Ten of Japanese pro baseball's 12 teams began their official spring training workouts at facilities in southwestern Japan's Miyazaki and Okinawa prefectures Thursday.
The Central League and Japan Series champion Hanshin Tigers started training in Okinawa along with six other teams, including the Pacific League's Rakuten Eagles, who enter their first season under manager Toshiaki Imae.
The PL's SoftBank Hawks, under new skipper Hiroki Kokubo, and the CL's Yomiuri Giants, in their first year under manager Shinnosuke Abe, are among the clubs starting in Miyazaki.
Preseason exhibition games will start from Feb. 23, while the CL and PL regular seasons kick off on March 29.
