At least in terms of the involvement of foreign players in NPB, I guess it’s a good thing that Tokyo and Osaka run the show, instead of Southern Kyushu. Don’t get me wrong, I love the country; it would be a shame if everywhere were like Tokyo, but it takes exposure to overcome the ignorance that leads to prejudice and in every country on Earth, that exposure is more likely in the big cities than the hamlets of countryside, however beautiful they might be.

But I’ll let him speak for himself from now on if he wants. I just thought his ideas were too interesting to be wasted on me alone, plus left unanswered (sports in Japan, or anywhere, has never been my interest, although I am reforming slowly. Takes a local winning team…) Debito

. . . there is a difference between pitchers and position players.

Let me amend that, there is supposedly a difference between position players and pitchers, but, in terms of determining foreign player numbers on a roster, I’m not sure what it is. This is another distinction that has been loosened since the 1980s.

As for the enlarged notion of “hometown,” if that means Japanese people like to see Japanese players do well just like Americans root for Americans in the Olympics or for the MLB All Star team when it plays the Yomiuri Giants, yeah, I guess that’s true. My point, though, was that I don’t think most Japanese fans follow Japanese players in the US because they’re Japanese so much as because they liked those players when they were in Japan and want to support their guys doing well in the Bigs.

I guess this is a form of nationalism, but it strikes me as a most benign one, one seen in every country, including the US. The situation could be better, but it’s not so awful now and it is improving. The reason I think things will change and Japanese baseball will become more international is that it is already happening. Foreign players are staying longer, young foreign players are coming over and making careers here, as opposed to older power hitters and occasional fastball pitchers being the only foreigners. The number of foreigners on farm teams is increasing and foreigners don’t seem to draw the same attention they used to.

In the end, I don’t think being racially Japanese is much of a factor, seeing as the rule is clear: holding Japanese citizenship. By those rules, Debito would be considered a Japanese player, but Ken Suzuki would not, even though Debito is not Japanese by descent and Kurt Suzuki is.

It took American fans a while to get used to Black players, then Latino players, and then Japanese players. The same process is happening, albeit slowly in Japan. The baseball fans I know are a lot more worried about what a guy’s doing on the field than whether or not he’s Venezuelan or American.

The reason I think closer ties will occur between NPB and MLB is that they’ve been in talks off and on for years and MLB is the suitor. The World Baseball Classic was the first step in what both sides, but especially (publicly) MLB would like to see as a much closer relationship, for business and marketing reasons, I’m sure, as much as for baseball reasons.

Shy boy, I don’t know where you live, but where I live, I think most people are pretty used to the idea of foreigners being in Japan and most people are cool about it, especially businesses, government offices, etc. There is racism and xenophobia in Japan (which you know a lot about if you’re in touch with Debito) and those things are a problem, their cloud hangs over everything. However, I don’t think race is the deciding factor in every situation where it could be an issue. (Except for situations involving Sadaharu Oh.)

Thanks for that interesting and speedy follow-up.
DeOrio addressed a couple points within my comments (about Kurt Suzuki and the question of race) as if he were disagreeing but in fact he was only restating my points as far as I could tell. Ditto for my comments about nationalism, which DeOrio only recasted in terms of “small town boy does well.” The “small town” may be Tokyo; it hardly matters. What matters is that the boy is from Japan, and that this enlarged notion of “hometown,” that is, nationalistic pride, can be milked by commercial interests.
Furthermore, he did not clearly state what the quota is, but only that “one more player” was allowed at some point. Does that imply then that two position players are allowed today? Or is there no distinction between position players and pitchers?
Concerning the likelihood of changing the quota rules, I don’t share DeOrio’s optimistic outlook when he nonchalantly prognosticates along these lines: “As Japanese society gets used to having more non-East Asian-looking foreigners or naturalized citizens in it…”
Where I live in Japan, at least, that day seems at least a century or two away. I don’t see why we should draw optimism about a change in Japan baseball rules based on the presumed inevitability of such a massive overhaul of attitudes across the society as a whole, especially not when the fingerprinting machines are busily being prepared for Narita. If there is any change to the quota system, I think it is more likely to occur, as DeOrio suggested in another comment, either through increased cooperation with MLB — but then I don’t see any motivation for MLB to call for change, since it already has an extensive farm system! — or through a perceived financial benefit.
Thanks to DeOrio and you for your thoughts.
And Go Tribe!

To answer your friend’s questions, first I’ll tackle the enthusiasm thing. It has nothing to do with race. It’s a hometown-boy-made-good thing. Ichiro, Matsuzaka, Matsui, Taguchi, Iguchi, Iwamura, Nomo, et al. all started their pro careers in Japan and built up strong fan followings here before going to the US. Kurt Suzuki could be as Japanese as the day is long, but its irrelevant because he didn’t get his start here. I think it’s safe to say that if, say, Tuffy Rhodes’s deal with Cincinnati would have worked out, people would have been interested (albeit not as interested as in the fate of a “homegrown” player.) What you have to remember is that guys like Matsui and Matsuzaka have been stars since they were in high school and the MLB is still the worldwide pinnacle of pro baseball. It makes perfect sense that Japanese baseball fans would follow the progress of Japanese players closely.

As for the foreigner limit in Japan, what constitutes a Japanese player is simple: Is he a Japanese citizen? If Adam Riggs sought and received Japanese citizenship, he’d be considered a Japanese player. Furthermore, any player who enters his tenth pro season in Japan would be considered a Japanese player, as he would have stuck it out as long as a player entering Japanese baseball on a standard nine-year first contract would. Tuffy Rhodes, while not a Japanese citizen, is now considered a Japanese player.

The original rationale behind the rule was to promote homegrown talent and improve Japanese baseball. How much that’s a racial issue or an issue of discrimination is the subject of much debate; race has certainly raised its head in those debates, but has never officially been the reason for the rule, which changed in the ’90s to allow one more foreign player.

The idea is that the MLB is wide open because it is the top league in baseball, drawing in the best players from around the world (at least recently.) NPB, on the other hand, is still pretty much a Japanese game. As Japanese society gets used to having more non-East Asian-looking foreigners or naturalized citizens in it, baseball’s rules change a bit. Also, as Japanese players improve and include some of the best players in the world, there’s less need for what is essentially a protectionist rule designed to give Japanese players a chance.

I don’t know when, but I think we’ll see this rule become more and more relaxed, especially if NPB and MLB start working together more closely.

Oh and, Debito, looking at American managers is one thing, but the stronger track record and better indicator of success is to look at the pitching coaches. American pitching coaches are what really make a difference and where one of the biggest philosophical differences between Japanese and American ball lies.

http://www.debito.org/index.php/?p=612

Nippon Ham Fighters win Pacific League Pennant! Again!

Hi, Debito. Thanks for your reply.
I see that you’ve been enthused by JP baseball. In other baseball news, as you likely know, one of “Japan’s teams,” the New York Yankees, have to go to Cleveland to open their playoff series there, starting Thursday. What makes them one of “Japan’s teams” is, of course, the simple fact that at least one prominent Japanese player plays for them.
I will find it delicious if the Yankees are beaten by the team from Ohio that gets almost no attention in Japanese media, despite the fact that the Indians have, along with the Red Sox, the best record in all of baseball. Not to mention that the Indians operate with less than a third of the salary payout that the Yankees do, which is reason enough for me to root for them – forget that I was raised near Cleveland and have hated the Yankee machine for decades.
I have concluded that Japan’s interest in the Major Leagues isn’t even about baseball. It’s about nationalism. It’s not entirely about race, either, because there is a player, Kurt Suzuki, whose “race” is Japanese, but who was born and raised in Hawaii…. and he gets no attention from JP media.
Incidentally, do you know exactly what the quotas are in Japanese baseball? What’s the limit? And how is “foreign player” defined? Surely, there must be some ambiguous cases. One of my students is studying differences between J-ball and the big leagues, and this would be good for her to know. I still find it hard to believe that such quotas exist. And according to what rationale?
ENDS

I look forward to seeing him as GM or elsewhere in the front office next year, just not managing on the field.

That’ll come up in “NPB: Central League” for sure.

And, Luke, I’m proud to say that, in its brief history, TPR has missed few opportunities for partisanship, subjectivity, and outright bias (at least on projects with which I’ve been directly involved.) We have high standards in that regard and beloved listeners like you to please; we shan’t let you down.

However, as Yomiuri has all the power and influence of teams like Real Madrid and the New York Yankees roled into one, I think it’s safe to say that they’ll get dumped on quite a bit in the next NPB podcast.