Samurai Japan Unveils Asia Professional Baseball Championship Roster

Samurai Japan has announced its roster for the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship, to be held November 12-15 at Tokyo Dome. The national team also unveiled a new logo and home and away uniforms alongside the roster announcement.

It will mark the Samurai’s first tournament under new manager Tadahito Iguchi, who was appointed as Hirokazu Ibata’s successor in July.

Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Australia will compete in the RAXUS-sponsored competition, giving emerging young talent a chance to gain international experience. Japan won the previous APBC in 2023, defeating Korea 4-3 in the championship game.

Eligibility is limited to players aged 24 or younger or within their first three professional seasons, with three slots for overaged players aged 29 or younger.

With an eye towards the 2027 Premier12, 2028 Olympics, and 2029 or 2030 World Baseball Classic, the APBC offers an early preview of some of Iguchi’s tendencies for roster construction and game management. The former Chiba Lotte Marines manager is also the first Japanese national team manager with MLB playing experience.

Iguchi’s coaching staff includes So Taguchi as head coach and hitting coach, with Chunichi Dragons coach Akinori Ohtsuka and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks coach Shinji Kurano overseeing pitching. Yomiuri Giants coach Yoshinori Murata returns as battery coach, providing continuity from 2023 and 2026 WBC. SoftBank’s Yuichi Honda will oversee infield defense and baserunning, while the Yokohama DeNA BayStars’ Yusuke Kawada handles outfield defense and baserunning.

The 28-man roster features 13 pitchers and 15 position players. Chunichi Dragons right-hander Hiroto Takahashi headlines the pitching staff after representing the Samurai at both the 2023 and 2026 WBC. Iguchi will likely turn to him for the championship game, should Japan advance.

Takahashi’s teammate Yumeto Kanemaru is one of three left-handed starters selected, alongside 2024 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Natsuki Takeuchi and 2026 Central League Rookie of the Year favorite Kazuyuki Takemaru. Right-handers Yutaro Ishida and Kengo Matsumoto round out the rotation options.

The bullpen includes right-handers Hibiki Shinohara, Shunsuke Nakamori, Ryu Kutani, and Gota Suzuki, and left-handers Seiya Yoshida, Taichi Taka, and Shunya Morita. Shinohara, 20, has impressed in high-leverage situations for the Saitama Seibu Lions this season and could be Iguchi’s closer.

Shion Matsuo, Taiga Kojima, and Yuya Shintoh are the three catchers selected. All three gained significant NPB playing time this season despite their limited experience. Matsuo has long been regarded as one of Japan’s top prospects and should contend for a place on future senior national teams.

The starting infield will likely feature Tomoya Masaki at first base, Yudai Shoji at second, Seiya Watanabe at third, and Rui Muneyama at shortstop, with Tai Sasaki and Shu Yamagata providing additional options. Masaki, 26, fills one of the overage slots after a career year in which he posted an .888 OPS and hit 28 home runs in just 101 games.

Muneyama was the top position player in the 2024 draft class and is a leading candidate to become Japan’s long-term answer at shortstop. An injury sidelined him for the first half of his sophomore campaign, but he returned with an excellent second half, posting a .795 OPS while improving defensively.

Koki Yamaguchi is also listed as an infielder, though he will likely serve as the designated hitter. The 26-year-old fills the second overage slot after a breakout season that quickly established him as one of NPB’s top sluggers. He hit a whopping 38 home runs in just 113 games while posting a .931 OPS.

The outfield group includes Ryuki Watarai, Misho Nishikawa, Shunsuke Sasaki, Shinya Hasegawa, and Konosuke Tatsumi. Nishikawa won the 2025 Pacific League Rookie of the Year award and is a rising star, while Hasegawa earned interleague MVP honors in June.

Watarai and Sasaki are coming off the best offensive seasons of their young careers. Tatsumi, the third overage selection, will be expected to serve exclusively as a pinch-runner after stealing 28 bases in 70 games.

Only Takahashi and Kanemaru have experience playing in a major international tournament, while Nishikawa, Tai Sasaki, and Muneyama are the only others previously called up for an exhibition series.

Japan’s projected starting lineup and rotation are listed below, followed by the full 28-man roster.

Potential Starting Lineup

1. 1B Tomoya Masaki

2. LF Misho Nishikawa

3. SS Rui Muneyama

4. DH Koki Yamaguchi

5. CF Shinya Hasegawa

6. RF Ryuki Watarai

7. 3B Seiya Watanabe

8. C Shion Matsuo / Taiga Kojima / Yuya Shintoh

9. 2B Yudai Shoji

Potential Starting Rotation

1. RHP Hiroto Takahashi

2. LHP Yumeto Kanemaru

3. LHP Kazuyuki Takemaru

4. LHP Natsuki Takeuchi / RHP Yutaro Ishida

Full Roster

Right-Handed Pitchers

Yutaro Ishida (Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons)
Gota Suzuki (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
Kengo Matsumoto (Tokyo Yakult Swallows)
Ryu Kutani (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles)
Hibiki Shinohara (Saitama Seibu Lions)
Shunsuke Nakamori (Chiba Lotte Marines)

Left-Handed Pitchers

Seiya Yoshida (Chunichi Dragons)
Kazuyuki Takemaru (Yomiuri Giants)
Natsuki Takeuchi (Saitama Seibu Lions)
Yumeto Kanemaru (Chunichi Dragons)
Taichi Taka (Hiroshima Toyo Carp)
Shunya Morita (Yomiuri Giants)

Catchers

Shion Matsuo (Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
Taiga Kojima (Saitama Seibu Lions)
Yuya Shintoh (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)

Infielders

Rui Muneyama (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles)
Seiya Watanabe (Saitama Seibu Lions)
Tai Sasaki (Hiroshima Toyo Carp)
Yudai Shoji (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
Tomoya Masaki (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)*
Koki Yamaguchi (Chiba Lotte Marines)*
Shu Yamagata (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)

Outfielders

Ryuki Watarai (Yokohama DeNA BayStars)
Misho Nishikawa (Chiba Lotte Marines)
Shunsuke Sasaki (Yomiuri Giants)
Shinya Hasegawa (Saitama Seibu Lions)
Konosuke Tatsumi (Hiroshima Toyo Carp)*

* = Overage player