Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning simply Professional Baseball; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball."
The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children aged 10 to 12 years old, held in the Eastern United States. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. The Series was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania; while the postal address of the organization is in Williamsport, the Series itself is played at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium at the Little League headquarters complex in South Williamsport.
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters is a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō, in the Sapporo metropolitan area. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō, including Hakodate, Asahikawa, Kushiro, and Obihiro. The team's name comes from its parent organization, Nippon Ham, a major Japanese food-processing company.
The 2005 Little League World Series took place between August 19 and August 28 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The West Oahu Little League of ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii, defeated the defending champion Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curaçao, in the championship game of the 59th Little League World Series. This was the second time that the Little League World Series championship game was won with a walk-off home run, which Michael Memea hit in the bottom of the 7th inning.
Baseball was introduced to Japan in 1872 and is Japan's most popular participatory and spectator sport. The first professional competitions emerged in the 1920s. The highest level of baseball in Japan is Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), which consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League, with six teams in each league. High school baseball enjoys a particularly strong public profile and fan base, much like college football and college basketball in the United States; the Japanese High School Baseball Championship, which takes place each August, is nationally televised and includes regional champions from each of Japan's 47 prefectures.
Katsuyuki Kiyomiya is a notable Japanese rugby union coach, formerly of Waseda University RFC (2001–06) and now of Suntory Sungoliath. Many in Japan had hoped he would coach the national side in the future however after he criticized the then current coach Eddie Jones in August 2015 support has dramatically dropped. He is the father of Japanese baseball prodigy, Kotaro Kiyomiya.
The 2007 Little League World Series was a baseball tournament held August 17 through August 26 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed to decide the winner of the 61st installment of the Little League World Series. On August 26, the U.S. champion from Warner Robins, Georgia, defeated the international champion from Tokyo, Japan, 3–2 in 8 innings on a walk-off home run by Dalton Carriker. This was the second straight year that a team from Georgia won the championship.
The 2003 Little League World Series took place between August 15 and August 24 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Musashi-Fuchu Little League of Tokyo, Japan, defeated the East Boynton Beach Little League of Boynton Beach, Florida, in the championship game of the 57th Little League World Series.
The 2001 Little League World Series took place between August 17 and August 26 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Kitasuna Little League of Tokyo, Japan, defeated Apopka National Little League of Apopka, Florida, in the championship game of the 55th Little League World Series. This tournament saw the expansion of pool play to 16 teams, eight from the United States, and eight from around the world. This was the first LLWS to use Little League Volunteer Stadium; it was built to accommodate games added to the pool stage and to host the tournament's consolation game for third place.
The Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game is an annual baseball series of All-Star Games between players from the Central League and the Pacific League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers. The All-Star Game usually occurs in early to mid-July and marks the symbolic halfway point in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) season.
The 2010 Little League World Series was held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It began on August 20 and ended on August 29. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed in the 64th edition of this tournament. In the championship game, the international champions from Tokyo, Japan, defeated the United States champions out of Waipahu, Hawaii. It was the seventh LLWS championship for Japan overall, and the first since 2003.
The Middle East–Africa Region was one of the eight "international" (non-U.S.) regions that participated in the Little League World Series from 2008 to 2012. The Arabian-American Little League in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia won each of the three MEA championships until 2011 when the Reverend John Foundation Little League from Kampala, Uganda won the tournament, however the team from Uganda was not able to participate after their visa applications to enter the United States were denied, and Dhahran was invited to participate in their place.
The 2013 Little League World Series was held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, from August 15 until August 25. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed in the 67th edition of this tournament. The Musashi-Fuchū Little League of Tokyo, Japan, defeated the Eastlake Little League of Chula Vista, California, 6–4 in the championship game. For the country of Japan, this was their ninth LLWS championship overall, second consecutive, and the third in four years. This was the last World Series to feature players born in the 20th century.
The 2015 Little League World Series was held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, from August 21 until August 30, 2015. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed in the 69th edition of the Little League World Series (LLWS). The Tokyo Kitasuna Little League from Tokyo, Japan, defeated Red Land Little League of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, in the championship game, 18–11, which was the most total runs scored (29) in any final game. It was Japan's fourth title in the past six years. The tournament was originally scheduled to begin on August 20, however, inclement weather resulted in the postponement of all first-day games, resulting in eight games being played on August 21, a LLWS first.
The 2015 Japan Series was the 66th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, champions of the Pacific League, played the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, champions of the Central League. The Hawks were the defending Japan Series champions, having beaten the Hanshin Tigers in 2014. The series was sponsored by the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and was officially known as the SMBC Nippon Series 2015.
The 2017 Little League World Series was held from August 17 to 27. Eight teams from the United States and eight teams from around the world competed in the 71st edition of the tournament. Tokyo Kitasuna Little League of Tokyo, Japan, defeated Lufkin Little League of Lufkin, Texas, in the championship game by a 12–2 score. It was the 11th time that a team from Japan won the tournament. Tokyo Kitasuna became the first league to win the tournament four times.
Kōtarō Kiyomiya is a Japanese baseball player who currently plays for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League as a First Baseman. A left-handed batter and right-handed thrower, Kotaro stands 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) tall and weighs 225 pounds (102 kg). He was the first pick of the Fighters in the 2017 draft. He is the son of notable Japanese rugby union coach, Katsuyuki Kiyomiya.
Kotaro Otake is a Japanese Professional baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks until the 2022 season.
Kōsuke Baba is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He was drafted by the Hanshin Tigers.
Ceddanne Chipper Nicasio Marte Rafaela is a Curaçaoan professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Tokyo, Japan
Goodlettsville, Tennessee 
