In recent years, the arrival in the United States of players like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui has enlightened Americans about the popularity of the sport in Japan. But most Americans don’t know that Japan has nearly as long a baseball history as America’s.
The exact date when baseball was introduced to Japan is unknown, but it is attributed to American professor Horace Wilson sometime between 1867 and 1912. The Japanese were immediately intrigued by Western baseball, seeing psychological similarities between baseball and their native sports of sumo and martial arts.
In the 1930s, a team of famous American baseball players, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, toured Japan and played against Japanese college players. Although the Americans won every game they played, the series helped generate interest in baseball throughout Japan. The first Japanese professional team was formed in 1934.
During the World War II years, as more men joined the military, baseball fell out of favour, and many baseball fields were turned into ammunition depots or used to grow food. However, after Japan’s defeat, Allied commanders who helped rebuild Japan turned to baseball to boost morale and build stronger ties with the West.
In 1950, the Japanese league took the form it still has today; two leagues of six teams each. The introduction of television in 1955 brought baseball to a wider audience in Japan than it did in the United States.
There are some differences in style and rules of play between modern American and Japanese baseball. The ball used in Japanese baseball is smaller and lighter than the ball used in American baseball. Also, unlike the American teams, the Japanese teams are only allowed four foreign players per team, two position players and two pitchers.
Stylistically, Japanese coaches focus more on the fundamentals of bunting, base running, and fielding, while American baseball relies heavily on pitching talent and long hits. Due to these differences, Japanese baseball games typically have closer and lower final scores than American baseball games.
In recent years, Japanese baseball teams have been hit hard by players defecting to American teams. The Japanese league and Major League Baseball have an agreement that requires fees to be paid by American teams that want to draft Japanese players, but the rules do not apply to free agents. Today’s Japanese are much more likely to watch an American team on TV than a Japanese team. Players like Ichiro Suzuki are very popular in Japan and are considered national heroes.