The 83rd National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament opened as scheduled at Hanshin Koshien Stadium on March 23, less than two weeks after a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged northeastern Japan.
The tournament is being held under the slogan "Ganbaro! Nippon" (Let's give it our best shot, Japan), and organizers want to make the event one that encourages people in areas hit by the March 11 disaster.
Opinions were split over whether the tournament should go ahead, but in the end it was opened with all qualifying schools participating -- including those in disaster zones. The Japan High School Baseball Federation and The Mainichi Newspapers Co., which sponsor the annual tournament, decided the players should not miss out on what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Tohoku High School in Miyagi Prefecture, which is taking part in the tournament, suffered heavy damage in the quake, with power and water cuts continuing at the dormitory in Sendai where many of the players live. Team members have been helping supply water to shelters and directing traffic.
Some players and school officials had suggested that now was not a time to be thinking about baseball, but since the decision to go ahead with the tournament was made, the players have shown determination.
"What we can do at Koshien is to run and play with all our might. We want to cheer up as many people as possible," one player commented.
Suijo High School in Ibaraki Prefecture, which is also participating in the tournament, suffered damage including cracks in the walls of the school, and the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant hindered the baseball team's practice. Still, team members preparing to face Kosei Gakuin High School from Aomori Prefecture, which was also hit by the disaster, have vowed to play hard to encourage the people of both prefectures.
Players from areas that escaped damage are also eager to encourage disaster victims, saying that the greatest thing they can do now is to play their hardest. It seems that efforts to encourage people hit by the quake and tsunami through high school baseball are gaining momentum throughout the nation.
In the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, many buildings around Koshien Stadium were badly damaged, but the tournament went ahead with the aim of contributing to disaster recovery. The current tournament will also pay respect to quake-struck areas: Teams will not march into the stadium or be cheered on with musical instruments, and part of the ticket sales will go toward areas affected by the quake and tsunami. Donations will also be sought at the stadium. In addition, since both the Tohoku and Kanto regions of Japan are facing power shortages, game starting times will be moved forward and the time between games will be narrowed in a bid to avoid night games.
Areas affected by the disaster are still struggling with relief operations and the handling of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. Amid such circumstances, we want high school baseball players to acknowledge the joy of the game and play with all their heart, and we hope that the devotion shown by the players will become a source of encouragement for both those in disaster zones and other people across the country.
Click here for the original Japanese story