Japan is preparing for an unusual sporting moment as some of cricket’s biggest teams arrive for a busy fortnight of international competition.
Baseball remains the country’s dominant sport, while cricket has a much smaller following. However, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will soon bring top-level cricket to Japanese venues.
The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) has spent years building the sport in the country. Its work has included partnerships, corporate support and diplomatic efforts.
One of the biggest breakthroughs will come on September 22. India, the reigning men’s Twenty20 world champions, will face Japan in Sano.
The match will make history for Japanese cricket. It will be the first time Japan, an International Cricket Council (ICC) associate member, faces an ICC full member.
India Match Marks a New Chapter
Former world champions Pakistan and Sri Lanka will also play in Japan. Bangladesh and Afghanistan will join them for the Asian Games cricket competition.
The tournament will take place at a converted baseball venue in Nisshin. The unusual setting highlights how the JCA is trying to expand cricket in a country built around baseball.
JCA Chief Executive Naoki Alex Miyaji knows the sport still faces a major challenge.
Japan has only about 7,300 registered cricket players. The country also has 16 cricket grounds.
Japan’s women’s T20 team ranks 39th in the world. The men’s team sits two places lower.
Miyaji told Reuters that one major match cannot transform cricket overnight. However, he described the India game as the beginning of a new chapter.
Japan Turns to Cricket Diplomacy
The JCA spent more than a year working with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to arrange the match in Sano.
Japan’s government later became involved and gave the effort fresh momentum.
During a visit to India earlier this year, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi gave Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar a cricket jersey supplied by the JCA.
Jaishankar responded with a cricket bat signed by Indian players.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takachi then met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in July. The two leaders agreed to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations with a cricket match called the Suzuka Cup.
Miyaji said government support helped the JCA present cricket as a tool for closer relations between Japan and India.
He added that the Japanese embassy in New Delhi also supported the idea of using cricket diplomacy to strengthen ties.
Corporate Support Gives Cricket a Boost
Corporate backing has also played an important role.
Japanese vehicle manufacturer Suzuki has supported the cricket event. The company has had a major presence in India for more than four decades.
Miyaji said Suzuki’s involvement sends a strong message to Japanese audiences. Its support could help show that cricket has a growing place in the country.
The JCA originally offered the Sano International Cricket Ground for the Asian Games. However, local organisers chose a former baseball stadium near Nagoya because of logistical considerations.
The JCA has still supported the Asian Games through its relationship with Sri Lanka Cricket. The two organisations developed that partnership through sports diplomacy almost three years ago.
A Sri Lankan curator is now overseeing preparations for the cricket pitch in Nisshin.
The JCA hopes years of quiet work will now produce wider interest in the sport.
“It’s time to flourish,” Miyaji said.
