J. League and NPB hopeful current attendance limits will be eased
The members of the Nippon Professional Baseball and J. League joint COVD-19 task force feel their knowledge about the virus and the data they’ve collected has grown exponentially as they enter the body's second year. This wealth of information has led both leagues to ask ...
One week after rejecting a big-league contract, ace right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano re-signed with the Yomiuri Giants on a one-year deal reported as the highest in Japanese baseball history. Tomoyuki Sugano speaks to reporters after signing a reported ¥800 million, one-year contract with the Giants on ...
Japan to ban entry of foreign athletes during virus emergency
The decision will impact those preparing for the Tokyo Olympics as well as new players and coaches set to join professional soccer and baseball clubs.
J. League, NPB meet with task force medical panel to discuss plans for spring camps
Some J. League teams are set to begin their training camps later this month while NPB camps are scheduled to start Feb. 1.
NPB and J. League to explore raising current attendance limits
Nippon Professional Baseball and the J. League will explore the possibility of raising the current caps on attendance, a process that will include consultations with an epidemiologist, among others, the two leagues announced following the latest meeting of their joint COVID-19 task force on ...
J. League and NPB reaffirm commitment to safety as limits on attendees eased
The two leagues said they’d remain vigilant in order to safely complete the remainder of their respective 2020 campaigns.
League bosses urge against COVID-related discrimination
The heads of NPB and the J. League took a strong stance on the issue following reports of discrimination against staff and families at teams with infections.
J. League, NPB to maintain restrictions on crowd size in order to help limit spread of virus
The task force met one day after several positive tests for COVID-19 forced the postponement of a J. League first-division game.
Pro athletes with underlying conditions remain extra cautious of COVID-19 threat
Professional athletes may seem invincible, but like anyone else they can suffer from serious conditions that make them vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Japan's baseball, soccer leagues give up on April restarts as COVID-19 cases increase
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and with athletes in both leagues having been infected, Nippon Professional Baseball and the J. League will start and resume their seasons, respectively, even later than currently scheduled. The joint task force formed by the two biggest professional ...
Upon further review, NPB's replay system winning over doubters
Those who doubted the value of Nippon Professional Baseball's video review system a year ago have officially left the building. On Tuesday, NPB announced a few tweaks to a system that got some negative press last year, but was — on the whole — considered ...
In Shohei Ohtani, Japan finally has its world-beater
It must take a considerable amount of willpower for Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama not to respond to questions about his former player Shohei Ohtani with a simple, "I told you so." Although the sly smile he lets slip on occasion more ...
