Hagoita Paddles Showing Popular Newsmakers of 2025 Unveiled

Jiji Press

12:26 JST, December 5, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Hagoita Japanese wooden paddles featuring Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and 10 other people who made headlines this year were unveiled by Tokyo-based doll maker Kyugetsu Co. on Wednesday.

Ohtani was named U.S. Major League Baseball MVP for the third straight year, while Takaichi became the country’s first female prime minister.

University of Osaka Prof. Shimon Sakaguchi and Kyoto University Prof. Susumu Kitagawa, who won this year’s Nobel prizes in Physiology or Medicine and Chemistry, respectively, were also featured on the paddles.

Actors Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama, who appeared in the film “Kokuho,” Japan’s highest-grossing live-action film, were also portrayed on the hagoita.

“There were a variety of topics this year, such as Ohtani’s achievements and the popularity of ‘Kokuho,’” Kyugetsu President Hisatoshi Yokoyama, 43, said. “I hope next year will be even brighter, making it difficult to select people [to feature on the paddles].”

This year marks the 40th year that the company has made hagoita paddles featuring newsmakers. The paddles will be on display at the company’s head office in Tokyo’s Taito Ward until Sunday before being exhibited at department stores in 12 prefectures, including those in the cities of Sapporo, Shizuoka and Kanazawa.