Japanese Baseball Grapples with Shrinking Player Base

Jiji Press

16:46 JST, September 15, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Shohei Ohtani’s electrifying two-way performances for the Los Angeles Dodgers ensure a daily stream of baseball headlines in Japan.

Yet behind the buzz lies a troubling reality: The number of young players in Japan has fallen sharply in recent years, triggering alarm across the baseball community.

In response, efforts to encourage more children and teenagers to take up the sport are gathering pace.

At a meeting in Tokyo on July 14, the owners of the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization’s 12 clubs approved a plan to reorganize the minor leagues into a single league with three regional groups starting next season.

The current 14 minor league teams, now split between the Eastern and Western leagues, will be placed into three regional groups. Most games will be played within each group, while a single table will track standings across all 14 teams.

The primary aim of the overhaul is to broaden the sport’s reach. NPB Secretary General Katsuhiko Nakamura said the league will actively stage games in areas without home clubs, with more than 30% of the schedule consisting of inter-group matchups.

The owners’ meeting also discussed further expanding the number of teams in the minor leagues. Last season, the Kufu Hayate Ventures Shizuoka and the Oisix Niigata Albirex joined, bringing the total to 14. Even so, “There’s a view that establishing more hometown teams could help promote baseball locally,” Nakamura said.

There are also efforts to bring professional and amateur baseball closer together. In July, NPB and the Japan High School Baseball Federation agreed to collaborate on a promotional initiative targeting preschoolers. The project was highlighted at a joint news conference with NPB Commissioner Sadayuki Sakakibara and Kaoru Takara, head of the high school baseball federation.

According to a survey by Nihon Yakyu Kyogikai, an organization that comprises NPB and the Baseball Federation of Japan, the number of registered players fell to about 1.01 million in 2022, roughly 600,000 fewer than in 2010.

“When we were children, we used to gather in parks and play with a bat and a ball,” Takara said. “But now it’s become difficult, as adults are more cautious about injuries and property damage. Young people today have very little experience of baseball.” He stressed his determination to stem the decline in participation.

In June, Sadaharu Oh, chairman of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks professional club, announced the creation of Kyushinkai, a general incorporated foundation. Oh, Japan’s revered all-time home run king, said he hopes the initiative will give more children chances to play baseball, discover the joy of the sport and dream about their futures.

Looking ahead, Oh also expressed hope that a new superstar will emerge in the mold of Shigeo Nagashima, widely known as “Mr. Pro Baseball,” who died in June at 89. Oh and Nagashima formed the legendary “O-N Cannon” during their years with the Yomiuri Giants, which won an unprecedented nine consecutive Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973.

“We were fortunate to spend time with Nagashima,” Oh said. “I hope the next generation will have the chance to form a heartfelt bond with someone who carries his spirit forward — the next Nagashima.”