The head of Japan's baseball federation visited Nippon Professional Baseball's offices on Wednesday and asked for help in getting baseball and softball included in the Olympic program for the 2020 Tokyo games.
Thomas Bach, who in September was elected president of the International Olympic Committee, said when he visited Japan in November that the sports' inclusion was a possibility.
"Bach told me, 'Baseball and softball are popular so I want to back up the effort to bring them back,'" Baseball Federation of Japan chairman Yoshinobu Suzuki said. "That decision is going to require effort and I intend to do my all to make it happen."
NPB has been a prominent supporter of baseball in the Olympics, and secretary general Atsushi Ihara said his organization would do what it can.
"We can share information and if there is something concrete we can do, we'll want to do that," Ihara said.