by Nobby Ito

Do you know that the NPB’s first ever overseas games were held in China? It was in 1940, from July 31 to August 23, the official regular season games were played in Manchuria (present-day Northeast China), which Japan controlled at the time. A total of 72 games were played in a double round-robin format, with each team playing 16 games.

The fundamental national policy of the Japanese government at the time was to “build a new order in Greater East Asia, centered on the Imperial Nation and based on the strong union of Japan, Manchuria, and China.” Companies were rapidly expanding into Manchuria, and Manchurian immigration was a major national initiative. As part of this effort, all professional baseball teams visited Manchuria and played games there for about a month. Travel between cities was by third-class sleeper train, with games immediately upon arrival, maintaining a grueling schedule. Players suffered from bedbugs on trains and in inns.

“At the lodgings, we were tormented by swarms of bedbugs. Everyone’s thighs and stomachs were covered in pink bite marks, but we couldn’t change lodgings. Even during games, we scratched away.” (Michinori Tsubouchi, “Baseball in Wind and Snow: Half a Century,” March 25, 1987, Baseball Magazine Sha)

Tetsuji Kawakami: “I woke up in the middle of the night to find bedbugs swarming everywhere. Since I was practically naked, they bit me all over, and the itching woke me up.” “Unable to bear it, I consulted with Chiba and Yoshihara. We tried placing dishes filled with alcohol under the table legs, and the bugs couldn’t climb up anymore. I spread a futon on the table and finally managed to sleep.“ (Takamitsu Kawakami, ”My Father’s Jersey Number Was 16,” Asahi Shimbun Publishing, 1991)

The balls used were cheap, shoddy products that wouldn’t fly at all, making the games themselves poor, but the event was a commercial success. Attendance: 137,499 people. Revenue: 229,660 yen.

The results for the nine participating teams were as follows:

Tokyo Giants: 14 wins, 2 losses; Osaka Tigers: 11 wins, 5 losses; Hankyu: 10 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie; Nagoya: 10 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie; Eagles: 7 wins, 8 losses, 1 tie; Tokyo Senators: 5 wins, 7 losses, 4 ties; Nagoya Kinko: 5 wins, 11 losses; Nankai: 3 wins, 11 losses, 2 ties; Lions: 2 wins, 13 losses, 1 tie.

If you read Japanese, you can learn more about the 1940 season in Manchuria in Kunio Sakamoto’s book The Manchuria League of Century 2600.