The Japanese senior national team has announced its 28-man roster for the upcoming RAXUS Samurai Japan Series against Korea, scheduled to take place from Nov. 15-16 at the Tokyo Dome.
These games serve as the final showcase for players ahead of the 2026 World Baseball Classic roster announcement.
While manager Hirokazu Ibata’s current roster choices by no means guarantee his final WBC selections, when viewed alongside his past teams, they offer insight into some of his preferences as several key roster battles remain unresolved ahead of next March’s grand tournament.
Headlining the roster are superstar hitters Shugo Maki (DeNA BayStars), Kazuma Okamoto (Yomiuri Giants), and Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers). Notable omissions include Munetaka Murakami (Yakult Swallows), Kensuke Kondoh (SoftBank Hawks), and Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers).
Murakami, expected to be posted to Major League Baseball this offseason, may have declined his invitation. The same could apply to Kondoh, who has dealt with injuries this year, and Sato, coming off a career-best campaign and a home run title. All of them are widely viewed as locks for the WBC roster.
Japan is, somewhat surprisingly, carrying four backstops for just the two games: Yukinori Kishida (Yomiuri Giants), Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers), Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes), and Yuhei Nakamura (Yakult Swallows). Notably absent are Shogo Sakakura (Hiroshima Carp) and Yuudai Yamamoto (DeNA BayStars), both of whom had become regular fixtures on recent national teams. Nakamura, who caught the final out of the 2023 WBC, likely joins as a veteran leader to mentor the new guard.
Shortstop remains one of the biggest question marks, with only three players on the roster capable of handling the position: Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima Carp), Isami Nomura (SoftBank Hawks), and Itsuki Murabayashi (Rakuten Eagles). Kozono appears to be the frontrunner for the job, coming off a batting title and a strong showing at the Premier12 last year. None of them, however, started more than 72 games at short this season, and all graded out below average defensively, leaving some fans questioning the omission of Giants breakout hitter Yuta Izuguchi.
Nippon-Ham Fighters outfielder Ryota Isobata’s inclusion is also noteworthy, as his potential role as a late-game pinch-runner overlaps with that of Ukyo Shuto (SoftBank Hawks). Ibata valued Isobata’s speed and defense during the Premier12. Including him, Japan has only three true outfielders, though Taisei Makihara (SoftBank Hawks), listed as an infielder, offers flexibility across multiple positions.
Of course, Japan is deeper on the mound than nearly any nation in the world, and that depth is on full display again here with front-line starters such as Koki Kitayama (Nippon-Ham Fighters), Atsuki Taneichi (Lotte Marines), Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons), Chihiro Sumida (Seibu Lions), and Hiromi Itoh (Nippon-Ham Fighters), the Nippon Professional Baseball strikeout king this season. Inexperienced arms such as Yumeto Kanemaru (Chunichi Dragons) and Ryuhei Sotani (Orix Buffaloes) also made the roster, emphasizing Ibata’s willingness to look towards the future.
