Emperor to Watch Japan-Australia World Baseball Classic Game on March 8, First Emperor to Attend Pro Baseball Game in 59 Years

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, March 1, 2026

The Emperor will watch the World Baseball Classic game between Japan and Australia at Tokyo Dome on March 8, the Imperial Household Agency announced Friday. The match is part of the Tokyo pool in the first round of the 2026 WBC.

It will be the first time for a serving emperor to attend a pro baseball game in 59 years and four months, since then Emperor Showa and his wife Empress Kojun watched a Japan-U.S. friendly between the Dodgers and All-Japan team in November 1966.

The first pro game attended by an emperor was when Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun watched a game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo in July 1959.

It will also be the third time for the Emperor to attend a WBC game since the Emperor and Empress, when they were crown prince and crown princess, attended the Japan-South Korea game in March 2006 and the Japan-China game in March 2009, both at Tokyo Dome.