hit that scored Iguchi, but Saburo was thrown out at third trying to get the extra base.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Kim Tae-Kyun was hit with a pitch to put Imae in scoring position, but Yoshifumi Okada could not drive him home. Even still, the Marines led, 3-2. That would prove to be the end of the day for Yoshimi, as he gave up three runs on six hits in three innings. He also walked one, struck out two, and hit two batters.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Naruse kept the Chunichi bats off the board through the 5th inning, as he did not let another Dragons runner reach scoring position. The Pacific League Climax Series MVP gave up two runs on four hits, with six strikeouts and a walk on 88 pitches (he was pinch-hit for in the 6th). The Marines bullpen also held the line, as Yabuta, Uchi, and Yoshihiro Itoh all delivered perfect innings, with Yabuta and Itoh each striking out two batters.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Meanwhile, the Marines batters had a little better luck with the Chunichi bullpen, namely Masafumi Hirai. Nishioka hit an RBI single to score Okada, who had reached and was sacrificed to second for the Marines' run in the 6th. In the 7th, Iguchi supplied the offense himself with a solo home run, the fourth total in the game. The blast ran the score to 5-2.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Hiroyuki Kobayashi came on to slam the door like he had since his resurgence as a closer in the second half of the season. Pinch-hitter Kei Nomoto singled his way on to begin the 9th, but he was erased as part of a 6-4-3 double play. Wada also singled, but was thrown out attempting to stretch it into a double to end the game.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Nicknamed "There are ties in baseball without Bud Selig" after the 2002 MLB All-Star Game friendly that ended as a tie game, because of the end result of this game, the 5:43 game was the longest game in history, and in theory is least likely to be eclipsed following a 2018 rule change standardising the limit on extra innings across the regular season and postseason to 12 innings.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Lotte LF Ikuhiro Kiyota's one-out double off Takuya Asao was the game-tying hit in the top of the eighth to knot the game up at 2-2. The teams played 7 1/2 scoreless innings after that, and was tied at the end of the postseason extra innings cap, the 15th inning.


2010 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Under the rules of the series, Chunichi had to win Game 7 in order to push it to a Game 8.


2010 Japan Super Series
The 2010 Japan Open Super Series was a top level badminton competition which was held from September 21, 2010 to September 26, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. It was the seventh BWF Super Series competition on the 2010 BWF Super Series schedule. The total purse for the event was $200,000.


2010 Japan national football team
The Japan national football team in 2010, managed by head coach Takeshi Okada, began by competing in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification and the 2010 East Asian Football Championship in amongst other international friendly matches in the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals where they would finish in 9th place. Afterwards the team, managed first by interim head coach Hiromi Hara and finally head coach Alberto Zaccheroni, would close out 2010 with several more international friendly matches as they prepared for the 2011 Asian Cup and the 2011 Copa América in the following year.


2010 Japan women's national football team
This page records the details of the Japan women's national football team in 2010.


2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship
The 2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship was the 32nd edition of the Japanese Formula 3 Championship. It commenced on April 17 at Suzuka and ended on October 17 at Autopolis after 16 races held at eight race meetings.


2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship
All the Championship Class titles were secured at the Okayama meeting in September, with Yuji Kunimoto securing the drivers' title with five races to spare. The TOM'S driver had recorded a series record ten consecutive wins to start the season before finishing second to team-mate Rafael Suzuki in round 11 to secure the title. Despite not winning another race after clinching the title, Kunimoto still finished 58 points ahead of closest rival Yuhi Sekiguchi of ThreeBond Racing. Sekiguchi failed to win a race, but finished eleven races on the podium and overhauled Suzuki for the runner-up position. Suzuki had taken three wins in succession – two at Okayama and one at Sugo but failed to take part in either race at the final round at Autopolis in order to prioritise his commitments for the Macau Grand Prix the following month.


2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship
Koki Saga finished fourth, taking his first two victories in Formula Three at the final meeting at Autopolis, while Alexandre Imperatori finished fifth. The only other race-winner was Hideki Yamauchi, who took six podium finishes – including a win at Sugo – in his eight starts. Suzuki's first win at Okayama also gave TOM'S the teams title and the engine tuners championship, having amassed a maximum score up to round 14. ThreeBond Racing finished runners-up in the teams' championship, while Hanashima Racing's Toyota engines finished second in the tuners' championship.


2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship
In the National Class, the championship battle revolved around two drivers, HFDP Racing's Takashi Kobayashi and TOM'S Spirit driver Naoya Gamou, with the championship race going down to the final meeting at Autopolis. Kobayashi's sixth win of the season in the first race of the weekend, coupled with a Gamou retirement allowed Kobayashi to clinch the title with a race to spare. Gamou took eight wins on the season – including seven in succession at Fuji along with doubles at Motegi, Okayama and Sugo – but finished three points in arrears of Kobayashi.


2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship
Third place went to Team Le Beausset's Katsumasa Chiyo, who won at the first Motegi meeting and fourth went to the other race-winner, Team Nova's Kimiya Sato, who won at the second Fuji meeting. As well as Kobayashi's drivers' championship, HFDP Racing clinched the teams' championship by five points ahead of TOM'S Spirit.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2010 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the XXXVI Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 10 October 2010 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Mie, Japan. It was the 16th round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship and the 26th Japanese Grand Prix held as part of the Formula One World Championship. Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the 53-lap race from pole position. His team-mate Mark Webber finished second and Fernando Alonso was third in a Ferrari.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix
Entering the race, Webber led Alonso in the World Drivers' Championship by 11 points. Webber's team Red Bull led second-placed McLaren by 24 points in the World Constructors' Championship. Vettel claimed the 13th pole position of his career by setting qualifying's fastest lap which was delayed to the day of the race due to torrential rain. Vettel held the lead for the first 24 laps until he made his only pit stop, promoting Webber to first for one lap.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix
Jenson Button of McLaren led the following 13 laps before Vettel retook the position on the 39th lap, maintaining it for the rest of the race to achieve his second victory in Japan, his third of the season and the eighth of his career. The safety car was deployed once for two separate accidents on the first lap involving Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hülkenberg as well as Felipe Massa and Vitantonio Liuzzi.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix
As a consequence of the final result, Webber extended his lead over Alonso to 14 points in the World Drivers' Championship. Vettel's victory promoted him from fourth to third and he had the same number of points as Alonso. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was demoted to fourth as a result of his finishing fifth, and his teammate Button remained in fifth. In the World Constructors' Championship, Red Bull further increased their lead over McLaren to 45 points, with three races remaining in the season.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Background
The 2010 Japanese Grand Prix was the 16th of 19 single seater motor races of the 2010 Formula One World Championship, and the 26th running of the event as part of the Formula One World Championship. It was held at the 18-turn 5.807 km (3.608 mi) clockwise Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Mie on 10 October. Tyre supplier Bridgestone provided four types of tyres to the race; two dry compounds (soft green-banded "options" and hard "primes") and wet-weather compounds (intermediate and full wet green-line central groove banded tyre).


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Background
For the 2010 race, a 25 mm (0.98 in) kerb was installed in place of an existing kerb and green concrete sections at the exits to the Denger 1 and Spoon corners were each elongated by 20 m (66 ft). Two layers of artificial grass laid on the outside of the Spoon corner was extended with another layer of artificial grass laid behind the kerbing to the exit of the Casio Triangle chicane, extending its overall length by more than 20 m (66 ft). Conveyor belts were retrofitted to the front of tyre walls that had previously lacked them.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Background
Pre -race, Red Bull driver Mark Webber led the World Drivers' Championship with 202 points; ahead of the second-placed Fernando Alonso of Ferrari with 191 points. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton held third with 182 points, Webber's teammate Sebastian Vettel was fourth with 181 points and Hamilton's teammate Jenson Button placed fifth with 177 points. Red Bull led the World Constructors' Championship with 383 points; McLaren and Ferrari were second and third with 359 and 319 points, respectively. With 168 points, Mercedes in fourth had 35 more points than Renault in fifth.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Background
Alonso had won the preceding Italian and Singapore Grand Prix to be eleven points behind Webber and said the season's final four rounds would challenge him mentally believing a top-three result and figuring his championship position in Abu Dhabi was vital. Webber admitted Ferrari's recent form had given them momentum but felt Red Bull would be competitive in Japan, saying they needed to extract performance. His teammate Vettel said he felt he could win the title and noted the importance of finishing races and driver optimisation.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Background
He acknowledged Red Bull's car was suited to the Suzuka Circuit and said his focus would be on the Japanese round. Hamilton, who was intrigued to learn he remained in the championship battle after failing to finish the previous two Grands Prix, sought a victory duel in Japan and hoped for a marked improvement. His teammate Button said he acknowledged a potential championship win even though he was 25 points behind Webber and felt the Suzuka Circuit where he had not achieved a race victory suited his driving style.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Background
Some teams modified their cars for the Grand Prix. Adrian Newey, Red Bull's technical director, moved the RB6's front brake calipers backwards to a vertical position to prevent mechanical failures associated with the brake discs, pads and pistons moving more. Both Vettel and Webber had two separate diffusers and rear wing specialisations and a revised rear wing featuring a delta shaped beam wing in the centre. Ferrari modified the F10's diffuser to include a small omega shaped wing on the deformable structure's top to bring about a slight increase in downforce. McLaren introduced a revised aerodynamic package featuring a new front wing, lengthened exhausts, a new engine cover and rear wing with angled gills. The squad chose to use the standard version for qualifying and the race.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Background
A total of 12 constructors and 24 drivers participated with one driver change and a single free practice entrant. Having driven one of its cars at the preceding Singapore Grand Prix, local driver Sakon Yamamoto replaced Christian Klien as partner for Bruno Senna at Hispania Racing. Lucas di Grassi was replaced for the second successive first free practice session by GP2 Series driver Jérôme d'Ambrosio at Virgin Racing to allow the latter to undergo evaluation as a driver. Paul di Resta did not partake in the first practice session for the Force India team for the second successive Grand Prix, to allow the team's regular drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil to test new car aerodynamic updates.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Practice
There were three practice sessions held in accordance with the 2010 regulations: two 90-minute sessions on Friday morning and afternoon and one 60-minute session on Saturday morning. In the first practice session, held in dry weather, Vettel lapped fastest at 1 minute, 32.585 seconds which he set approximately halfway through the session. His teammate Webber was 0.048 seconds slower in second and Renault's Robert Kubica was third. Sutil, Hamilton, the Williams duo of Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hülkenberg, Mercedes' Michael Schumacher, Sauber's Nick Heidfeld and Schumacher's teammate Nico Rosberg followed in the top ten.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Practice
Halfway through the session, Hamilton lost control of his car when it bottomed out and went wide into the quick downhill double right-hand Denger corner, damaging the car's front-left corner in a major collision with the tyre wall. His car was transported back to the pit lane by tractor and therefore took no further part in the session. With three minutes remaining, Hamilton's teammate Button ran over the kerbs at Denger One turn but regained control of his car and avoided the barrier by stopping in the gravel.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Practice
Vettel was the early pace setter in the second practice session with a 1-minute, 32.210-second lap time recorded on 20 minutes on hard compound tyres before Webber's lap of 1 minute, 31.860 seconds, also set on hard compound tyres, led overall after an hour. After changing to the soft compound tyres, Vettel set the overall fastest lap of 1 minute, 31.465 seconds with 20 minutes remaining. Webber, Kubica, Alonso, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Button, Renault's Vitaly Petrov, Schumacher, Sutil and Hülkenberg made up second through tenth.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Practice
During the session, Schumacher ran wide on the kerb between both of the apexes at Denger turn but did not hit the wall. Hamilton was required to miss most of the session as his team's mechanics reconstructed his vehicle after his first practice session accident. He partook in the final eight minutes and set seven laps to be 13th quickest.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Practice
Wet weather arrived at the circuit early in the morning of 9 October; the rain got heavier before the final practice session began and worsened throughout the session, causing low visibility. The safety car was used to assess the track conditions prior to the session's commencement. Due to rivers running across multiple turns and puddles causing aquaplaning, teams were reluctant to send drivers onto the circuit and two competitors set lap times. Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari lapped fastest at 1 minute, 55.902 seconds, followed by Virgin Racing's Timo Glock.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Practice
Several participants chose to use wet-weather tyres for one exploratory lap before re-entering the pit lane. Hamilton reported the conditions made the track undriveable, and Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said he would be disappointed if qualifying was staged in such weather and suggested the starting order be determined by either holding qualifying on Sunday morning or by championship standings.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
Inclement weather continued to disrupt the Saturday's proceedings as qualifying was delayed three times every half an hour while the safety car was deployed several times to assess the conditions before being ultimately rescheduled for Sunday morning by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)'s race director Charlie Whiting on safety grounds arising from fading light levels. Many figures in Formula One agreed with the decision to postpone qualifying, with drivers such as Button, Hamilton, Schumacher and Vettel noting that they would not be able to control their vehicles in torrential rain had the session be run. Williams technical director Sam Michael proposed the re-introduction of slower monsoon tyres to enable drivers to drive in severe weather. Local driver Kamui Kobayashi for Sauber said he felt sorry for attendees seated in the grandstands not witnessing any action.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
The qualifying session was split into three parts. The first session ran for 20 minutes, eliminating cars that finished 18th or lower. The second session was 15 minutes long, eliminating cars that finished 11th to 17th. The final ten-minute session determined pole position to tenth. Cars in the final session were not allowed to change tyres before the start of the race, using the set with which they set their quickest lap times.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
All vehicles were not required to enter parc fermé conditions with the FIA conducting surveillance via CCTV cameras installed in every garage and therefore teams were allowed to adjust their cars until the completion of the rescheduled qualifying session. Clear and sunny weather allowed qualifying to commence at the new start time of 10:00.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
Vettel took provisional pole position with a lap of 1 minute, 30.792 seconds and subsequently improved it by seven-thousandths of a second by not slowing through the first corner to qualify on pole position. It was his eighth pole position of the season and the 13th of his career. Vettel was joined on the grid's front row by Webber who was 0.078 seconds slower than his teammate after losing time in the final third of the lap. Hamilton qualified in provisional third place by being faster than both Red Bull drivers for 2⁄3 of the lap.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
Kubica took fourth in a car setup for maximum speed in a straight line. He demoted Alonso to fifth who was fastest overall in the middle of the lap but slower elsewhere. Button felt better driving on the hard compound tyres and had more fuel in his car than his teammate Hamilton to set the sixth-fastest qualifying time on his final timed effort. Rosberg felt his car was balanced and was seventh with the Williams duo of Barrichello and Hülkenberg (who complained he was blocked by Hamilton on his last timed lap into the chicane) eighth and ninth. Schumacher took tenth due to an improperly working F-duct system.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
Heidfeld in 11th used the soft compound tyres but was the fastest driver not to qualify in the top ten since Schumacher's final lap in the second session prevented him from advancing to the final session. 12th-placed Massa could not qualify higher due to slower cars impeding him and causing him to make an error at Casio Triangle turn during his first timed lap. Petrov in 13th was 1.2 seconds slower than teammate Kubica, with Kobayashi looking set to advance to the final session before a minor error at Casio Triangle corner left him 14th.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
Sutil, 15th, reported he could not generate tyre temperature, and Alguersuari usied a different car mechanical balance to claim 16th and qualify higher than his teammate Sébastien Buemi for the fourth time in the previous six Grands Prix. Liuzzi was 17th and half a second slower than teammate Sutil. Buemi failed to qualify past the first session due to a mechanical fault with his car's floor and his being slowed in the first third of the lap.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying
The two Lotus cars of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen were 19th and 20th. Di Grassi in 21st qualified higher than Virgin Racing teammate Glock for the second time in 2010 in 22nd after the latter was dissatisfied with his car's setup. The Hispania Racing duo of Senna and Yamamoto completed the starting lineup in 23rd and 24th.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying, Post-qualifying
After qualifying, Hamilton was demoted five starting places because McLaren opted to change his gearbox after detecting worsening abnormal gearbox oil pressure in his vehicle during the third practice session that could not be rectified before qualifying. This demoted Hamilton from third to eighth. The Williams team filed a protest with the FIA stewards for Hamilton's perceived blocking of Hülkenberg in the final qualifying session. The stewards did not find any evidence that Hamilton violated the regulations and thus did not penalise him.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Qualifying, Qualifying classification
The fastest lap in each of the three sessions is denoted in bold.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
The 53-lap race started at 15:00 local time. The weather conditions at the Grand Prix's start were sunny, with the ambient temperature between 25 and 27 °C (77 and 81 °F) and the track temperature from 32 to 36 °C (90 to 97 °F); weather forecasts suggested no rainfall during the event. A total of 24 drivers were due to take the start but di Grassi, on his formation lap, went wide off the track onto the artificial grass at the exit of 130R corner, possibly due to him driving onto some moisture on the outside kerb.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
The resulting impact against the tyre barrier destroyed his car. Di Grassi was unhurt but he did not start and his car was removed from the circuit by crane and marshals cleared the crash scene. Every driver in the top ten, except for Button, began on the soft compound tyre. Amateur footage observed Vettel almost jumping the start before the event commenced.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
When the five red lights went out to begin the Grand Prix, Vettel made a brisk getaway to maintain the lead into the first corner. Behind him, Kubica overtook Webber for second but could not challenge Vettel for first into the first turn. Two separate accidents occurring further down the order promoted the safety car's deployment. Petrov made a brisk start but came across the front of Hülkenberg and collided with the corner of the latter's car while trying to pass him.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
Petrov speared left into the outside barriers on the main straight and crashed as Hülkenberg retired with damaged front suspension. Massa was given less room trying to pass the slow-starting Rosberg and had to drive onto the grass on the track's inside. This caused him to lose control of his car and hit the side of Liuzzi's vehicle. During the safety car period, Rosberg, Trulli, Glock and Senna made pit stops for the hard compound tyres. Drivers on the soft tyres had an advantage since the safety car's slower speed meant the tyres would have longer optimal performance. On the third lap, Kubica retired when his right-rear wheel detached into the hairpin due to insufficient torque on the wheel nut loosened by incorrect wheel gun settings.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
The safety car was withdrawn at the conclusion of the sixth lap and racing resumed with Vettel leading his teammate Webber, and Alonso. On lap seven, Rosberg attempted to pass Buemi on the outside into 130R corner but ran wide onto the damp artificial grass and returned to 13th place. His teammate Schumacher overtook Barrichello's hard-to-handle car at the final chicane with some minor contact for sixth position and maintained the place into the first corner.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
At the conclusion of the lap, Vettel led Webber by nine-tenths of a second, which he extended to two seconds by the 13th lap's start. On the same lap, Kobayashi overtook Alguersuari on the inside for tenth into the hairpin as the two drivers made slight contact. Barrichello in seventh was delaying Heidfeld, Sutil and Algersuari. Sutil went off the circuit at the final corner on lap 16 but remained in ninth. Two laps later, Kobayashi overtook Sutil on the inside for ninth into the hairpin. Sutil drew alongside Kobayashi into Spoon corner but could not retake ninth by passing Kobayashi.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
Pit stops began on lap 19 when Sutil and Heidfeld stopped for hard compound tyres. Newer hard compound tyres were quicker than worn soft tyres dictating the first driver to make a pit stop would gain a significant advantage. While Sutil went fastest overall in the second half of the lap, suggesting newer hard compound tyres had more performance, no leading drivers decided to do pit stops. This was due to there being half the race left and both Red Bull cars were eight seconds ahead of Alonso and could remain on track to react to any of Ferrari's actions.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
Williams reacted to Heidfeld's stop and called Barrichello into the pit lane from seventh for the hard compound tyres on the 21st lap. Barrichello's slower pace left him behind Heidfeld in 12th. This unhindered Kobayashi who required 20 seconds over Sutil but the latter's pace and the former being slowed produced a 17-second gap. Hamilton made a pit stop for the hard compound tyres on lap 23 and fell to seventh behind Kobayashi. This forced Hamilton not to use the additional grip provided by his tyres immediately.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
On lap 24, Schumacher made a pit stop for the hard compound tyres from fifth. He rejoined the track behind his teammate Rosberg in ninth, allowing Red Bull to conduct their own pit stops at a convenient time for them. On lap 25, Vettel and Alonso made their pit stops from first and third, emerging in third and fourth respectively with Webber taking over the lead. Hamilton slipstreamed Kobayashi on the main straight and overtook him on the inside into the first turn for sixth on that lap.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
On lap 27, Rosberg blocked an overtake by his faster teammate Schumacher entering the Casio Triangle chicane and again into the first turn by putting Schumacher onto the outside. Button was now leading and had to pull away from Alonso and Hamilton to remain ahead of both drivers following his pit stop. The Red Bull duo were informed of the possibility of Button not making his pit stop until the final lap in order to slow them and put them under pressure from Alonso and Hamilton. Button was not able to set the lap times to achieve the distance needed due to track evolution.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
At the conclusion of the 38th lap, Button made his pit stop from the lead for the soft compound tyres. He returned to the track in fifth as Vettel retook the lead and Webber returned to second. Kobayashi made his pit stop from sixth on the same lap and rejoined the race in 12th. Hamilton radioed his team he had could not use third gear due to a possible dog-ring breakage and had to rely on fourth gear from then onwards.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
This allowed Hamilton's teammate Button on soft tyres to close up and pass him at the hairpin for fourth on the 44th lap when Hamilton went wide at the corner. On the following lap, Kobayashi overtook Algersuari on the outside into the hairpin with aid from a slower car for eleventh and the two made slight contact exiting the corner. Sutil was close behind Barrichello in ninth when an oil pipe in his car failed into 130R turn causing smoke to billow from his rear of his engine. He spun through 360 degrees on his car's own oil in 130R corner as it laid oil on the racing line before retiring in the pit lane. Sutil's retirement promoted Kobayashi to tenth as Alguersuari made a pit stop to repair front wing damage sustained in the collision with Kobayashi.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
As Rosberg drove uphill towards the Esses on lap 48, the car's left-rear wheel detached due to a possible hub failure, causing him to strike the turn five tyre wall at approximately 210 km/h (130 mph). Rosberg was unhurt. On the following lap, Kobayashi overtook Barrichello for eighth braking for the hairpin. He then passed teammate Heidfeld approaching the hairpin for seventh on the 50th lap. At the front, Vettel finished first to win the Grand Prix in a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes and 27.323 seconds at an average speed of 203.948 km/h (126.727 mph).


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race
He achieved his second win in Japan, his third of the season and the eighth of his career. Webber followed 0.905 seconds later in second and set the race's fastest lap at 1 minute, 33.474 seconds on the final lap. Alonso took third with McLaren's Button and Hamilton fourth and fifth. Schumacher achieved his best result since the Turkish Grand Prix five months earlier in sixth. The last of the drivers who scored points were Kobayashi, Heidfeld, Barrichello and Buemi in seventh through tenth. The final classified finishers were Alguersuari, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, Senna, Yamamoto and Rosberg.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media in a later press conference. Vettel said achieving a brisk start was key to victory and heralded "an incredible day" for his team: "It was down to the team. They have been working very hard, most of the guys they didn’t sleep the Thursday until the Saturday, so it was good there was no qualifying as they didn’t have to touch the car and got some sleep. I think they deserve it today."


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Webber commented on his delight at finishing second and noted the circuit layout stopped him from passing his teammate. He said he needed to win in the future but observed that reliability had the potential to factor in the championship duel.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Alonso revealed he made a slow getaway but felt his team had to be satisfied with his coming third despite lacking pace: "We saw we were struggling today: in Q1 we were P7, we saw problems also for Felipe in Q2, so it was maybe not an ideal weekend in terms of pace and we lost three points in the championship, but overall we have to be extremely happy."


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Hamilton spoke of his fear, due to the noises he could hear coming from his gearbox, that he would not finish the event, but said he was satisfied to finish and remained optimistic about his title chances: "There are still three races to go and 75 points available, so we'll remain optimistic and keep doing the best job we can. I'll keep fighting."


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
His teammate Button believed other drivers would struggle on the soft compound tyres and would need to review the data to determine why he remained on the circuit for a long period of time, saying: "It was quite a tough race on such old tyres. I don't mean we would have finished any further up but I think it is just useful information for the future." Kobayashi said he was happy to finish seventh: "It was a great race for our team, and I'm very pleased for the Japanese fans who have watched an exciting race.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
It is the second time we have got both cars in the points, and for me it was really something to come back here and race for the first time after seven years in front of my home crowd." Both James Key and Monisha Kaltenborn said they were impressed with Kobayashi's driving and overtakes. Kaltenborn expressed hope Kobayashi's performance would result in Japanese sponsors supporting the driver.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
The FIA stewards investigated both of the first lap collisions. They deemed Petrov responsible for causing the accident with Hülkenberg and imposed a five-place grid penalty on him for the following Korean Grand Prix. The stewards decided the collision between Liuzzi and Massa was "a racing incident". Massa commented on the moments before colliding with Liuzzi: "I saw that Sutil was on the left so when I saw him I tried to go to the right, because Rosberg was going to the left as well.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
But then when he saw that Sutil was alongside and that I was on the right, so anticipated a little bit the corner and then I had no space." Liuzzi remarked that Massa "seemed to come into my side like a bullet" and believed the former had no control of his vehicle.


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Éric Boullier, the Renault team principal, thought Kubica could have achieved a top-three result had he not retired but doubted his pace could have been enough to challenge the Red Bull team: "we still need to work a lot to make the car much easier to drive for our drivers. I think we can expect a couple of results before the end of the season."


2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
The final result of the Grand Prix meant Webber with 220 points extended his lead over Alonso in the World Drivers' Championship to 14 points with his teammate Vettel moving from fourth to third to tie Alonso with 206 points. As a result of his finishing fifth, Hamilton with 192 points was demoted from third to fourth and his teammate Button with 189 points remained in fifth. Red Bull further increased their World Constructors' Championship gap over McLaren in second by 45 points. Ferrari remained in third with 334 points while Mercedes in fourth had 176 points and Renault were fifth with 133 points with three races left in the season.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election
House of Councillors elections were held in Japan on July 11, 2010. In the previous elections in 2007 the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had lost its majority to the Democratic Party (DPJ), which managed to gain the largest margin since its formation in 1996. The House of Councillors is elected by halves to six-year terms. The seats up for election in 2010 were last contested in the 2004 election.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Background
On 11 June 2008, a non-binding censure motion was passed by parliament's opposition-controlled House of Councillors against then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Filed by the DPJ and two other parties, it was the first censure motion against a prime minister under Japan's post-war constitution. Ahead of the G8 summit, it attacked his handling of domestic issues including an unpopular medical plan and called for a snap election or his resignation. On 12 June a motion of confidence was passed by the lower house's ruling coalition to counter the censure. Fukuda abruptly announced he was retiring as leader. Taro Aso won the subsequent election, which was held on 22 September 2008.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Background
In the 2009 lower house election, the DPJ gained an historic majority, being the first non-LDP party to hold a majority in that house since the LDP's formation and is scheduled to lead the second non-LDP government in the aforementioned time period (with upper house allies the Social Democratic Party of Japan and the People's New Party). Following the election, Aso resigned as LDP president. Sadakazu Tanigaki was elected the leader of LDP on September 28, 2009.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Background
The House of Councillors election in 2010 was viewed as potentially leading to the extinction of the LDP. Some of the LDP's most popular councillors, such as Yoichi Masuzoe and Kaoru Yosano, left the party prior to the election. However, the DPJ's popularity had been negatively impacted by fundraising scandals surrounding its president Yukio Hatoyama and secretary general Ichiro Ozawa, both of whom resigned on June 2, 2010. Naoto Kan became prime minister after Hatoyama's resignation and proposed a controversial increase in the consumption tax to shore up Japanese public finances. The campaign season was only three weeks long, which frustrated efforts to have policy debates between the two major parties and the numerous third parties in the election.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results
The result of the election was declared on July 12, 2010. The ruling DPJ lost many of its seats and the opposition LDP gained more seats in comparison to the last election, held in 2007. Your Party performed well in this election, while the DPJ's junior coalition partner, the People's New Party, performed poorly.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, DPJ nomination strategy in multi-member districts
DPJ secretary-general Ichirō Ozawa had decided on an offensive strategy for nominating candidates in multi-member districts (MMDs): The DPJ was to nominate two candidates in all MMDs with the exceptions of Niigata where an SDP-affiliated independent incumbent was in the race and Fukuoka where a PNP incumbent sought reelection. This strategy was reaffirmed after Ozawa's resignation in June 2010 even though the DPJ's support rate had significantly fallen by then and winning both seats in a SNTV two-member district requires a very high margin in terms of party votes and an equal distribution of votes on the two candidates.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, DPJ nomination strategy in multi-member districts
The strategy failed: all two-member districts split seats evenly between DPJ and LDP in 2010. In some districts the party even risked losing both seats due to vote splitting, a danger that did not materialize in the election result.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, DPJ nomination strategy in multi-member districts
The LDP on the other hand nominated only one candidate per MMD – exceptions being Miyagi, Chiba and Tokyo –, thus concentrating all LDP votes on one candidate.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, DPJ nomination strategy in multi-member districts
The election results in MMDs gave 20 seats to the DPJ, 18 to the LDP, three to the Kōmeitō and three to Your Party. The only districts where the DPJ won two seats and an advantage in seats over the LDP were Tokyo (5 seats) where administrative reform minister Renhō received a record 1.7 million votes and Toshio Ogawa ranked fourth and DPJ stronghold Aichi (3 seats) where DPJ candidates only finished second and third behind LDP newcomer Masahito Fujikawa.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, LDP gains
Part of the LDP victory were the results in the 29 single-member districts where the DPJ received roughly 7 million votes winning eight districts while the LDP received 8.25 million votes and 21 seats, among them seven pickups compared to the pre-election composition of the chamber:


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, LDP gains
The LDP also gained seven additional seats in two-member districts, but exclusively seats it had previously lost by party switchovers or resignations:


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, LDP gains
The vote in the districts with three (Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Ōsaka) or five (Tōkyō) seats up went clearly to the DPJ with a 3.5 million vote edge over the LDP, but produced only a two-seat difference in the House of Councillors: the LDP won six, the DPJ eight seats.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, LDP gains
If compared to the 2004 election when the same class of Councillors was last elected, the LDP only gained five prefectural district seats and lost three seats in the nationwide proportional representation.


2010 Japanese House of Councillors election, Results, Proportional preference vote
Notable defeated PR candidates included former Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblyman Tarō Hatoyama (NRP, 23,944 votes, rank 2), former Olympic gymnast Yukio Iketani (DPJ, 54,155 votes, rank 27), former Giants manager Tsuneo Horiuchi (LDP, 101,840 votes, rank 13), former Giants infielder Kiyoshi Nakahata (SPJ, 111,597 votes, rank 2) and pro wrestler Osamu Nishimura (PNP, 34,561 votes, rank 3).


2010 Japanese Regional Leagues, Hokkaido
2010 was the 33rd season of Hokkaido League. The season started on May 16 and ended on September 19.


2010 Japanese Regional Leagues, Hokkaido
It was contested by six teams and Sapporo University GP won the tournament for the second consecutive year.


2010 Japanese Regional Leagues, Hokkaido
After the season, Blackpecker Hakodate and Sapporo Winds were to be relegated to the Block Leagues, however, finally only Sapporo Winds was relegated because the number of teams was expanded to 8 from 2011 season.


2010 Japanese Regional Leagues, Tohoku, Division 1
2010 was the 34th season of Tohoku League. The season started on April 11 and ended on October 17.


2010 Japanese Regional Leagues, Tohoku, Division 1
It was contested by eight teams and Grulla Morioka won the championship for the fourth consecutive year. In the repetition of the previous season, they outstripped Fukushima United only by the goal difference.


2010 Japanese Regional Leagues, Tohoku, Division 1
Cobaltore Onagawa were relegated and D2 play-off winner Fuji Club 2003 took their place.


2010 Japanese Regional Leagues, Tohoku, Division 2
2010 was the 14th season of Tohoku League Division 2. North and South groups were won by Fuji Club 2003 and Scheinen Fukushima respectively, and in post-season playoff series the former earned promotion to Division 1.