In 1956 the Brooklyn Dodgers took a trip to Japan, for a monthlong goodwill tour, and they generated so much interest I think that Major League Baseball was becoming more popular by the Japanese fans back then and then in 1966 the Los Angeles Dodgers took another trip there too which really was popular.

In 1993 the Dodgers also took a tour to Taiwan and to Fukuoka Japan to do goodwill games there too. Many history of Japan and Dodgers relationship, starting with 1965 my father-in-law Ike Ikuhara joined the Dodgers and so since then you can see from 1956 the relationship with the Dodgers and Japan has been significant and thus led, I think led us to sign Hideo Nomo because of our popularity in Japan.

And most Japanese people felt very close to the Dodgers, especially the baseball officials because the Tokyo Giants trained there five times and all the footage and all the daily newspaper articles from Vero Beach where Dodger players and Tokyo Giants players are in the photos. I think those type of thing historically has contributed to significance of Dodgers in Japan.