Hirokazu Ibata, who was named his league's best overall shortstop five times, has been hired to manage Japan's senior men's national baseball team through the 2024 Premier 12 tournament, NPB Enterprise announced Wednesday.
Ibata was an offensive and defensive cornerstone for the Chunichi Dragons, with whom he won seven Central League Golden Gloves, before spending his final two seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, for whom he later coached.
The 48-year-old also coached for Japan's Tokyo Olympic gold medal-winning Samurai Japan team, but his sole managing experience has been guiding the national under-12 team.
"I'm undeserving of this huge job, but I'll pour everything I have into it and serve with all my strength to honor my debt to Japanese baseball," Ibata told a news conference.
He replaces Hideki Kuriyama, who stepped down in May at the conclusion of his contract after winning the World Baseball Classic championship in March. The national team's selectors have pointedly not yet tasked Ibata with managing Japan at the next WBC in 2026.
Ibata's first games in charge will be at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship at Tokyo Dome, starting from Nov. 16.