The “seven-inning system” is a hotly debated topic in high school baseball. We will discuss the background behind the move to introduce the system, along with a survey conducted by the Japan High School Federation and opinions from various experts. <2 times in total>
In March 2025, the Japan High School Baseball Federation announced that the “High School Baseball Competition,” part of the national sports tournament usually held between September and October, would be held in a seven-inning format.
What the executive director of the Japan High School Federation said last summer
Looking at the planning intent of the seven-part survey mentioned in Part 1, which mentioned “a shortage of club members as the disparity in number of club members becomes more noticeable,” “measures against summer heatstroke among club members, cheering students, coaches, referees, and spectators,” and “population decline,” the situation is extremely serious and urgent.
Last summer, I spoke to Wataru Imoto, the secretary general of the Japan High School Federation. To summarize Mr. Imoto’s words…
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・The transition to a 7-inning system is an extremely big reform, and there was talk about whether it was okay for the Takanoren to decide on it alone.
・Although there were some arguments for caution, I decided to listen to opinions on this occasion.
・Let’s hear the thoughts of not only those who are interested in high school baseball but also those who are not interested.
・It is expected that there will be many opposing opinions from the general public, but we will also take those voices into consideration.
That’s what he said.
In other words, although moving to a seven-inning system is an urgent issue, considering that high school baseball is a national sport, the team wanted to “listen to as many voices as possible” before making a decision.
The Japan High School Federation consulted with multiple research companies in preparation for the start of the investigation, and decided on a three-pronged approach: “affiliated schools,” “registration monitor,” and “website.” “Registered monitor” and “website” have the meaning of a so-called cross-check, and a double-check of “named (registered monitor) and anonymous” respondents. As mentioned in Part 1, while a relatively large number of people who responded as registered monitors showed support for the move to a seven-inning system, the overwhelming majority of people on the website opposed it.
It is thought that many of the registered monitors carefully read the background explanation of the “7-inning system” before responding. In contrast, many people in their 40s to 60s, who are the core fan base of Showa high school baseball, were opposed. Compared to registered monitors, it is possible that some people responded without fully understanding the explanation. In the comment section of “Yahoo! News,” there are some comments that appear to have reacted to the headline, but if you take this into account, it makes sense to conduct two surveys.
Why was the 7-inning system introduced? One reason is the extreme heat and the length of the game.
Once again: Why is it necessary to introduce a seven-inning system?
