The posting system enabling NPB players to transfer to MLB also contains a structure where teams hold player transfers hostage. This article examines mechanisms restricting player freedom, including posting fee distribution, team veto power, and the long years required to obtain free agency.
Interpreters accompanying NPB foreign players handle not just language bridging but life support, mental care, and cultural mediation. However, their compensation doesn't match their workload. This article examines interpreters suffering from 24-hour availability demands and low pay.
Transfer scandals in Japanese high school baseball: athletic scholarships, baseball migration to powerhouse schools, and the Japan High School Baseball Federation's regulatory responses.
The development player system introduced in 2005 opened professional baseball's doors to many young players. However, problems exist in the 2.4 million yen minimum salary, the narrow path to roster registration, and the structure of being used as cheap labor under the name of 'development.'
Many stadium vendors and event staff supporting NPB games are student part-timers. From beer vendors hauling heavy kegs up steep stairs to ushers standing for hours in scorching heat, this article examines the harsh labor conditions imposed on young workers behind the glamorous stadium facade.