Hiroshi Mikitani, owner of the newly formed Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles baseball team, believes the success of Japanese pro baseball will uplift the spirit of sports fans and put the country on an emotional high.
The 39-year-old businessman has become an expert at proving doubters wrong and accomplishing the impossible, and sees baseball as just another opportunity to improve the overall prosperity of the country.
With his company Rakuten Inc. enjoying success as the largest Internet operator in Japan, Mikitani decided to try his hand at something new, something that may not necessarily win the approval of his friends and family right away. But he's been there before.