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August 13, 2026
 

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NPB

A view from inside the Pacific League Marketing office in Tokyo. The company was founded by NPB's six PL clubs in May 2007.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 9, 2026
Pacific League Marketing sets sights abroad to build Japanese baseball fan base
While Japanese baseball has long been plagued by an inability, or intransigence, to market itself outside of Japan, Pacific League Marketing wants to make games more accessible.
Lotte right-hander Naoya Masuda holds a press conference at Zozo Marine Stadium in the city of Chiba on Tuesday, having achieved 250 career saves.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 5, 2026
Marines¡¯ Masuda logs 250th career save, fifth all-time in NPB
Naoya Masuda, 36, notched his second save of the season in Tuesday¡¯s home game against the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Players observe a moment of silence for victims of the Kumamoto earthquake before the NPB All-Star Game at Toyama Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyama Prefecture on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 31, 2026
Sports world steps up after deadly Kumamoto earthquake
Â鶹´«Ã½ sporting world has mobilized to support earthquake-hit Kumamoto, with leagues, clubs and players contributing to relief and encouraging donations for those affected.
Tigers players Seiya Kinami (left), Shota Morishita (center) and Seishiro Sakamoto pose for a selfie with Hanshin mascot To-Lucky following a win at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on May 20.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 2, 2026
Rob Fitts explores the hidden figures behind Â鶹´«Ã½ baseball culture
A new book by Rob Fitts shines a light on the overlooked people behind NPB games, showing how Japanese baseball¡¯s atmosphere is built as much off the field as on it.
Ayuri Shimano is a two-way player for the Giants' women's team.
BASEBALL
Dec 25, 2025
Girls inspired by Shohei Ohtani leading Â鶹´«Ã½ next wave of two-way players
Against the odds, players such as Ayuri Shimano and Aika Morimoto are forging a new path for women¡¯s baseball.
The Swallows' Munetaka Murakami has 246 career home runs in eight NPB seasons.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 20, 2025
Munetaka Murakami headlines quartet looking to move to MLB via posting system
Tokyo Yakult Swallows¡¯ elite power hitter will be only 26 when he celebrates his next birthday on Feb. 2.
Major League Baseball's paternity list system drew attention when Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani used it for his wife's childbirth in April this year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 15, 2025
Japanese pro baseball to introduce paternity leave
¡°Such a system is commonplace in society, and we are finally getting it,¡± said Tadahito Mori, head of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association¡¯s secretariat.
The Carp's Sandro Fabian hits an RBI single against the Swallows during the first inning at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo on July 21.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 5, 2025
Central League votes to adopt designated hitter rule from 2027
The change means NPB¡¯s two leagues will operate under the same set of rules for the first time since the Pacific League adopted the designated hitter in 1975.
¡°Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game¡± is set to remain on display in Cooperstown for at least five to 10 years ¡ª and possibly indefinitely.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 29, 2025
Behind the scenes at the Baseball Hall of Fame¡¯s new Yakyu/Baseball exhibit
The exhibit tells a sweeping, richly visual story about the deep and evolving connection between Japan and America¡¯s shared national pastime.
Tigers pitcher Jon Duplantier eats <i>umeboshi</i> pickled plums to replenish sodium.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 23, 2025
NPB teams trying to fight off Â鶹´«Ã½ torrid summer heat
On June 27, Seibu Lions pitcher Tatsuya Imai was replaced after suffering heatstroke while pitching during a game held at the team¡¯s Belluna Dome.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission said that moves by Nippon Professional Baseball could violate the antimonopoly law, and urged the organization to prevent any recurrence.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2025
Japan Fair Trade Commission warns NPB over Fuji TV media pass denial
The antitrust watchdog said that such moves could violate the antimonopoly law, urging NPB to prevent any recurrence.
The Fighters' Ryota Isobata reacts after a hit during a game against the DeNA BayStars in Yokohama on Saturday. The Fighters had announced a policy of allowing spectators to post videos and photos to social media at games, but backtracked after opposition from NPB.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 10, 2025
Â鶹´«Ã½ baseball world divided on fans¡¯ social media use
NPB introduced a ban in February on posting photos and videos of players on the field during play to social media sites.
Shigeo Nagashima (left), then the manager of the Tokyo Giants, waves to fans with players and coaches during a victory parade in central Tokyo in 2000. Nagashima died at the age of 89 on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 3, 2025
Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89
Long before the rise of Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki, Nagashima was arguably the most famous player in Japanese baseball history.
Carp pitcher Hiroki Tokoda has seven hits this season, including a double.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
May 20, 2025
Can the Central League hold out against designated hitters?
There have been plenty of calls for the league to adopt the DH over the years. But some prefer the status quo.
Katsuhiko Nakamura, secretary-general of the NPB, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2025
NPB teams to fine 16 players for using online casinos
The fines will be donated to organizations working to combat gambling addiction.
The Tigers Teruaki Sato (center) celebrates with his teammates after their win over the Dodgers.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 17, 2025
NPB clubs show there¡¯s more to Japanese baseball than MLB stars
The four exhibition games between the MLB and NPB clubs showed that the well of talent in Japan runs deeper than the nation¡¯s big leaguers.
The BayStars used data analytics to inform the decision to have Hayato Horioka pitch against the Giants last fall. The bet paid off, with Horioka helping to seal the game and Yokohama advancing to the championship.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 17, 2025
¡®Moneyball¡¯ disciples aim to upend Japanese baseball for second year
Yokohama is honing its indicators that predict how well a pitcher will perform at any given moment.
The Nippon Professional Baseball Organization revealed on Thursday that 14 people from seven teams had patronized online casinos after February 2022.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 28, 2025
14 people from seven NPB teams admit to patronizing online casinos
The voluntary admission of the 14, who include players and team officials, follows an announcement by Orix Buffaloes that its pitcher took part in an online poker tournament.
Masayoshi Son (front, center) poses with the members of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after the team won the Pacific League championship at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Sept. 23.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 18, 2024
Masayoshi Son¡¯s aim for SoftBank Hawks remains, 20 years after buyout
This year, the team became Pacific League champions for the first time in four years. But its owner has loftier goals.
The Fair Trade Commission says rules preventing pro baseball players from freely choosing their agents for contract negotiations could violate the antimonopoly law.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2024
Japan FTC warns pro baseball body over agent rules
The body¡¯s rules have limited agents for players to lawyers and prohibited players from choosing lawyers who had already been picked by other players.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company&#039;s warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo&#039;s Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn&#039;t just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it&#039;s an ingredient.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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