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October 20, 2025
 

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BASEBALL

Japanese Baseball

MLB
Japanese Baseball
Major League Baseball's paternity list system drew attention when Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani used it for his wife's childbirth in April this year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Japanese pro baseball to introduce paternity leave
"Such a system is commonplace in society, and we are finally getting it," said Tadahito Mori, head of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association's secretariat.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
BayStars reach final stage of Climax Series after dramatic sayonara win over Giants
The BayStars are trying to win back-to-back Japan Series titles.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo produces vintage performance in Climax Series opener
BayStars manager Daisuke Miura credited Tsutsugo with giving the team momentum.
Hanshin pitcher Hiroto Saiki (left) and infielder Teruaki Sato were among the Central League title winners this season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Oct 6, 2025
Hanshin star Teruaki Sato leads list of NPB title winners
By Jason Coskrey
Sato finishing with 40 homers and over 100 RBIs should make him the Central League MVP frontrunner.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' Ryoya Kurihara hits a two-run double against the Seibu Lions in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Sep 29, 2025
Hawks take step toward Japan Series redo with Pacific League title
By Jason Coskrey
Unlike last year, this team is battle-tested, with injuries being the source of much of the adversity the Hawks have faced.
High school baseball players line up during the opening ceremony of Summer Koshien last month.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 16, 2025
Japanese baseball grapples with shrinking player base
Behind the buzz created by Shohei Ohtani lies a troubling reality: The number of young players in Japan has fallen sharply in recent years.
Tigers manager Kyuji Fujikawa is tossed in the air as the team celebrates winning the Central League pennant at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Sep 8, 2025
Roaring Tigers had no equal in CL on way to winning pennant in record time
By Jason Coskrey
The club took a step toward becoming the best team in Japan by clinching the Central League pennant in record time with a 2-0 victory over the Hiroshima Carp on Sunday.
Japan's Shohei Ohtani delivers a pitch against the USA during the World Baseball Classic final at LoanDepot Park in Miami on March 21, 2023.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 26, 2025
Baseball-hungry Netflix to carry World Baseball Classic in Japan
The news comes as Netflix is reportedly on the verge of entering the MLB fray by picking up the U.S. rights for the Home Run Derby
Masahiro Tanaka walks off the field after the end of the fifth inning during the Giants' game against the Dragons at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 14, 2025
Masahiro Tanaka still two giant steps away from Meikyukai
By Jason Coskrey
The Giants pitcher's pursuit of 200 career victories between NPB and MLB remains stuck at 198.
Masakazu Hori, the principal of Koryo High School in Hiroshima Prefecture, speaks to reporters in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 10, 2025
Hiroshima school exits Summer Koshien tournament over bullying
An outcry over alleged violence earlier this year within the Koryo High School baseball team had prompted calls on social media for their withdrawal from the tournament.

Why I chose Japanese citizenship over permanent residency
Jon Heese (second left) takes part in a 2024 New Year's nihonshu barrel opening ceremony.
For Uniqlo’s founder, conquering America is personal
A Uniqlo store in New York. In recent years, Uniqlo’s affordable, well-made basic clothes have struck a chord, especially with younger American shoppers, fueling a rapid business expansion.
Japan's fractured politics could ensnarl Takaichi's economic plans
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, attends a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Oct. 4.
Sho-time as dazzling Ohtani powers Dodgers into World Series with historic performance
Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning of Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai to form coalition government, report says
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai have agreed to form a coalition, paving the way for the country's first female prime minister, Kyodo reports.
What does Jimbocho think of its unexpected ‘cool’ status?
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood is a haven for book lovers, its rows of secondhand bookstores spilling over with printed materials.
What you need to see at this year's Tokyo film festival
Chloe Zhao’s "Hamnet"
New film explores how Japan and the U.S. found common ground through baseball
Masanori Murakami became the first MLB player from Japan when he made his debut with the Giants on Sept 1, 1964.
As they wrestle for power, Japan’s political parties must remember their base
Rengo's head Tomoko Yoshino speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 8.
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

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