There are two professional baseball leagues in Japan: the Central League and the Pacific League, each consisting of six teams. Games are broadcast live on television during the season. Furthermore, there is a large number of university and high school baseball teams. The finals of the high school baseball tournaments, in particular, are very popular and are broadcast nationwide.

Several Japanese players are playing highly successful careers in the American Major Leagues and enjoy great popularity and media coverage in Japan. Their games are often broadcast on television with special highlights of the Japanese players.