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    Will Japan's baseball fans come back? Author Robert Whiting thinks so

    by Julian Ryall Jul 30, 2018 1 minute

    Kazuyoshi Miura of Yokohama FC during a J-League match against Tokyo Verdy. Photo: Kyodo

    "Whenever they carry out the Japanese National Character Survey, one of the questions is always about sport and baseball always comes back with more than 50 per cent as people's preferred sport, well ahead of football," he said. "The figures may change in a year like this, when we have the soccer World Cup, but it will come back when Japanese ballplayers are doing well in the US major leagues, for example, or if the run-in to the domestic season is exciting."

    Kole Calhoun, left, of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bows to Shohei Ohtani after he hit a two-run home run against the Chicago White Sox. Photo: AFP

    Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine is tossed into the air by his team after winning the Japan Series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya in 2005. Photo: AP

    This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

    Copyright (c) 2018. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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