Kids Web Japan

Q. Is there Little League baseball in Japan?

A.

Little League baseball was introduced to Japan from the United States in 1964. Now there are about 682 registered Little League teams around the country, made up mainly of boys from 9 to 12 years old. There's also a Senior League for ages 13 to 15. The teams of these two leagues play in championships, progressing from regional to national, Far Eastern, and world. Japanese teams have won the Little League World Series on several occasions.

In addition to regular baseball, a game called "rubberball baseball" is a popular team sport among Japanese children. This game, which uses a hard rubber ball, was invented in Japan early in the 1900s as a way to spread baseball safely among children. It eventually spread to all age groups. There are 20,257 elementary and middle school rubberball baseball teams registered with the Japan Rubber Base Ball Association, and they play many games at the local, regional, and national levels.