Japanese baseball will begin season on June 19 without fans

The announcement came as the state of emergency was lifted in Tokyo and on the northern island of Hokkaido by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

SHARE Japanese baseball will begin season on June 19 without fans
Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball will start its season on June 19 without fans.

Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball will start its season on June 19 without fans.

Eugene Hoshiko/AP

TOKYO — Japan’s professional baseball season will open on June 19 under a plan that excludes fans.

League commissioner Atsushi Saito made the announcement on Monday after an online meeting with representatives of the league’s 12 teams.

“I hope we can provide some guidance for sports other than professional baseball,” Saito said. “It is important to operate cautiously according to our guidelines”. 

The announcement came as the state of emergency was lifted in Tokyo and on the northern island of Hokkaido by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The state of emergency was lifted earlier this month for other parts of the country.

Teams can being practice games on June 2.

The season was to have begun on March 20 but the start was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Japan has reported about 850 deaths from COVID-19. 

“It is with great joy that we have been able to decide on opening the season. But we believe it is from now that we must make thorough preparations without fail, and it remains crucial our efforts move forward cautiously while protecting our players, other people involved and their families,” Saito added.

Japan joins South Korea and Taiwan whose leagues are open and playing largely without fans. 

The Latest
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and boots were on full display Thursday night as fans lined up for the first of his three sold-out shows.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.
The Hawks conceded the game’s only two goals within the first seven minutes and were shut out for the 12th time this season in a 2-0 defeat Thursday.