Throughout February, the entire Okinawa area will be filled with professional baseball again this year.
The nine NPB teams, including Hanshin, DeNA, Giants, Chunichi, Hiroshima, and Yakult (in order of highest ranking in 2025) from the Central League, and Nippon-Ham, Rakuten, and Lotte (from the same ranking) from the Pacific League, will hold spring training all over the prefecture all at once to gather strength for the new season. It can be said that Okinawa’s warm climate and fulfilling training environment are indispensable to the Japanese baseball world.
Many fans flock to the stadium every day to see their favorite top players up close, and the impact on Okinawa’s economy is also huge. According to the Ryugin Research Institute, a think tank, the economic impact in 2025 reached a record high of 22,421 million yen. This is an important event for Okinawa, which is in the off-season for tourism.
Athletes from Okinawa Prefecture will face this “winter tradition” with strong determination and shouldering the expectations of the local community.
A large slugger who made a big splash last year, a promising right-hander who achieved a shutout victory as an opening pitcher, and an authentic left-hander who achieved his dream of becoming a pro by being drafted third. Introducing notable prefectural athletes.
Slugger Richard (Giant) shows signs of awakening with confidence
The first person I would like to touch on is Richard (Giant, infielder), who is finally starting to show signs of awakening as a slugger.
In 2017, he was nominated by Softbank in third place in their training. Height: 189cm, weight: 123kg. He has an impressive physique, and is known for his power, as he has been able to hit a lot of home runs in the Western League, where the second team competes. Although there are issues such as a high number of strikeouts, he has steadily refined his dynamic swing.
Then, in May of last year, he joined the Giants via trade and suddenly hit a home run in his first game after the transfer. Throughout the season, he played in a career-high 77 games and had 253 at-bats, recording 11 home runs and 39 RBIs, also career-highs.
For the Giants, Kazuma Okamoto, who has been the team’s mainstay for many years, has moved to MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays, and he is expected to be his successor. We want to turn the signs of awakening into confidence and establish ourselves as the core of a traditional baseball team.
By the way, Richard is from Okinawa Shogaku High School, which won its first championship at Koshien last summer. Among the teams camping in Okinawa, Hidetaka Okadome (Hanshin, pitcher) and Yuhito Nakata (Hiroshima, infielder) also share the same alma mater. Unfortunately, Nakata will be participating in the 2nd Army camp in Miyazaki Prefecture, while Okadome is a member of the 2nd Army camp at Gushikawa Baseball Stadium and can be seen in the prefecture.
I hope that the alumni of Okinawa Shogaku High School will achieve further growth, inspired by the performance of the juniors of Okinawa Shogaku High School, who excited Koshien and Okinawa last year.
Takita Miyagi (DeNA), a right-handed man with a fastest speed of over 150km/h, rose to prominence as a relay.
Like Richard, Takita Miyagi (DeNA, pitcher) had a breakout career last year despite coming from a training background.
He joined the team as the number one player in training in 2018, and will make his first professional appearance in 2023. Before stepping onto the stage, he honed his body shape and sense of weight transfer, and his fastest fastball exceeded 150km/h. He mixes in sharp curve balls such as curves and forks to strike out batters.
His growth has been recognized, and he pitched in a career-high 50 games last year. He quickly distinguished himself as a middle reliever, recording 4 wins, 1 loss, and 14 holds with an ERA of 2.09.
2026 will be a crucial year for him to solidify the trust of the leaders and become a pillar of the bullpen. I want to continue training in my hometown of Okinawa and make further progress.
Miyagi will start at the 2nd Army camp at Kadena Baseball Stadium. Kentaro Taira, who had 4 wins and 3 losses with an ERA of 2.95 last year, and Kazuyuki Kamisato, an outfielder with quick feet, are also members of the Kadena camp. It would be fun to go and see all of them in action.
Naoma Kanemura, who achieved a spectacular “opening shutout”, becomes a regular rotation player
Heading to the northern part of the main island, Nippon Ham, who finished second in the Pacific League last year, will be setting up camp at Enagic Stadium Nago. The person I would like to highlight here is Naoma Kanemura, his right-hand man, who has shown remarkable growth in recent years.
In 2022, he was drafted in second place and turned pro from Fuji University. Although he was plagued by injuries in his first year, he pitched in 29 games in his second year, posting a record of 7 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 2.38.
Last year, his third year, he was selected as the opening pitcher and graced the stage with a spectacular shutout victory. By the way, this was his first complete game as a professional. This year, he pitched in 28 games with 5 wins, 7 losses, and an ERA of 2.93. At the end of the season, he played as a reliever and recorded 5 holds. He uses fastballs, split balls, sliders, and cut balls to make his pitches difficult for opponents to target.
During the camp, he hopes to further strengthen his foundation in areas such as fastball and body development, and acquire the ability to maintain his place in the starting rotation throughout the season. If he can raise his standards, his first double-digit victory should not be a dream.
Nippon-Ham’s left-handed veteran Kenta Uehara, who is in his 11th year as a professional, will also accompany the team to the first-team camp. Although he has built his career as a starting pitcher, he established himself as a reliever midway through last season, pitching in 27 games and holding 13 times. Will you be able to break new ground?
Will promising rookie Kyohei Yamashiro (Giants) be able to get a run-up in his hometown?
The last major player I would like to touch on is Kyohei Yamashiro, who was drafted third by the Giants in last year’s draft.
Although he is small at 174 cm tall, he is an authentic left-handed pitcher who can hit a fastball of up to 154 km/h with a relaxed form. He has a variety of breaking balls, including curve balls and cut balls. After graduating from Konan High School, he entered Asia University, where he won the best ERA with a 1.39 ERA in the Toto University League last spring. The quality of the material is guaranteed.
He will participate in joint voluntary training in Miyazaki Prefecture from January 28th, and will also be included in the first-team training camp from February 1st. It’s up to you whether you can accompany the 1st Army to the Naha camp that will begin at Okinawa Cellular Stadium Naha from February 14th. I want him to make a triumphant return as a pro right away and get some help in his hometown as he prepares to make a big leap forward in his first year.
Takuzo Oshiro, who has worn a mask as a regular catcher for the Giants for many years and has made his presence felt by being selected by Samurai Japan, cannot be overlooked. He suffered from poor batting from 2024, and in 2025, due to the addition of Takuya Kai and the rise of Yukimichi Kishida, he played in only 56 games, the fewest in his career. I want to find the answer to how to get out of my batting slump at camp.
Other players from Okinawa Prefecture include Tatsuya Taira (infielder) at Rakuten’s 1st Army camp at Kincho Baseball Stadium, Waters Rikai Jumil (infielder) at the 2nd Army camp at Kumejima Baseball Stadium, and Reia Nakaji (pitcher) at Chunichi’s 2nd Army camp at Okiham Yomitan Heiwa no Mori Stadium.
In the most recent draft group for 2025, there is a possibility that Yuto Kohama (infielder), who is ranked 5th in the Giants, and Taisei Chinen (outfielder), who is ranked 5th in the same training team, will also be included in the Naha camp.
The prefectural athletes face their own goals, each with their own challenges. Okinawa camp is an important period for honing your skills for the new year and stepping into the next stage. We hope you will come to the stadium and give us a warm cheer.
