A Central League pennant for the Hiroshima Carp could be worth ¥33.1 billion (about $326 million) to Hiroshima Prefecture's economy, a study concluded Wednesday.

Kansai University emeritus professor Katsuhiro Miyamoto's conclusions took notice of the "Carp joshi" phenomenon of the club's legion of female fans in spreading the impact of the team's success far and wide.

"The fan base, that includes the Carp joshi, has broadened," Miyamoto said. "And there will be an effect even outside of the prefecture."

The team has attracted about 560,000 more fans to its home games this year, and will earn an estimated ¥5 billion more from ticket and merchandise sales.

Retailers are expected to reap a huge benefit when consumers flock to bargain sales. Between merchants and businesses offering food and drinks, profits are expected to exceed ¥12 billion.

Momiji Bank, based in the city of Hiroshima, has seen deposits in its "Carp V deposit" accounts reach a record-high ¥198.1 billion this year, ¥33.5 billion more than the average deposits over the previous two years.

Each year the bank offers the deposit program which entails an additional 0.2 percent to the base interest rate if the Carp win the CL pennant. Part of the deposits made into these accounts will be diverted as investments, creating economic effects estimated at ¥7.6 billion.

Miyamoto also studied the economic effects of the first championship by the Pacific League's Sendai-based Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, and his analysis suggests a Carp victory will far surpass the ¥23 billion impact the Eagles pennant had in 2013.