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[NPB NOTEBOOK] NPB Supporting Noto Peninsula Earthquake Relief Efforts

NPB is contributing 100 million yen to help relief efforts in Ishikawa Prefecture. Also, NPB will stage an All-Star Game in neighboring Toyama in 2026.

Published

3 months ago

January 26, 2024

Jim Armstrong

Toyama's Alpen Stadium is seen in this file photo from a Yomiuri Giants-Yokohama DeNA BayStars game on September 5, 2018. (ⒸSANKEI)

Read the full story on SportsLook - [NPB NOTEBOOK] NPB Supporting Noto Peninsula Earthquake Relief Efforts

NPB has stepped up to the plate following the powerful earthquake that hit Japan's Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture and surrounding areas on New Year's Day.

The M7.6 earthquake rocked the Sea of Japan coastal areas on January 1, leaving more than 230 people dead. Thousands more remain displaced.

In an effort to help out, Nippon Professional Baseball and its 12 teams announced on January 16 that they are contributing ¥100 million JPY (about $680,000 USD) in disaster relief.

Speaking at a meeting attended by NPB's 12 managers on the same day in Tokyo, Hanshin Tigers skipper Akinobu Okada said Japanese pro baseball is unified to support relief efforts.

"The front offices and players have come together, and every team wants to cooperate," Okada was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

*Hanshin Tigers manager Akinobu Okada (left) and Orix Buffaloes manager Satoshi Nakajima attend an NPB managers meeting on January 16 at a Tokyo hotel. (ⒸSANKEI)*

NPB to Hold a 2026 All-Star Game in Toyama

NPB also recently announced that an All-Star Game in 2026 will be held at Alpen Stadium in Toyama Prefecture to further support reconstruction in the area.

Toyama neighbors Ishikawa Prefecture where most of the damage occurred.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka donated 100 mattresses to Ishikawa Prefecture to help out victims of the Noto Peninsula quake.

As a member of the Sendai-based Rakuten Eagles, Tanaka has seen first-hand the devastation that can result from such a massive quake. Sendai and many parts of Miyagi Prefecture were hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

MLB players Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish also made generous contributions to relief efforts.

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Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.