Japan and Korea Set for Pre-WBC Exhibition in November

World No. 1 Samurai Japan will play a two-game exhibition series against No. 6 ranked Korea from November 15-16 at Tokyo Dome, baseball officials from both countries announced last week.

This will be Japan’s second international series of 2025, following a pair of dominant shutout wins over the Netherlands at Kyocera Dome in March. 

The games serve as a key tune-up for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, scheduled for next March. In a similar move ahead of the 2023 WBC, Japan hosted Australia at Sapporo Dome in November 2022 before going on to win the 2023 WBC title with a dramatic 3-2 win over the United States at loanDepot Park in Miami. 

Manager Hirokazu Ibata is expected to call up a roster composed entirely of Nippon Professional Baseball players. With Major League Baseball stars unavailable for this exhibition, the series presents Ibata with one final opportunity to get a first-hand look at domestic talent before finalizing his WBC roster. Players likely to be posted to MLB this offseason, such as slugger Munetaka Murakami, are not expected to participate in the exhibition. 

Two positions under the spotlight are shortstop and catcher, which remain unsettled heading into 2026. The shortstop battle features prominent names like Sosuke Genda (Seibu Lions), Rui Muneyama (Rakuten Eagles), Kotaro Kurebayashi (Orix Buffaloes), Hideki Nagaoka (Yakult Swallows), and Masaya Yano (Hiroshima Carp). Catching candidates include Shogo Sakakura (Hiroshima Carp), Yuudai Yamamoto (DeNA BayStars), Tomoya Mori (Orix Buffaloes), Takuya Kai (Yomiuri Giants), and Yuhei Nakamura (Yakult Swallows). Ibata’s selections at these positions in November will likely offer a strong indication of his preferred starters for the WBC. 

Japan’s dominance on the international stage has been unmatched in recent years. Before falling to Chinese Taipei in the 2024 Premier12 gold medal game, while missing many NPB stars, the Samurai had won 27 straight games in major competitions dating back to the 2019 Premier12. That loss ended the streak, but a new one began with Japan’s two-game sweep of the Dutch earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, Korea enters the series in the midst of a turbulent period. The team has struggled on the world stage, missing the knockout rounds in both the 2017 and 2023 WBCs, falling short in the 2021 Olympic Bronze Medal Game, and exiting early at the 2024 Premier12. Much of the criticism has centered on management and a lack of pitching depth and development. 

Though Japan and Korea share a storied baseball rivalry, recent matchups have been one-sided, with Korea failing to defeat Japan at the senior national team level since the 2015 Premier12. Still, the two nations have had several memorable moments in recent years, including the 2021 Olympic Gold Medal Game, a high-profile 2023 WBC showdown featuring Yu Darvish and Kwang-hyun Kim, and the 2024 Dream Players Game, a retired legends old timers’ showcase held last July during All-Star Week at Es Con Field Hokkaido. 

It’s rare to see Japan and Korea face off in an exhibition series, especially ahead of a major tournament where they’ll once again start in the same pool alongside Australia, Chinese Taipei, and the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome. However, with both teams expected to field rosters that differ from their final WBC teams, the series will serve as a valuable opportunity for evaluation and preparation.

Korea will be tested against the reigning world champions, while Japan gains the benefit of facing a more competitive opponent than the European squads they’ve recently encountered. 

Photo: Infielder Munetaka Murakami #55 of Team Japan celebrates hitting a solo home run with coach Coach Hirokazu Ibata #82 in the third inning against Team United States during the gold medal game between Team United States and Team Japan on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on August 07, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)