Hirokazu Ibata, who had been unified as a candidate for the manager of the Japan National Baseball Team to be held in Tokyo in November, was asked to be appointed by a member of the Japan National Team on the 11th, and it was learned from interviews with people involved that he received his unofficial consent.
The Samurai Japan Strengthening Committee, a Japan baseball council made up of professional and amateur representatives, was selecting a successor to Japan National Team manager Hideki Kuriyama, who retired at the end of May, and unified the candidates for the Asian Professional Baseball Championship, an international tournament to be held at the Tokyo Dome in November.
According to the people involved, a representative of the Japan made a direct request to Mr. Ibata to take office on the 5th and received his unofficial consent.
The long-term contract period of the coach of the Japan National Team has been a bottleneck, and it was difficult to select personnel this time, but the most recent tournament is expected to be settled with Mr. Ibata taking charge, and with less than two months until the tournament, the formation of the coaching staff and the selection of players will be urgent.
On the other hand, he is expected to reconsider his subsequent tenure for the Premier11 next fall and the WBC in three years.