Play Ball! Celebrate with the Marlins the bond between Japan and the U.S. | Opinion

In celebration of Japanese players who have played a part in the Miami Marlins’ history, the Japanese Heritage Day Celebration will be hosted at the loanDepot park in Little Havana on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

As Japan’s consul general in Miami, I am honored to once again participate in the first pitch of this event for the third time in my term. In my last two pitches, I threw out two beautiful strikes, and I do hope I can pitch a third strike this year, too!

Japanese Heritage Day is also an important opportunity to celebrate the strong bond between the United States and Japan since the elegant rule-based sport of baseball, in which players must understand and respect each other, mirrors the core common values, such as individual dignity, rule of law, human rights, and democracy, that are shared between the U.S. and Japan.

Baseball is instrumental in promoting grassroots goodwill and reminding us that the U.S. and Japan are true allies with the same core values.

The first Japanese player who comes to mind on Japanese Heritage Day is Ichiro Suzuki, a legendary outfielder, who was awarded MVP in 2001 and has tallied more base hits than any player in baseball history.

He played for the Marlins from 2015 to 2017, recording 3000 Mayor League Baseball hits, which grabbed Japanese media’s attention.

In 2023, Miami was once again the center of Japan’s attention, as it hosted the World Baseball Classic, furthering Japan’s ties with this city.

You may remember the 2023 World Baseball Classic had a mesmerizing finale with Shohei Ohtani, who was then with the Los Angeles Angels, striking out Mike Trout, his teammate, to win the championship.

This year, for Japanese Heritage Day, the Marlins will take on the LA Dodgers, to which Ohtani and star starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto now belong. To witness this, we have over 600 Japanese visitors, many of which have come from Japanese communities and programs across Florida.

Since coming to Miami, I have had Opinion articles published in the Miami Herald twice. The first time, in 2022, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of baseball in Japan, and the second, in 2023, to celebrate the friendly rivalry between Japan and the U.S. during the WBC finals.

With the passing of each year, I have witnessed the relationship between Japan-Miami greatly increase in many areas, and I am convinced that the promotion of camaraderie through baseball has contributed to it substantially.

This year’s celebration reflects the exponential improvement of Miami-Japan relations in the past year, which has particularly heightened in business.

After I invited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (April 2023) and Miami Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (December 2023) to Tokyo on trade missions and hosted large business seminars with them to promote Florida, Miami has received more attention from Japanese businesses than ever.

For example, Sompo Japan, one of Japan’s leading insurance companies, has plans to open a branch in Miami this October, and Hisamitsu Pharmaceuticals, a major pharmaceutical firm that is operating as Noven Pharmaceuticals in Kendall, is expanding its facilities to boost its products for the North American market.

In addition, I am excited to know that Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co., a major life insurance company in Japan, has bought Allstate’s Miami-based American Heritage Life for $2 billion, and Japan Tobacco, the third largest tobacco company in the world, has acquired Miami-based Vector Group, for $2.4 billion.

It is my hope that we can capitalize on the momentum created by this growing relationship and continue our grassroots efforts in many areas, especially through baseball, to fortify the link between Japan and Miami.

I believe that the advancement of Miami’s ties with Japan, as seen through Japanese Heritage Day, is a direct reflection of the enduring friendship and alliance between Japan and the U. S.

Do come to the loanDepot park on Tuesday and enjoy the Japan Heritage Day celebration.

Kazuhiro Nakai is the Consul General for Japan in Miami.