Three-time World Baseball Classic champion Japan began to train in Miyazaki under new manager Hirokazu Ibata on Monday for the Asia Professional Baseball Championship.
The second edition of the tournament will be held from Nov. 16 to 19 at Tokyo Dome, where Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will play a round robin to determine which teams will face off in the final and third-place game on the last day. Japan won the inaugural edition in 2017.
Participants must be aged 24 or younger, or within three years after joining a pro team, according to tournament regulations. The overage quota is limited to three players 29 or younger.
DeNA BayStars second baseman Shugo Maki is the only player who has been called up to Ibata's 26-man roster from the Shohei Ohtani-led WBC-winning team of March 2023.
"I've been able to talk to most of the players," said Ibata, a former middle infielder for the Chunichi Dragons and Yomiuri Giants. "I just want them to play their heart out."
Players selected from the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes, who met in the Japan Series that ended Sunday, plan to join the national team Friday before the training camp ends Nov. 13.
Japan is scheduled to play Taiwan on Nov. 16, South Korea on Nov. 17 and Australia on Nov. 18.
