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149-671: Founded in 1946, the Fighters called Tokyo home for 58 years, as co-tenants of the Tokyo Dome and Korakuen Stadium with the Central League 's Yomiuri Giants near the end of their tenure in the capital city. The franchise has won three Japan Series titles, in 1962, 2006, and, most recently, 2016. In 1946, Saburo Yokozawa , manager of the Tokyo Senators in 1936–1937 (and later a prominent umpire), looked to revive

298-751: A bar in Kyoto and calling famous movie producer Koji Shundo to meet with them. Shundo, an old drinking buddy of Mizuhara's, convinced the four-time Japan Series champion manager to join the Flyers, and he solidified a strong relationship with Okawa and Toei Studios. Komazawa Stadium was to be torn down to make way for the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics , so in 1962 the Flyers moved their base of operations to Meiji Jingu Stadium in Shinjuku . (At that time, college baseball teams had priority at Meiji Jingu, so during weekends or other times when school games were being played

447-807: A combined perfect game by Dragons pitchers Daisuke Yamai and Hitoki Iwase. In 2007, Yukio Tanaka 's final season, he recorded his 2000th career hit, during a May 15 game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles . The Fighters would win the Pacific League championship again in 2009 and 2012, but they would lose both times in the Japan Series to the Yomiuri Giants. In 2012, the Fighters drafted Shohei Ohtani , who made his debut in 2013. Despite Otani wanting to play in MLB,

596-500: A draft bust. What made it even worse was Munetaka Murakami , also on Kiyomiya's draft class, who was drafted by the Swallows after losing out to him, was hitting more home runs than him at a rapid pace and already won a Japan Series title with the Swallows. As of 2022, Kiyomiya only had 21 home runs, while Murakami already had 104, and became the youngest NPB player to hit 100 home runs, at only 22 years old. Kiyomiya also did not play on

745-476: A few areas thanks to its popularity, including one by the cheerdancing squad of CPBL team Rakuten Monkeys (which is also thanks in fact that the club is owned by Rakuten , the same company who owns the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB), another by J.League club Cerezo Osaka (due in part to the club being partially owned by Fighters owner Nippon-Ham ), and it appearing in multiple shows in Japan, including

894-543: A goal of increasing roadside trees in Tokyo to 1 million (from 480,000), and adding 1,000 ha (2,500 acres) of green space, 88 ha (220 acres) of which will be a new park named "Umi no Mori" (Sea Forest) which will be on a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay which used to be a landfill. From 2007 to 2010, 436 ha (1,080 acres) of the planned 1,000 ha of green space was created and 220,000 trees were planted, bringing

1043-727: A leading global financial hub has diminished with the Lost Decades since the 1990s—when the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) was the world's largest, with a market capitalization about 1.5 times that of the NYSE —the city is still a large financial hub, and the TSE remains among the world's top five major stock exchanges . Tokyo is categorized as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . The city

1192-432: A lesser extent Chiba and Ibaraki . Tokyo has been hit by powerful megathrust earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855, 1923, and much more indirectly (with some liquefaction in landfill zones) in 2011 ; the frequency of direct and large quakes is a relative rarity. The 1923 earthquake , with an estimated magnitude of 7.9, killed more than 100,000 people, the last time the urban area was directly hit. Mount Fuji

1341-475: A local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers the whole metropolis including the 23 special wards and the cities and towns that constitute the prefecture. It is headed by a publicly elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters is in Shinjuku Ward. The governor of Tokyo is elected every four years. The incumbent governor, Yuriko Koike , was elected in 2016, following

1490-634: A major presence in South Korea, and it did wonders for sales having one of the greatest Koreans play for them. Mihara, however, persisted, and they nearly sent him to the Hanshin Tigers, before the Yomiuri Giants made a convincing last-minute deal to send him there instead. Over the four seasons between 1974 and 1977, the Fighters dwelled at the bottom of the Pacific League, but after improving to finishing in third place for three straight years between 1978 and 1980, manager Keiji Osawa finally led

1639-465: A major shopping and entertainment center. Various plans have been proposed for transferring national government functions from Tokyo to secondary capitals in other regions of Japan, to slow down rapid development in Tokyo and revitalize economically lagging areas of the country. These plans have been controversial within Japan and have yet to be realized. On September 7, 2013, the IOC selected Tokyo to host

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1788-752: A manager his teams won five Japan Series championships. Mizuhara was a star third baseman for Keio University . Mizuhara played his entire professional career for the Tokyo Giants/Tokyo Kyojin/Yomiuri Giants , from the Japanese Baseball League's beginnings in 1936 until 1950. Playing second base for Tokyo in 1942, Mizuhara was voted Most Valuable Player of the JBL . Mizuhara served in the Japanese military during World War II , eventually being captured by

1937-464: A performance during an annual event sponsored by Nippon TV , with NPB players Naoyuki Uwasawa and Shugo Maki . Another dance tradition the Fighters have was introduced in 2023, coinciding with their move to Es Con Field Hokkaido , also following the success of The Fox Dance, named the Dschinghis Khan dance. Similar to The Fox Dance, fans, alongside cheerleaders would dance, this time with

2086-743: A previously unknown manager, Shigeru Takada , became the club's first general manager. On April 27, owner Yoshinori Ohkoso died. The Fighters retired the number 100 in his honor, a first in club history (also the first retired number for owners in NPB; in North American Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ( Gene Autry , 26) and St. Louis Cardinals ( August A. Busch Jr. , 85) have retired numbers, and in Minor League Baseball ,

2235-418: A score of 5–4. In the decisive third game, the Fighters fought back in the ninth inning after trailing for the whole game but ultimately fell to a Kazuhiro Wada walk-off home run, losing 6–5. The Fighters would have to wait for another chance for the P.L. pennant. During the pennant race, the Fighters began selling tickets for infield reserved seats at a low 1,500 yen price point, in an attempt to draw fans to

2384-399: A tambourine shaped like a pot from the era of Genghis Khan , which can also relate to the local cuisine of Hokkaido. The song that accompanies it is a Japanese cover by Fighters Girl of the song of the same name by the eponymous disco group from Germany . The dance was also upgraded on the 29th of April to coincide with the beginning of Golden Week in Japan, adding sheep ear headbands to

2533-490: A wetter summer and a drier winter. The growing season in Tokyo lasts for about 322 days from around mid-February to early January. Snowfall is sporadic, and occurs almost annually. Tokyo often sees typhoons every year, though few are strong. The wettest month since records began in 1876 was October 2004, with 780 millimeters (30 in) of rain, including 270.5 mm (10.65 in) on the ninth of that month. The most recent of four months on record to observe no precipitation

2682-530: A world city is said to have depreciated greatly during these three decades. Nonetheless, Tokyo still saw new urban developments during this period. Recent projects include Ebisu Garden Place, Tennōzu Isle , Shiodome , Roppongi Hills , Shinagawa , and the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station . Land reclamation projects in Tokyo have also been going on for centuries. The most prominent is the Odaiba area, now

2831-516: A young Michihiro Ogasawara formed what became known as the Big Bang lineup and subsequently shattered various batting records. They ran away with first place for the first half of the season, but a pitching collapse in the second half caused a fall of historical proportions. The Fighters would ultimately finish in second place to the Seibu Lions . Prior to the 2002 season, the idea of moving

2980-704: Is Shofukuji in Higashi-Murayama . The current building was constructed in 1407, during the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Although greatly reduced in number by later fires, earthquakes, and air raids, a considerable number of Edo-era buildings survive to this day. The Tokyo Imperial Palace , which was occupied by the Tokugawa Shogunate as Edo Castle during the Edo Period (1603–1868), has many gates and towers dating from that era, although

3129-531: Is 40 m (131 ft). Chiba Prefecture borders it to the east, Yamanashi to the west, Kanagawa to the south, and Saitama to the north. Mainland Tokyo is further subdivided into the special wards (occupying the eastern half) and the Tama area ( 多摩地域 ) stretching westwards. Tokyo has a latitude of 35.65 (near the 36th parallel north ), which makes it more southern than Rome (41.90), Madrid (40.41), New York City (40.71) and Beijing (39.91). Within

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3278-473: Is December 1995. Annual precipitation has ranged from 879.5 mm (34.63 in) in 1984 to 2,229.6 mm (87.78 in) in 1938. See or edit raw graph data . Tokyo's climate has warmed significantly since temperature records began in 1876. The western mountainous area of mainland Tokyo, Okutama also lies in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification: Cfa ). The climates of Tokyo's offshore territories vary significantly from those of

3427-713: Is a reference to the original settlement's location at the meeting of the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay . During the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the name of the city was changed to Tokyo ( 東京 , from 東 tō "east", and 京 kyō "capital") , when it became the new imperial capital, in line with the East Asian tradition of including the word capital ( 京 ) in the name of the capital city (for example, Kyoto ( 京都 ), Keijō ( 京城 ), Beijing ( 北京 ), Nanjing ( 南京 ), and Xijing ( 西京 )). During

3576-512: Is about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Tokyo. There is a low risk of eruption. The last recorded was the Hōei eruption which started on December 16, 1707, and ended about January 1, 1708 (16 days). During the Hōei eruption, the ash amount was 4 cm in southern Tokyo (bay area) and 2 cm to 0.5 cm in central Tokyo. Kanagawa had 16 cm to 8 cm ash and Saitama 0.5 to 0 cm. If

3725-516: Is also recognized as one of the world's most livable ones; it was ranked fourth in the world in the 2021 edition of the Global Livability Ranking . Tokyo has also been ranked as the safest city in the world in multiple international surveys. Tokyo was originally known as Edo ( 江戸 ) , a kanji compound of 江 ( e , "cove, inlet") and 戸 ( to , "entrance, gate, door"). The name, which can be translated as " estuary ",

3874-586: Is an international research and development hub and an academic center with several major universities , including the University of Tokyo , the top-ranking university in the country. Tokyo Station is the central hub for the Shinkansen , Japan's high-speed railway network, and Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the world's busiest train station. The city is home to the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree . The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line , which opened in 1927,

4023-515: Is in the tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen classification: Aw ). Tokyo's Izu and Ogasawara islands are affected by an average of 5.4 typhoons a year, compared to 3.1 in mainland Kantō. Tokyo is near the boundary of three plates , making it an extremely active region for smaller quakes and slippage which frequently affect the urban area with swaying as if in a boat, although epicenters within mainland Tokyo (excluding Tokyo's 2,000 km (1,243 mi)–long island jurisdiction) are quite rare. It

4172-465: Is located on the Kantō Plain with five river systems and dozens of rivers that expand during each season. Important rivers are Edogawa , Nakagawa , Arakawa , Kandagawa , Megurogawa and Tamagawa . In 1947, Typhoon Kathleen struck Tokyo, destroying 31,000 homes and killing 1,100 people. In 1958, Typhoon Ida dropped 400 mm (16 in) of rain in a single week, causing streets to flood. In

4321-458: Is not uncommon in the metro area to have hundreds of these minor quakes (magnitudes 4–6) that can be felt in a single year, something local residents merely brush off but can be a source of anxiety not only for foreign visitors but for Japanese from elsewhere as well. They rarely cause much damage (sometimes a few injuries) as they are either too small or far away as quakes tend to dance around the region. Particularly active are offshore regions and to

4470-666: Is the oldest underground metro line in Asia–Pacific . Tokyo's nominal gross domestic output was 113.7 trillion yen or US$ 1.04 trillion in FY2021 and accounted for 20.7% of the country's total economic output, which converts to 8.07 million yen or US$ 73,820 per capita. Including the Greater Tokyo Area, Tokyo is the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world after New York , with a 2022 gross metropolitan product estimated at US$ 2.08 trillion. Although Tokyo's status as

4619-717: Is the most-populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents as of 2024 . Located at the head of Tokyo Bay , Tokyo is part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu , Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan . The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central 23 special wards (which formerly made up Tokyo City ), various commuter towns and suburbs in its western area , and two outlying island chains known as

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4768-527: Is the third-smallest, above only Osaka and Kagawa . Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures . The 23 special wards ( 特別区 , tokubetsu-ku ) , which until 1943 constituted the city of Tokyo , are self-governing municipalities , each having a mayor, a council, and the status of a city. In addition to these 23 special wards, Tokyo also includes 26 more cities ( 市 -shi ), five towns ( 町 -chō or machi ), and eight villages ( 村 -son or -mura ), each of which has

4917-467: The 1973 oil crisis put an end to the rapid post-war recovery and development of Japan's economy, its position as the world's second-largest economy at the time had seemed secure by that point, remaining so until 2010 when it was surpassed by China . Tokyo's development was sustained by its status as the economic, political, and cultural hub of such a country. In 1978, after years of the intense Sanrizuka Struggle , Narita International Airport opened as

5066-613: The 2020 Summer Olympics . Thus, Tokyo became the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice. However, the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed and held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . Under Japanese law , the prefecture of Tokyo is designated as a to ( 都 ) , translated as metropolis . Tokyo Prefecture is the most populous prefecture and the densest, with 6,100 inhabitants per square kilometer (16,000/sq mi); by geographic area it

5215-580: The Arakawa River are most at risk of flooding. Tokyo's buildings are too diverse to be characterized by any specific archtectural style, but it can be generally said that a majority of extant structures were built in the past a hundred years; twice in recent history has the metropolis been left in ruins: first in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and later after extensive firebombing in World War II . The oldest known extant building in Tokyo

5364-761: The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers ( Dale Earnhardt Sr., 3) are the most notable team owners with retired numbers). Yukio Tanaka reached a career 1,000 RBI total, and Makoto Kaneko joined the 1,000 hit club in the same year. On September 20 the Lions smashed the Fighters at home, crushing the Fighters’ hopes of making the playoffs for the second year in a row. In the offseason, the Fighters acquired Major League veteran José Macías , and as former number one starter Yusaku Iriki tried his luck in America

5513-677: The Kasumigaseki district in Chiyoda, and the name Kasumigaseki is often used as a metonym for the Japanese national civil service . Tokyo has 25 constituencies for the House of Representatives , 18 of which were won by the ruling Liberal Democrats and 7 by the main opposition Constitutional Democrats in the 2021 general election . Apart from these seats, through the Tokyo proportional representation block , Tokyo sends 17 more politicians to

5662-758: The Kyuei Flyers ("Kyuei" being a portmanteau of the two companies' names). However, Daiei decided to purchase a separate team, the Kinsei Stars , and after only one year the Flyers reverted to their former name. During the off-season of 1949, the Flyers joined the Pacific League after the former league split. In September 1953, the team completed a new ballpark— Komazawa Stadium —along one of Tokyu's train lines in Setagaya , Tokyo, moving from Bunkyo ward's Korakuen Stadium . The Flyers' wild play on

5811-479: The Meiji Period . Some gardens were immune from such fates and are today open to the public; Hamarikyu ( Kofu Tokugawa family ), Shibarikyu ( Kishu Tokugawa family ), Koishikawa Korakuen ( Mito Tokugawa family ), Rikugien ( Yanagisawa family ), and Higo Hosokawa Garden ( Hosokawa family ). The Akamon , which is now widely seen as a symbol of the University of Tokyo , was originally built to commemorate

5960-456: The Meiji Restoration . The high survival rate of concrete buildings promoted the transition from timber and brick architecture to modern, earthquake-proof construction. The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line portion between Ueno and Asakusa , the first underground railway line built outside Europe and the American continents, was completed on December 30, 1927. Although Tokyo recovered robustly from

6109-518: The Ministry of Finance were also relocated to Tokyo by 1871, and the first railway line in the country was opened on 14 October 1872, connecting Shimbashi ( Shiodome ) and Yokohama ( Sakuragicho ), which is now part of the Tokaido line . The 1870s saw the establishment of other institutions and facilities that now symbolize Tokyo, such as Ueno Park (1873), the University of Tokyo (1877) and

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6258-507: The Ministry of Justice building (1895), the International Library of Children's Literature (1906) and Mistubishi building one (1894, rebuilt in 2010) are some of the few brick survivors from this period. It was regarded as fashionable by some members of the Japanese aristocracy to build their Tokyo residences in grand and modern styles, and some of these buildings still exist, although most are in private hands and open to

6407-481: The New Word/Buzzword Contest in 2022, a contest about new words/terms that were popular in Japan in a particular year, behind Kyiv , the capital of Ukraine (in honor of the attacks of Russia to Ukraine in 2022 ) and Murakami-sama (after Tokyo Yakult Swallows player Munetaka Murakami 's 2022 season, where he broke Sadaharu Oh 's single season home run record for Japanese born players), with

6556-563: The Ogasawara Islands , which had been under control of the US since the war ended, were returned in 1968. Ryokichi Minobe , a Marxian economist who served as the governor for 12 years starting in 1967, is remembered for his welfare state policy, including free healthcare for the elderly and financial support for households with children, and his ‘war against pollution’ policy, as well as the large government deficit they caused. Although

6705-726: The Shuto Expressway to meet the increased demand brought about by the 1964 Tokyo Olympics , the first Olympic Games held in Asia. Around this time, the 31-metre height restriction, imposed on all buildings since 1920, was relaxed due to the increased demand for office buildings and advancements in earthquake-proof construction. Starting with the Kasumigaseki Building (147 metres) in 1968, skyscrapers began to dominate Tokyo's skyline. During this period of rapid rebuilding, Tokyo celebrated its 500th anniversary in 1956 and

6854-624: The Tokyo Islands . Despite most of the world recognizing Tokyo as a city, since 1943 its governing structure has been more akin to a prefecture, with an accompanying Governor and Assembly taking precedence over the smaller municipal governments which make up the metropolis. Notable special wards in Tokyo include Chiyoda , the site of the National Diet Building and the Tokyo Imperial Palace ; Shinjuku ,

7003-505: The Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to ). This reorganization aimed to create a more centralized and efficient administrative structure to better manage resources, urban planning, and civil defence during wartime. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government thus became responsible for both prefectural and city functions while administering cities, towns, and villages in the suburban and rural areas. Although Japan enjoyed significant success in

7152-773: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (1991). Kisho Kurokawa was also active in the city, and his works there include the National Art Center (2005) and the Nakagin Capsule Tower (1972). Other notable contemporary buildings in Tokyo include the Tokyo Dome , Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower , Roppongi Hills , Tokyo International Forum , and Asahi Beer Hall . As of October 2012, the official intercensal estimate showed 13.506 million people in Tokyo, with 9.214 million living within Tokyo's 23 wards. During

7301-424: The Tokyo Stock Exchange (1878). The rapid modernization of the country was driven from Tokyo, with its business districts such as Marunouchi filled with modern brick buildings and the railway network serving as a means to help the large influx of labour force needed to keep the development of the economy. The City of Tokyo was officially established on May 1, 1889. The Imperial Diet , the national legislature of

7450-566: The Toronto Blue Jays due to the font they used. On March 24, 2022, Shinjo was approved by the NPB to be registered as "BIGBOSS" for the 2022 season . On September 28, 2022, the Fighters played their final game at Sapporo Dome, an 11–3 loss to the Chiba Lotte Marines and the team finished the season with the worst record in the NPB. After the game, it was announced that Tsuyoshi Shinjo would continue being manager for

7599-586: The second-largest in the world at the time behind that of the United States . As of 2023 , the city is home to 29 of the world's 500 largest companies, as listed in the annual Fortune Global 500 ; the second-highest number of any city. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tokyo became the first city in Asia to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 1964, and again in 2021, and it also hosted three G7 summits in 1979, 1986, and 1993. Tokyo

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7748-443: The " Black Mist " match-fixing scandal that rocked the professional baseball world in 1970 (after which Flyers ace Toshiaki Moriyasu was banned from the game for life), in 1971 Flyers owner Okawa died suddenly. Shigeru Okada , who did not view Okawa favorably, took over Toei after his death. Together with Noboru Goto , company president of Tokyu and loyal friend of Okada (and one who also thought unfavorably of Okawa), Okada let go of

7897-557: The 1930s but canceled due to the war. However, due to the monetary contraction policy known as the Dodge Line , named after Joseph Dodge , the neoliberal economic advisor to MacArthur, the plan had to be reduced to a minimal one focusing on transport and other infrastructure. In 1947, the 35 pre-war special wards were reorganized into the current 23 wards . Tokyo did not experience fast economic growth until around 1950, when heavy industry output returned to pre-war levels. Since around

8046-547: The 1950s and 1960s, the government invested 6–7% of the national budget on disaster and risk reduction. A huge system of dams, levees and tunnels was constructed. The purpose is to manage heavy rain, typhonic rain, and river floods. Tokyo has currently the world's largest underground floodwater diversion facility called the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (MAOUDC). It took 13 years to build and

8195-416: The 2023 season, but he will not wear "BIGBOSS" on his jersey. They would again fare poorly in the 2023 season, finishing with the 3rd worst record in the NPB, primarily thanks to the team suffering a 14 game losing streak in the middle of the year, including 7 straight games of losing by a lone run. However, one of the biggest standouts that year was from Japanese-Congo player Chusei Mannami , who finished with

8344-679: The 26th Centenary of the Enthronement of Emperor Jimmu celebrations took place on a grand scale to boost morale and increase the sense of national identity in the same year. On 8 December 1941, Japan attacked the American bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , entering the Second World War against the Allied Powers . The wartime regime greatly affected life in the city. In 1943, Tokyo City merged with Tokyo Prefecture to form

8493-410: The Fighters drafted him anyways as they would have lost him to an MLB team. Otani signed with the Fighters nonetheless. Otani, with his ability to both pitch and hit, quickly became a star for the team. He was selected as an NPB all-star five times and was named Pacific League MVP in 2016. Behind Otani, the Fighters returned to the Japan Series in 2016 , facing the Hiroshima Toyo Carp . After dropping

8642-401: The Fighters experiencing more managerial troubles in 1996, then-manager Toshiharu Ueda suddenly took a personal leave during a pennant race with the Orix BlueWave , eventually causing the Fighters to fade over the last month of the season. However, new life was born in Tokyo Dome in 1998. Hitters such as Nigel Wilson , Jerry Brooks , Yukio Tanaka , Atsushi Kataoka , Katsuhiro Nishiura and

8791-412: The Fighters for their plans to build ES-CON Field Hokkaido. ES-CON Field plans would be similar to the then-under construction Globe Life Field in Arlington . Both ballparks would have mixed use community districts, and similar structure, hence why both ballparks look very similar. Also, this was due to the stadium being designed by HKS Architects , who also designed Globe Life Field. In October 2021,

8940-424: The Fighters posted the dance on their YouTube channels. The dance, from then on out, became a major hit at Fighters games, and despite the team struggling in 2022, it became an entertaining part of games. It became so popular that on September 19, 2022, Ylvis went to Japan and performed the song live prior to a game against the Chiba Lotte Marines . The dance's success led to the term "fox dance" to be ranked 3rd in

9089-434: The Fighters replaced longtime manager Hideki Kuriyama , who went on to become manager of Samurai Japan , with former player Tsuyoshi Shinjo . He is best known for winning his first Japan Series title in his last game before retirement. On January 21, 2022, new manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo unveiled a new logo and uniform for the Fighters. The response from fans was mixed to mostly negative. Fans often compared their jerseys to

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9238-404: The Fighters to Sapporo , the capital of Hokkaidō and Japan's fifth largest city, emerged. The Seibu Lions also had preliminary plans to move to the northern metropolis. Tokyo's Fighters fans voiced their opposition to the proposed relocation (though the franchise never drew as many fans as their co-habitual counterparts, the Giants, while playing in the capital), but it was eventually announced that

9387-452: The Fighters to their second Pacific League pennant in 1981. With saves leader Yutaka Enatsu and starter Shigekuni Mashiba (who went 15–0 over the season) forming the heart of the pitching staff, the Fighters shined with offensive sluggers Tony Solaita , Junichi Kashiwabara , and Tommy Cruz . The team that year also featured various important players of smaller stature, like Makoto Shimada and Nobuhiro Takashiro . They would go on to play

9536-436: The Fighters went on an eleven-game winning streak, the best such streak for the franchise in over 45 years and tying the team record. After achieving the feat, the team had a six- and a seven-game winning streak, demonstrating to the rest of the P.L. that they were a dangerous club. A fierce struggle for first place developed between the Fighters, Lions and Hawks. On September 27, the Fighters emerged in first place, earning

9685-427: The Fighters were in a fierce race with the Chiba Lotte Marines for the final spot in the new P.L. playoff system. With a vital win over the Orix BlueWave on September 24, the newly moved Fighters earned a trip to the postseason, advancing to play Seibu in a three-game series. Though they put up a strong effort against Seibu ace Daisuke Matsuzaka , the Fighters lost the first game of the series 6–5. They took Game 2 by

9834-401: The Fighters' relocation was eventually approved by the league. The response from the people of Hokkaidō was weak, but NPB fans welcomed the move, noting that the Fighters could now be free from the Tokyo Dome's high rent and perpetual second-billing to the Giants. Out of respect for the Tokyo-based Fighters fans, the team decided to schedule a few "home" games per season at the Tokyo Dome. After

9983-462: The Flyers had to use Korakuen or another field for their games.) In the same year, two star aces, Masayuki Dobashi and Yukio Ozaki, blossomed under Mizuhara's coaching and the Flyers captured their first league championship. They would go on to defy odds in the Japan Series and defeat the Hanshin Tigers for their first Japan Series title. This championship would be their only one in the Toei era. The Kokutetsu Swallows jointly occupied Meiji Jingu with

10132-401: The Flyers the following season, and in 1964 the Flyers went back to their old home, Korakuen, also home of the Yomiuri Giants ; both the Fighters and Giants would share a home for the next 39 years. The Flyers assembled a group of powerful sluggers over the next few years—among them: Isao Harimoto , Katsuo Osugi, Inchon Bek , and Shoichi Busujima —but on top of a declining movie industry and

10281-434: The Giants would play during the day and the Fighters during the night. One novel aspect of the Fighters was that they attracted armies of grade-school boys to sit in the outfield stands on weekend games under a "Young Boys’ Fan Club" promotion, starting the first organized fan club in Japanese professional baseball. During the 1980s the Fighters hosted many of the Pacific League's leading pitchers, including Isamu Kida (led

10430-400: The House of Representatives, 6 of whom were members of the ruling LDP in the 2021 election. The Tokyo at-large district , which covers the entire metropolis, sends 12 members to the House of Councillors . The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay and measures about 90 km (56 mi) east to west and 25 km (16 mi) north to south. The average elevation in Tokyo

10579-426: The Meiji government, Edo was renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital) on 3 September 1868. Emperor Meiji visited the city once at the end of that year and eventually moved there in 1869. Tokyo had already been the nation's political center for nearly three centuries, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well, with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace . Government ministries such as

10728-641: The Mitsui Headquarters (1929), Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi flagship store (1914, refurbished in 1925), Takashimaya Nihonbashi flagship store (1932), Wako in Ginza (1932) and Isetan Shinjuku flagship store (1933). This spread of earthquake and fire-resistant architecture reached council housing too, most notably the Dōjunkai apartments . The 1930s saw the rise of styles that combined characteristics of both traditional Japanese and modern designs. Chuta Ito

10877-478: The P.L. with 22 wins in his rookie year in 1980; won MVP , Rookie of the Year the same year), Mikio Kudō (20 wins in 1982), Hiroshi Tsuno (recorded double-digit win totals in several years throughout the mid-eighties) and Yasumitsu Shibata (three-time All Star; recorded no-hitter in 1990). Yukihiro Nishizaki particularly stood out, recording 15 wins and an ERA under three in each of his first two years (though

11026-502: The Rookie of the Year title eluded him), racking up seven double-digit win seasons over the course of his eleven-year stay with the Fighters and gaining a considerable following from female fans due to his easy-going demeanor. In 1986 shortstop Yukio Tanaka joined the club; he remained with the team for 22 seasons, becoming known as "Mr. Fighters". From 1988 until the move to Hokkaidō , the Fighters played their home games in Tokyo Dome ,

11175-636: The Russians; while in the prisoner of war camp, he introduced baseball to his captors. The JBL reorganized to Nippon Professional Baseball in 1950, and Mizhuara became player-manager of the Giants (although he retired as a player after the season). As manager for the Giants from 1950 to 1960, the Toei Flyers from 1961 to 1967, and the Chunichi Dragons from 1969 to 1971, Mizuhara compiled

11324-490: The US dollar, had a devastating effect on Japan's manufacturing sector, particularly affecting small to mid-size companies based in Tokyo. This led the government to adopt a domestic-demand-focused economic policy, ultimately causing an asset price bubble . Land redevelopment projects were planned across the city, and real estate prices skyrocketed. By 1990, the estimated value of the Imperial Palace surpassed that of

11473-520: The US seized control of the Mariana Islands . From these islands, newly developed long-range B-29 bombers could conduct return journeys. The bombing of Tokyo in 1944 and 1945 is estimated to have killed between 75,000 and 200,000 civilians and left more than half of the city destroyed. The deadliest night of the war came on March 9–10, 1945, the night of the American " Operation Meetinghouse " raid. Nearly 700,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on

11622-413: The Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Series, where the Fighters lost in six games. At the time, the franchise shared Korakuen Stadium with the Giants, so scheduling games throughout the season for both teams posed a problem. League schedulers tried to avoid putting the Fighters and the Giants at Korakuen on the same day, but when they both had home games scheduled, league officials made the implicit decision that

11771-577: The administrative boundaries of Tokyo Metropolis are two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south: the Izu Islands , and the Ogasawara Islands , which stretch more than 1,000 km (620 mi) away from the mainland. Because of these islands and the mountainous regions to the west, Tokyo's overall population density figures far under-represent the real figures for the urban and suburban regions of Tokyo. The former city of Tokyo and

11920-478: The area that had been Tokyo City until 1943, 30 other municipalities are located in the Tama area , and the remaining 9 are on Tokyo's outlying islands. Tokyo has enacted a measure to cut greenhouse gases. Governor Shintaro Ishihara created Japan's first emissions cap system , aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission by a total of 25% by 2020 from the 2000 level. Tokyo is an example of an urban heat island , and

12069-592: The bullpen wasting another great performance by Darvish. The Fighters went on to win the Pacific League championship and went through the Climax Series to earn a second consecutive trip to the Japan Series to once again face the Chunichi Dragons. But in a reversal of roles from last year, the Fighters took Game 1, but the Dragons took the next four games to defeat the Fighters; the last of which being

12218-866: The ceremony being attended by Ogure herself, Fighters Girl members, and mascot Frep the Fox, the main idea sake of the dance itself. Fighters Girl members, alongside Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46 , performed the song during the Kohaku Uta Gassen annual concert on New Year's Eve on December 31, 2022. Notable names that done the dance with Fighters Girl include actress and former Takarazuka Revue member Sei Matobu , Japanese idol group Nogizaka46 member Saya Kanagawa, and Fox Sports analyst and brother of MLB pitcher Justin Verlander , Ben Verlander, amongst other people, including opposing team's cheerleading squads. The dance has also found itself being performed in

12367-421: The cheerleaders. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Tokyo Tokyo , officially the Tokyo Metropolis , is the capital city of Japan . With a population of over 14 million residents within the city proper as of 2023, it is one of the most populous cities in the world . The Greater Tokyo Area , which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring prefectures ,

12516-475: The city's administrative center; and Shibuya , a commercial, cultural, and business hub in the city. Before the 17th century, Tokyo, then known as Edo , was mainly a fishing village. It gained political prominence in 1603 when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate . By the mid-18th century, Edo was among the world's largest cities, with over a million residents. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868,

12665-562: The city. The climate of Chichijima in Ogasawara village is on the boundary between the tropical savanna climate (Köppen classification: Aw ) and the tropical rainforest climate (Köppen classification: Af ). It is approximately 1,000 km (621 mi) south of the Greater Tokyo Area , resulting in much different climatic conditions. Tokyo's easternmost territory, the island of Minamitorishima in Ogasawara village ,

12814-488: The club attempted to sign Kazuhisa Ishii , but failed. In the draft, the team selected pitchers Tomoya Yagi and Masaru Takeda . And, before the 2006 season Shigeyuki Furuki and Kazunari Sanematsu were traded to the Giants for pitcher Hideki Okajima . The 2006 season would turn out to be a monumental one for the Fighters. After defeating the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on the final day of interleague play,

12963-555: The club. The newly born Flyers, with Hiroshi Oshita becoming one of the most popular players in the league , began to attract many fans, but the team's administration still went into a deficit. With the formation of the National Baseball League drawing nearer, in 1948 the not-yet-affiliated Daiei club , which had played a few exhibition games against the Otsuka Athletics , joined with Tokyu to create

13112-463: The continuing maturation of Yu Darvish, who had back-to-back complete game, 14-strikeout performances early in the season. At one point, Nippon Ham was second-to-last in the Pacific League , but recently has been able to turn it around. With the start of Interleague play, Nippon-Ham began a 14-game winning streak, which ended on June 9 with a 3–2 extra inning loss to the Yakult Swallows , with

13261-636: The country, leading to Japan joining the Second World War as an Axis power . Due to the country's political isolation on the international stage caused by its military aggression in China and the increasingly unstable geopolitical situations in Europe, Тоkуо had to give up hosting the 1940 Summer Olympics in 1938. Rationing started in June 1940 as the nation braced itself for another world war, while

13410-524: The country, was established in Tokyo in 1889, and it has ever since been operating in the city. On 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck the city, and the earthquake and subsequent fire killed an estimated 105,000 citizens. The loss amounted to 37 percent of the country's economic output. On the other hand, the destruction provided an opportunity to reconsider the planning of the city, which had changed its shape hastily after

13559-442: The daytime, the population swells by over 2.5 million as workers and students commute from adjacent areas. This effect is even more pronounced in the three central wards of Chiyoda , Chūō , and Minato , whose collective population as of the 2005 National Census was 326,000 at night, but 2.4 million during the day. According to April 2024 official estimates, Setagaya (942,003), Nerima (752,608), and Ota (748,081) were

13708-460: The early Meiji period , the city was sometimes called "Tōkei", an alternative pronunciation for the same characters representing "Tokyo", making it a kanji homograph . Some surviving official English documents use the spelling "Tokei"; however, this pronunciation is now obsolete. Tokyo was originally a village called Edo , part of the old Musashi Province . Edo was first fortified by the Edo clan in

13857-581: The earthquake and new cultural and liberal political movements, such as Taishō Democracy , spread, the 1930s saw an economic downturn caused by the Great Depression and major political turmoil. Two attempted military coups d'état happened in Tokyo, the May 15 incident in 1932 and the February 26 incident in 1936. This turmoil eventually allowed the military wings of the government to take control of

14006-482: The east end of the city ( shitamachi , 下町), an area with a high concentration of factories and working-class houses. Two-fifths of the city were completely burned, more than 276,000 buildings were destroyed, 100,000 civilians were killed, and 110,000 more were injured. Numerous Edo and Meiji-era buildings of historical significance were destroyed, including the main building of the Imperial Palace , Sensō-ji , Zōjō-ji , Sengaku-ji and Kabuki-za . Between 1940 and 1945,

14155-477: The effort failed to produce results. Believing that the Pacific League's chances of survival were grim, Nishimura was on the verge of partnering with the Lotte Orions , who were eyeing a league reunification. When the deal fell through, Nishimura, tired of the baseball establishment, resigned from his leadership position and abandoned the Flyers. On November 19, 1973, meatpacking company Nippon Ham purchased

14304-521: The entire state of California . The Tokyo Stock Exchange became the largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, with the Tokyo-based NTT becoming the most highly valued company globally. After the bubble burst in the early 1990s, Japan experienced a prolonged economic downturn called the " Lost Decades ", which was charactized by extremely low or negative economic growth, deflation, stagnant asset prices. Tokyo's status as

14453-744: The field eventually earned them the nickname, "Komazawa's hooligans". On February 1, 1954, Tokyu entrusted the management of the Flyers to the Toei Company , of which Okawa had newly become president. Toei transferred control of the club to a subsidiary company, Toei Kogyo (industrial enterprise). The team's name was changed to the Toei Flyers , and its legal name consequently became the Toei Flyers Baseball Club. This name stuck for nineteen years. In 1961, when Yomiuri Giants manager Shigeru Mizuhara resigned from his position, Okawa attempted to woo him to join his team, bringing him to

14602-531: The first squad in 2021. Kiyomiya was also being plagued by injuries, whilst Murakami managed to stay healthy and has played the full 143 game schedule with the Swallows. In 2017, Otani left the Fighters to sign with the Los Angeles Angels . On January 8, 2018, the Fighters signed a partnership agreement with the Texas Rangers to exchange scouting info with each other and the Rangers will share advice to

14751-428: The first two games on the road, the Fighters rallied to win the next four games en route to their first championship since 2006. In 2017, the Fighters drafted Kotaro Kiyomiya , a child prodigy entering the draft with high expectations and a number 1 overall pick. The Fighters got his contract negotiation rights after winning a lottery in the draft between 6 other NPB teams. As Japan would soon find out however, he became

14900-517: The five-storey pagoda and the Shimizudo. The Nezu Shrine and Gokokuji were built by the fifth shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa in the late 1600s. All feudal lords ( daimyo ) had large Edo houses where they stayed when in Edo; at one point, these houses amounted to half the total area of Edo. None of the grand Edo-era daimyo houses still exist in Tokyo, as their vast land footprint made them easy targets for redevelopment programs for modernization during

15049-554: The franchise and soon founded the new Senators . He assembled a team of ready and able players like Hiroshi Oshita , Shigeya Iijima and Giichiro Shiraki , but as a newly formed team the Senators faced strict fiscal management and resorted to using hand-me-down uniforms from the Hankyu Railway's pre-war team (who would eventually become the modern-day Orix Buffaloes ). Former Japanese statesman Kinkazu Saionji , grandson of

15198-532: The imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, and the city was renamed Tokyo ( lit.   ' Eastern Capital ' ). In 1923, Tokyo was damaged substantially by the Great Kantō earthquake , and the city was later badly damaged by allied bombing raids during World War II . Beginning in the late 1940s, Tokyo underwent rapid reconstruction and expansion that contributed to the era's so-called Japanese economic miracle in which Japan's economy propelled to

15347-485: The influential Kinmochi Saionji , became the team's owner, and Noboru Oride , borrowing heavily from a Ginza cabaret proprietor, became the team's sponsor. Eventually, trapped by a lack of funds, Yokozawa was forced to resign as the team's manager. For a time, the team was even mockingly nicknamed "Seito" (Bluestockings) after a Japanese feminist magazine of the same name . As the Yomiuri Giants ' pet name

15496-490: The initial stages of the war and rapidly expanded its sphere of influence, the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942, marked the first direct foreign attack on Tokyo. Although the physical damage was minimal, the raid demonstrated the vulnerability of the Japanese mainland to air attacks and boosted American morale. Large-scale Allied air bombing of cities in the Japanese home islands, including Tokyo, began in late 1944 when

15645-450: The late twelfth century. In 1457, Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle to defend the region from the Chiba clan . After Dōkan was assassinated in 1486, the castle and the area came to be possessed by several feudal lords. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu was granted the Kantō region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and moved there from his ancestral land of Mikawa Province . He greatly expanded the castle, which

15794-553: The latter is the tallest tower in both Japan and the world, and the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai . With a scheduled completion date in 2027, Torch Tower (385m) will overtake Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower (325.2m) as the tallest building in Tokyo. Kenzo Tange designed notable contemporary buildings in Tokyo, including Yoyogi National Gymnasium (1964), St. Mary's Cathedral (1967), and

15943-646: The main palace buildings and the tenshu tower have been lost. Numerous temple and shrine buildings in Tokyo date from this era: the Ueno Toshogu still maintains the original 1651 building built by the third shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa . Although partially destroyed during the Second World War, Zojo-ji , which houses the Tokugawa family mausoleum, still has grand Edo-era buildings such as the Sangedatsu gate. Kaneiji has grand 17th-century buildings such as

16092-437: The majority of Tokyo prefecture lie in the humid subtropical climate zone ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa ), with hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters with occasional cold spells. The region, like much of Japan, experiences a one-month seasonal lag . The warmest month is August, which averages 26.9 °C (80.4 °F). The coolest month is January, averaging 5.4 °C (41.7 °F). The record low temperature

16241-422: The majority of its resources to rebuilding in the wake of the consistent fires, earthquakes , and other devastating natural disasters that plagued the city. Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population reaching one million by the 18th century. This prolonged period of seclusion however came to an end with the arrival of American Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853. Commodore Perry forced

16390-459: The marriage of a shogun's daughter into the Maeda clan , one of the most affluent of the feudal lords, while the campus itself occupies their former edo estate. The Meiji era saw a rapid modernization in architectural styles as well; until the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 exposed their weakness to seimic shocks, grand brick buildings were constantly built across the city. Tokyo Station (1914),

16539-413: The most populous wards and municipalities in Tokyo. The least inhabited of all Tokyo municipalities are remote island villages such as Aogashima (150), Mikurajima (289), and Toshima (306). In 2021, Tokyo's average and median ages were both 45.5 years old. This is below the national median age of 49.0, placing Tokyo among the youngest regions in Japan. 16.8% of the population was below 15, while 34.6%

16688-532: The move finally was complete in 2004, the Fighters signed former-Tigers superstar Tsuyoshi Shinjo , who came back to NPB from MLB after playing with the New York Mets and nearly winning a World Series title with the San Francisco Giants and a revitalized Fernando Seguignol . American manager Trey Hillman led the team to success in his second year on the job, and at the end of the season,

16837-707: The moves of a fox, set to the Ylvis song " The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) ", which began in May 2022. The origins of this tradition came from Fighters staff member and former Fighters Girl member Sari Ogure, who watched the music video 2 years prior. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic disallowing any cheering or singing at games, she wanted to make a choreographed dance that would be simple for anyone to memorize, especially children. She had planned to propose this dance, but waited until it

16986-408: The new gateway to the city, while the relatively small Haneda Airport switched to primarily domestic flights. West Shinjuku , which had been occupied by the vast Yodobashi Water Purification Centre until 1965, became the site of an entirely new business district characterized by skyscrapers surpassing 200 metres during this period. The American-led Plaza Accord in 1985, which aimed to depreciate

17135-553: The opening of the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate , leading to an increase in the demand for new foreign goods and subsequently a severe rise in inflation. Social unrest mounted in the wake of these higher prices and culminated in widespread rebellions and demonstrations, especially in the form of the "smashing" of rice establishments. Meanwhile, supporters of the Emperor leveraged the disruption caused by widespread rebellious demonstrations to further consolidate power, which resulted in

17284-499: The overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate , for the first time in a few centuries, the Emperor ceased to be a mere figurehead and became both the de facto and de jure ruler of the country. Hisoka Maejima advocated for the relocation of the capital functions to Tokyo, recognizing the advantages of the existing infrastructure and the vastness of the Kanto Plain compared to the relatively small Kyoto basin . After being handed over to

17433-638: The overthrow of the last Tokugawa shōgun, Yoshinobu , in 1867. After 265 years, the Pax Tokugawa came to an end. In May 1868, Edo castle was handed to the Emperor-supporting forces after negotiation (the Fall of Edo ). Some forces loyal to the shogunate kept fighting, but with their loss in the Battle of Ueno on 4 July 1868, the entire city came under the control of the new government . After

17582-508: The park. At and after 7:30 pm, usually well after the first pitch, the team began selling special child-fare tickets called "730 Tickets" (they started the same promotion at the Tokyo Dome in 2005). In addition to these, in 2005 they added extra-low priced tickets, discount parking passes and beer coupons to attract more fans. As a result of these promotions, and partially due to the rising popularity of young pitcher Yu Darvish , drafted

17731-489: The phenomenon is especially serious in its special wards. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the annual mean temperature has increased by about 3 °C (5.4 °F) over the past 100 years. Tokyo has been cited as a "convincing example of the relationship between urban growth and climate". In 2006, Tokyo enacted the "10 Year Project for Green Tokyo" to be realized by 2016. It set

17880-576: The population of Tokyo dwindled from 6,700,000 to less than 2,800,000, as soldiers were sent to the front and children were evacuated. After the war, Tokyo became the base from which the Allied Occupation Forces , under Douglas MacArthur , an American general, administered Japan for six years. The original rebuilding plan of Tokyo was based on a plan modelled after the Metropolitan Green Belt of London , devised in

18029-866: The public on limited occasions. Aristocratic residences today open to the public include the Marquess Maeda residence in Komaba , the Baron Iwasaki residence in Ikenohata and the Baron Furukawa residence in Nishigahara. The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 ushered in an era of concrete architecture. Surviving reinforced concrete buildings from this era include the Meiji Insurance Headquarters (completed in 1934),

18178-553: The resignation of her predecessor, Yoichi Masuzoe . She was re-elected in 2020 and in 2024. The legislature of the Metropolis is called the Metropolitan Assembly , and it has one house with 127 seats. The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, approving the budget (8.5 trillion yen in fiscal 2024), and voting on important administrative appointments made by the governor, including

18327-586: The round-robin and won the final 1–0 over the La New Bears . The 2006 offseason saw the departure of two of Nippon-Ham's best players, both via free agency. First baseman Michihiro Ogasawara was signed to a blockbuster contract with the Yomiuri Giants , and left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima departed to the Boston Red Sox . At the start of the 2007 season, Nippon-Ham had a lot of trouble scoring runs, relying far too much on their pitching, despite

18476-553: The second most home runs in Pacific League, hitting 25, just below Gregory Polanco , Kensuke Kondoh , and Hideto Asamura , who all hit 26 each. He also became the second player in NPB history to hit a lead-off and walk-off home run in the same game against the Hawks in September. The Fox Dance is a tradition of the Fighters to do during the middle of innings, in which they encouraged fans, alongside cheerleaders, to dance similarly to

18625-465: The stadium that replaced their longtime home Korakuen. After the Dome was finished, the pitching dominance of Yukihiro Nishizaki and Yasumitsu Shibata began to emerge. Keiji Osawa came out of retirement to manage the team for a third time in 1993, only to see his team sink to the bottom of the standings; he gained notoriety for kneeling to the fans at the end of that season, begging for their forgiveness. With

18774-594: The team was sold to the Tokyu Corporation . The Tokyu baseball club was inaugurated into the league, and the team's name became the Tokyu Flyers . At that time Tokyu dominated the Japanese transportation sector, owning several other railway companies, although it was faced with troubles and the possibility of a breakup. Tokyu purchased the team to act as a banner of solidarity for the swelling company, and managing director Hiroshi Okawa assumed ownership of

18923-414: The team won their first Japanese championship in 44 years, defeating the Chunichi Dragons in five games. Fittingly, Darvish pitched for the win in the final game of the series. The series' MVP honors went to Fighters' outfielder Atsunori Inaba , who hit for a .357 batting average during the series with one home run and six RBIs. The championship win was especially fitting for OF Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who

19072-591: The team would indeed call the Sapporo Dome its new home beginning in 2004. Aiming to build a grassroots relationship with its future fans, the team decided to change its name to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters . At first, with the unhappy Seibu Lions suddenly changing their approval vote, Giants owner Tsuneo Watanabe and Seibu owner Yoshiaki Tsutsumi voiced their concerns over the move. They believed that Nippon Ham's choice to move

19221-499: The team would spur a decentralization in Japanese professional baseball, and they threatened that a decrease in the number of teams in the Kantō and Kansai regions should merit a one-league system instead of two. As a matter of fact, the question of reorganizing baseball's league structure eventually became a bigger issue than the sale and renaming of the Kintetsu Buffaloes . The issue eventually settled down, though, and

19370-403: The team, led by owner Yoshinori Okoso. Okoso had bought the team as he was willing to bring them back to prominence when essentially no one wanted them. He loved them to death, so much so that he never held any company meetings when the team was playing, and if where he was at, they were not on TV or radio, he would dispatch employees to go to that game and update him via payphone . The club's name

19519-486: The time the Allied occupation of Japan ended in 1952, Tokyo's focus shifted from rebuilding to developing beyond its pre-war stature. From the 1950s onwards, Tokyo's Metro and railway network saw significant expansion, culminating in the launch of the world's first dedicated high-speed railway line, the Shinkansen , between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964. The same year saw the development of other transport infrastructure such as

19668-408: The title "Regular Season Champions". They also boasted the best team ERA (3.05) and the best team home run total (135) in the NPB. Yu Darvish had an especially impressive year, winning 12 games and posting an ERA of 2.89, establishing himself as the ace of the Fighters’ staff. The Fighters swept the Hawks in the second stage of the P.L. playoffs to earn their third pennant. In the Japan Series,

19817-514: The total to 700,000. As of 2014 , roadside trees in Tokyo have increased to 950,000, and a further 300 ha (740 acres) of green space has been added. Tokyo is the seat of all three branches of government : the legislature ( National Diet ), the executive ( Cabinet led by the Prime Minister ), and the judiciary ( Supreme Court of Japan ), as well as the Emperor of Japan , the head of state. Most government ministries are concentrated in

19966-545: The unprofitable team. The team was sold to Akitaka Nishimura of the Nittaku Home real estate enterprise, a common acquaintance of Okada and Goto, on February 7, 1973. The team's name became the Nittaku Home Flyers . Nishimura, in an attempt to inject life back into the unpopular Pacific League, developed seven different uniforms for his team and experimented in every aspect of the team's operation, but

20115-462: The vice governors. Its members are also elected on a four-year cycle. Since the completion of the Great Mergers of Heisei in 2001, Tokyo consists of 62 municipalities : 23 special wards , 26 cities , 5 towns and 8 villages . All municipalities in Japan have a directly elected mayor and a directly elected assembly, each elected on independent four-year cycles. The 23 Special Wards cover

20264-441: The wind blows north-east it could send volcanic ash to Tokyo metropolis. According to the government, less than a millimeter of the volcanic ash from a Mount Fuji eruption could cause power grid problems such as blackouts and stop trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A mixture of ash with rain could stick to cellphone antennas, power lines and cause temporary power outages. The affected areas would need to be evacuated. Tokyo

20413-428: The winning name, giving the reasoning that "(former Fighters player) Katsuo Osugi has guts, so he's a fighter." Osugi would be traded to the Yakult Swallows soon after the Fighters were rechristened. The same would be for Zainichi Korean Isao Harimoto , as Nakanishi hated Harimoto for challenging his authority, going nearly as far as trying to release him. However, Okoso did not want to let him go, as Nippon-Ham had

20562-512: The year before, the left field stands became constantly sold out for exhibition games, regular season games and playoff games, filled with loud and raucous Ōendan . Even the right field stands, usually occupied by the visiting team's fans, began to fill with Fighters supporters. In 2005, the Fighters drew over 1,000,000 fans for the first time since 1993, ranking second in the P.L. after the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks . Also in 2005,

20711-516: Was "Kyojin", baseball personality Soutaro Suzuki thought that other teams should also have pet names like the Giants, and names such as the Osaka Tigers ' alias "Mouko" (fierce tiger), the Senators' "Seito" and the Pacific 's "Taihei" (tranquility) began to be used by the press . However, the other teams rejected the use of these pet names, so they were not fully adopted. On January 7, 1947,

20860-412: Was English (209 residents), followed by American (182) and Chinese nationals (137). Shigeru Mizuhara As manager Shigeru Mizuhara ( 水原 茂 , Mizuhara Shigeru , January 19, 1909 – March 26, 1982) is a former professional baseball infielder and manager in Japan's Japanese Baseball League (JBL) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). As a player his team won nine JBL championships; as

21009-871: Was a leading figure in this movement, and his extant works in Tokyo include Tsukiji Hongan-ji (1934). The Imperial Crown Style , which often features Japanese-style roofs on top of elevated concrete structures, was adopted for the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno and the Kudan Hall in Kudanminami . Since the 30-metre height restriction was lifted in the 1960s, Tokyo's most dense areas have been dominated by skyscrapers. As of May 2024, there are at least 184 buildings exceeding 150 metres (492 feet) in Tokyo. Apart from these, Tokyo Tower (333m) and Tokyo Sky Tree (634m) feature high-elevation observation decks;

21158-403: Was a longtime veteran of the Hanshin Tigers (who were perennial losers), and also had played for a brief time in the United States' Major League Baseball . It was Shinjo's ultimate desire to win a championship, and he did in the final year of his illustrious career in Japan with Nippon-Ham. This victory gave the Fighters a berth in the four-team Asia Series , in which the team went undefeated in

21307-447: Was above 65. In the same year, the youngest municipalities in Tokyo were Mikura-jima (average age 40.72), Chuo (41.92), and Chiyoda (42.07), while the oldest included Okutama (59.11) and Miyake (53.82). In 1889, the Home Ministry recorded 1,375,937 people in Tokyo City and a total of 1,694,292 people in Tokyo-fu . In the same year, a total of 779 foreign nationals were recorded as residing in Tokyo. The most common nationality

21456-415: Was based in Kyoto from 794 to 1868, so Edo was still not the capital of Japan. During the Edo period , the city enjoyed a prolonged period of peace known as the Pax Tokugawa , and in the presence of such peace, the shogunate adopted a stringent policy of seclusion, which helped to perpetuate the lack of any serious military threat to the city. The absence of war-inflicted devastation allowed Edo to devote

21605-404: Was changed to the Nippon-Ham Fighters , its official name became the Nippon-Ham Baseball Corporation. Osamu Mihara became the team president and Futoshi Nakanishi , Mihara's son-in-law, as its manager. After 27 years, the "Flyers" nickname was abandoned. The "Fighters" nickname was born from a public appeal by the team's management. A female high school student from Okayama prefecture submitted

21754-430: Was completed in 2006. The MAOUDC is a 6.3 km (3.9 mi) long system of tunnels, 22 meters (72 ft) underground, with 70-meter (230 ft) tall cylindrical tanks, each tank being large enough to fit a space shuttle or the Statue of Liberty. During floods, excess water is collected from rivers and drained to the Edo River . Low-lying areas of Kōtō , Edogawa , Sumida , Katsushika , Taitō and Arakawa near

21903-419: Was right for her to do so, which came at the hiring of Tsuyoshi Shinjo as manager, after then manager Hideki Kuriyama left the team to become the manager of Samurai Japan . The dance was introduced in a game against the Saitama Seibu Lions , and while it was not a hit right out of the gate, the dance began to majorly gain traction after Pacific League TV (Pacific League's centralized streaming service) and

22052-423: Was said to have been abandoned and in tatters when he moved there, and ruled the region from there. When he became shōgun , the de facto ruler of the country, in 1603, the whole country came to be ruled from Edo. While the Tokugawa shogunate ruled the country in practice, the Imperial House of Japan was still the de jure ruler, and the title of shōgun was granted by the Emperor as a formality. The Imperial House

22201-407: Was −9.2 °C (15.4 °F) on January 13, 1876. The record high was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on July 20, 2004. The record highest low temperature is 30.3 °C (86.5 °F), on August 12, 2013, making Tokyo one of only seven observation sites in Japan that have recorded a low temperature over 30 °C (86.0 °F). Annual rainfall averages nearly 1,600 millimeters (63.0 in), with

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