Japanese Baseball History

Baseball has been played in Japan for over a half-century. A professional league was created in 1936. The Japanese have always taken baseball very seriously. In the early years, it was used as a teaching tool to strengthen them physically and mentally.

Yomiuri Shimbun owner Matsutaro Shiriki founded the Great Japan Tokyo Baseball club, later known as the Giants in 1934. However, an organized professional league was not established until 1936 when the Giants and six other teams were started. In 1950, seven new teams were added and another league was established.

Now the Japanese Professional Baseball League consisted of the original Central League and the Pacific League. The Central League has remained strong throughout history letting the Pacific League win no more than two consecutive pennants. The Tokyo Kyojin (Giants) have been the most popular team almost since Japanese Baseball began. They are the most known and the most publicized team in Japan. Today the two leagues are as competitive as ever and Japanese Baseball continues to become more and more popular.