NAGOYA (Kyodo) Fan groups for the Chunichi Dragons lost a lawsuit Thursday and will have to continue cheering for the team without musical instruments, drums or whistles.
The Nagoya District Court rejected a request from some 100 members of eight privately organized cheering squads based in the city that pro baseball's ban on the use of such instruments and items be nullified.
They had also sought ¥14 million in compensation and called for a clear-cut explanation of the decision.
Prior to the 2008 season, the groups sought permission to perform organized cheers with the use of trumpets and other musical instruments.
But Nippon Professional Baseball turned down the request in March 2008 following consultations with team representatives and police authorities.
Noise was not the only reason for the NPB's refusal. At the time, 22 members of the Hakuryukai cheering squad were banned from stadiums for their alleged links with yakuza.
On Thursday, however, the court ordered the NPB and 12 baseball clubs to pay a total of ¥240,000 in damages to the Hakuryukai members because they had never caused trouble during games.
Noisy organized cheering is common at sporting events in Japan. It has been popular in professional baseball since the mid-1970s but is often criticized, in particular for the noise, and because the squads take up large blocks of seats.