The roster for the Japanese national baseball team has been unveiled for the Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), a showcase for professional baseball prospects from four Asian countries: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.

Led by new manager Tadahito Iguchi, who played in both Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB), the Japanese national team consists of 28 players in total, comprising 25 players aged 24 or younger or in their third year or less as professionals, along with three wildcards aged 29 or younger.

Japanese media reported that Japan selected its players with an eye toward securing qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at next year's World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 and preparing for the period following the Olympic finals.

Japan's roster is structured with 13 pitchers, 3 catchers, 7 infielders, and 5 outfielders.

Infielder Tomoya Masaki (26) of the SoftBank Hawks, who achieved a three-peat in the Pacific League regular season, infielder Koki Yamaguchi (26) of the Chiba Lotte Marines, and right-handed pitcher Ryu Kutani (26) of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles were selected as wildcards.

The 3rd APBC, taking place three years after the previous tournament in 2023, will be held from November 12 to 15 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

The four nations will play each other once in a round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the final.

With the contract of Ryu Ji-hyun—who led the national baseball team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March of this year and the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games—coming to an end, the KBO is expected to appoint an interim manager to prepare for the APBC.

(Photo: Yonhap News)