2011-12-02

NPB hopes Japan will take part in 2013 World Baseball Classic

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese baseball owners on Thursday said they want Japan to participate in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
"We've been having peaceful and cooperative talks with WBC organizers. For Nippon Professional Baseball, we want Japan to take part," said Rakuten Eagles owner Toru Shimada.
Shimada headed a negotiating team representing Japan's 12 pro club owners, who were seeking a bigger share of the profits from the WBC, during talks in October with Major League Baseball, the tournament's organizer.
Japan requested that sponsorship rights and the rights to merchandise products related to the Japanese team be transferred to NPB but negotiations hit a snag and NPB is now exploring other avenues to secure revenue.
MLB and its players' association each received 33 percent of the overall revenue from the 2009 WBC, while Japan only got 13 percent.
NPB still needs to secure the cooperation of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association, which has yet to commit to playing in the tournament.
But Shimada said, "We hope to continue talks in good faith."