Japan is the two-time defending World Baseball Classic Champion with pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka being named Tournament MVP in both 2006 and 2009. Team Japan defeated Cuba 10- 6 in 2006 with Ichiro Suzuki scoring three of Japan's runs. In 2009, Japan faced Korea in the Final and had a 3-2 lead in the ninth when the Koreans scored a run off Yu Darvish to send the game into extra innings. In the 10th, Ichiro drove in two on a single to give Japan a 5-3 win. There are currently 12 players signed to professional contracts in the United States including Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish and New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.
| Name | # | B/T | Height | Weight | Birth Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitchers | |||||
| Takeru Imamura | 16 | R-R | 6'0" | 183 | Apr 17, 1991 |
| Kenta Maeda | 20 | R-R | 6'0" | 160 | Apr 11, 1988 |
| Kazuhisa Makita | 35 | R-R | 5'10" | 181 | Nov 10, 1984 |
| Masahiko Morifuku | 21 | R-R | 5'7" | 143 | Jul 29, 1986 |
| Atsushi Nohmi | 14 | L-L | 5'11" | 165 | May 28, 1979 |
| Kenji Otonari | 28 | L-L | 5'9" | 187 | Nov 19, 1984 |
| Hirokazu Sawamura | 15 | R-R | 6'0" | 212 | Apr 3, 1988 |
| Tadashi Settsu | 50 | R-R | 5'11" | 198 | Jun 1, 1982 |
| Toshiya Sugiuchi | 18 | L-L | 5'9" | 181 | Oct 30, 1980 |
| Masahiro Tanaka | 17 | R-R | 6'2" | 210 | Nov 1, 1988 |
| Tetsuya Utsumi | 26 | L-L | 6'1" | 198 | Apr 29, 1982 |
| Hideaki Wakui | 11 | R-R | 6'1" | 187 | Jun 21, 1986 |
| Tetsuya Yamaguchi | 47 | L-L | 6'0" | 190 | Nov 11, 1983 |
| Catchers | |||||
| Shinnosuke Abe | 10 | L-R | 5'11" | 214 | Mar 20, 1979 |
| Ryoji Aikawa | 2 | R-R | 6'0" | 190 | Jul 11, 1976 |
| Ginjiro Sumitani | 27 | R-R | 5'11" | 205 | Jul 19, 1987 |
| Infielders | |||||
| Yuichi Honda | 46 | L-R | 5'8" | 159 | Nov 19, 1984 |
| Hirokazu Ibata | 3 | R-R | 5'8" | 165 | May 12, 1975 |
| Atsunori Inaba | 41 | L-L | 6'1" | 207 | Aug 3, 1972 |
| Nobuhiro Matsuda | 5 | R-R | 5'11" | 187 | May 17, 1983 |
| Kazuo Matsui | 7 | S-R | 5'10" | 187 | Oct 23, 1975 |
| Hayato Sakamoto | 6 | R-R | 6'1" | 176 | Dec 14, 1988 |
| Takashi Toritani | 1 | L-R | 5'11" | 170 | Jun 26, 1981 |
| Outfielders | |||||
| Hisayoshi Chono | 34 | R-R | 5'11" | 185 | Dec 6, 1984 |
| Yoshio Itoi | 9 | L-L | 6'2" | 194 | Jul 31, 1981 |
| Katsuya Kakunaka | 61 | L-R | 5'11" | 176 | May 25, 1987 |
| Sho Nakata | 13 | R-R | 6'0" | 209 | Apr 22, 1989 |
| Seiichi Uchikawa | 24 | R-R | 6'0" | 180 | Aug 4, 1982 |
| Name | # | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Coaches | ||
| Koji Yamamoto | Manager | |
| Osamu Higashio | Coach | |
| Masataka Nashida | Coach | |
| Koichi Ogata | Coach | |
| Nobuhiro Takashiro | Coach | |
| Kazuyoshi Tatsunami | Coach | |
| Tsuyoshi Yoda | Coach | |
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