Hiromori Kawashima, the commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball from 1998 to 2004, died Sunday at a Tokyo hospital, it was revealed Tuesday. He was 90.
Kawashima, who also served as the chairman of the Central League from 1984 to 1998, is credited with helping improve ties between professional and amateur baseball in Japan. He also served as deputy chief Cabinet secretary in 1973 under Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
A native of Fukushima Prefecture, Kawashima was inducted into Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.