Japan professional baseball on Thursday said it has tentatively agreed to take part in the inaugural 16-nation World Baseball Classic subject to the approval of the Japanese baseball players' association.
Japanese baseball officials were responding to an end-of the month deadline set by Major League Baseball for Japanese owners and players to decide on whether to take part in the World-Cup style tournament set for March 2006.
The Japanese players' association will hold a meeting on July 22 to decide whether to take part.