During his two seasons as Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks manager, Hiroki Kokubo has guided the team to a pair of Pacific League pennants.
The Hawks fell to the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the 2024 Japan Series, then won the title with a five-game triumph over the Hanshin Tigers on October 30, capturing their first title since 2020.
A few weeks later, SoftBank winning the Japan Series was the pivotal factor in the 54-year-old Kokubo being named the 2025 recipient of the Matsutaro Shoriki Award.
"It's a great honor to win such a prestigious award," Kokubo said, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun. "It is the result of the efforts of the entire Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks organization."
A five-man committee gathered on November 13 in Tokyo to choose a winner, and Kokubo was selected as "the manager or player who has made the greatest contributions to [Japanese] professional baseball this season," PacificLeague.com reported.
Committee chairman Sadaharu Oh praised Kokubo for his successful season as Hawks manager.
"He broke free from fixed notions and maximized the players' abilities," Oh said, according to Nikkan Sports. "[And] he boldly used young players, and they responded magnificently."
Kokubo's Hawks have compiled a 178-101-7 record in the regular season since his managerial debut.
His steady leadership helped the club handle the absence of numerous players at various times in 2025 due to injuries.
"On behalf of the team, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all involved and to our fans," Kokubo said in a team-issued statement.
Hiroki Kokubo Joins an Impressive List of Shoriki Award Recipients
Frequently, the title-winning skipper of the Japan Series receives the Shoriki Award.
Such was the case in 2015 and 2018, 2019 and '20 for then-Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo. And BayStars dugout boss Daisuke Miura received the honor in 2024 after his club conquered the Hawks in the Japanese Fall Classic.
In addition, Tokyo Yakult Swallows manager Shingo Takatsu was the 2021 recipient after his club won the NPB championship. The same was true in 2022 for the Orix Buffaloes' Satoshi Nakajima.
Ichiro Suzuki (1994, '95) and Hideki Matsui (2000) are among the players who have won the award.
In 1977, Oh was the first recipient of the award.
The Shoriki Award was named after the late owner of The Yomiuri Shimbun and founder of the Yomiuri Giants.
As the latest award winner, Hiroki Kokubo will receive a gold medal and ¥5 million JPY (about $32,000 USD).
Special Honor for Yoshinobu Yamamoto
World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers was chosen to receive a special award, the Shoriki Award committee announced.
Yamamoto will be presented with a gold medal and ¥3 million (about $19,000).
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Who are the Frontrunners to Sign Murakami?
Slugger Munetaka Murakami was posted on November 7, making him available to all 30 MLB teams to sign during a 45-day window.
For Murakami, this period ends on December 22.
The 25-year-old Murakami, who began his NPB career in 2018 with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, won the Central League Triple Crown in 2022 with a .318 average, 56 homers and 134 RBIs.
Murakami has 246 career homers in 892 games (all with the Swallows).
"He has legit power," a baseball scout said of Murakami, according to MLB.com. "It should translate to the majors."
Nikkan Sports reported that the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Seattle Mariners are "among the teams that could make a big push for Murakami," MLB.com's senior national reporter Mark Feinsand wrote.
MLB's official website has also listed the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox as "potential suitors" of Murakami.
Online news outlet MLB Trade Rumors published an article on November 6 about the offseason signing period and its ranking of MLB's top 50 free agents. It listed Murakami at No 4, and predicted that "the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Angels, Padres and Mariners all make varying degrees of sense" for signing Murakami.
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Sumo
Onosato Improves to 7-0 at Kyushu Basho
Yokozuna Onosato completed an unbeaten first week at the Kyushu Basho on Saturday, November 15, defeating third-ranked maegashira Ura.
As a result, Onosato improved to 7-0 in the 15-day tournament.
The Ishikawa Prefecture native has a one-win lead over 12th-ranked maegashira Fujinokawa, fifth-ranked maegashira Yoshinofuji and sekiwake Aonishiki in Fukuoka.
Also Saturday, Mongolian Hoshoryu, the other yokozuna, raised his record to 5-2. He bounced back from a Day 6 defeat to maegashira No 2 Wakamotoharu.
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Deaflympics
Japan Men Triumph 8-0 Over Australia in Opener
Takuya Okada scored four goals in Japan's 8-0 rout of Australia in a Group A match in the men's football competition on Friday, November 14 at J-Village in Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture.
The match was held a day before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Deaflympics.
Australia trailed 3-0 at halftime.
Okada is a well-known player on the global stage, helping Japan earn a runner-up finish at the 2023 World Deaf Football Championships in Malaysia. In that tournament, Okada had seven goals and was named MVP.
Japan faces Mexico in its second group stage match of the Tokyo Deaflympics on Sunday.
Earlier in the week, Okada said Japan is determined to play consistently throughout the tournament.
"Our mental approach doesn't change regardless of who we face," Okada was quoted as saying by The Yomiuri Shimbun. "We'll focus not just on the result but on the quality of our play, and aim to enjoy the game."
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Figure Skating
Tomono Places 1st in Short Program at Skate America
Kazuki Tomono finished first in the men's short program at Skate America with a season-high 95.77 points in Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, November 14.
Also for Japan, Tatsuya Tsuboi was in sixth place (77.68) heading into the free skate.
Tomono, 27, had a strong overall performance in his short program. Skating to "That's It, I'm Crazy," he successfully landed a quadruple salchow and a triple axel, among other jumps.
"Today I was very calm and confident, but the audience was so excited," Tomono said, according to the International Skating Union website. "In the step sequence, they got even more excited, and I was shaky."
He continued: "I was really happy that the audience was fired up, but the more that happens, it kind of backfires and makes me more nervous. [And] I want to make sure that doesn't happen in the free skating."
The men's free skate at the Grand Prix Series event was scheduled for Saturday night (Sunday morning JST). Meanwhile, the women's free skate was set to be held on Sunday evening in the city where the 1980 Winter Olympics were held.
Among the 12 entrants for the women's competition are a trio of Japanese skaters ― Wakaba Higuchi, Rinka Watanabe and Hana Yoshida.
Rugby
Wales Edges Japan in Cardiff Thriller
There were six lead changes in the second half of the Wales-Japan match on Saturday night, November 15 in Cardiff. Jarrod Evans provided the winning margin for Wales with a late penalty kick in a 24-23 triumph over the Brave Blossoms in the Autumn Nations Series.
Wales snapped a 10-match home losing streak.
The score was tied 7-7 at halftime.
Japan's Faulua Makisi plunged over the line for a try in the 59th minute and teammate Seungsin Lee added the conversion to put the visitors in front 20-14 with 20 minutes remaining.
The hosts responded, with Nick Tompkins scoring a try and regaining the lead. But Lee booted a penalty for Japan, and the Brave Blossoms led 23-21.
As time was winding down, Japan's Harry Hockings was handed a yellow card for what the referee determined was a high tackle on Wales' Alex Mann. That costly penalty boosted Wales' comeback effort in the waning moments, leading to Evans' kick on the final play.
Wales vs Japan: Post-Match Reactions
"Testament to his [Evans] mindset to come on and take that on and slot it," Wales number eight Olly Cracknell said, according to Reuters.
Cracknell added, "They (Japan) were really challenging. It was a really hard match. They are so fit and play a fast game. The pressure is constant."
Jones spoke about his team's composure after its disappointing loss.
"You need to handle the pressure and we didn't," Jones told reporters, according to Wales Online. "We had a lead and we should have been able to keep it. But I'm proud of the team."
He added, "We mucked up two kickoffs that gave Wales 14 points. We don't know whether it was the pressure of the situation."
Quotes of the Week
"I'm already in peak condition, and my growth won't stop until fight day. I can fight with confidence."
―Boxer Tenshin Nasukawa, speaking on November 12 while looking ahead to his November 24 fight against Takuma Inoue for the vacant WBC bantamweight title, Jiji Press reported. The fight will be held at Toyota Arena Tokyo.
"I hope that the Tokyo Deaflympics will create cherished memories for many people and will build momentum for even greater interest in deaf sport."
―Crown Prince Fumihito, speaking at the opening ceremony for the 2025 Tokyo Deaflympics on Saturday, November 15, Kyodo News reported.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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