Kazuma Okamoto, one of NPB's premier power hitters of the past decade, has accepted a four-year contract offer from MLB's Toronto Blue Jays.
The deal, officially announced by the Blue Jays on Sunday, January 4, will pay Okamoto $60 million USD (about ¥9.4 billion JPY), including a $5 million (¥783 million) signing bonus.
A six-time NPB All-Star, Okamoto played for the Yomiuri Giants from 2015-25. And the third baseman/first baseman was a fixture in the Giants lineup, smacking 248 home runs in 1,074 games. He hit .277 with 717 RBIs for the Giants.
From 2018-23, Okamoto belted 30 or more homers each season, including a career-best 41 in 2023.
In 2025, he was limited to 69 games after sustaining an elbow injury on a collision at first base in May while playing defense.
Okamoto Brings Fielding Versatility to Toronto
While competing for the Giants, Okamoto played third base in 662 games and also saw time at first base in 478 contests.
It's widely expected that Toronto, coming off a runner-up finish in the 2025 World Series, will seek to give Okamoto playing time at third base.
Blue Jays superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr is a five-time MLB All-Star.
In other MLB news, the Houston Astros finalized a three-year, $54 million (¥8.4 billion) contract with Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai via the posting system.
Houston announced the signing on January 2.
Imai, 27, is coming off a 10-5 season with a 1.92 ERA in 2025. The right-hander, who pitched for the Saitama Seibu Lions from 2018-25, has a career record of 58-45 with a 3.15 ERA.
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Track and Field
Aoyama Gakuin Extends Title Reign in Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden
For the third consecutive year, Aoyama Gakuin University triumphed in the Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden. Coach Susumu Hara's squad achieved the feat in record-breaking time on Saturday, January 3.
Aoyama Gakuin completed the two-day ekiden (marathon relay), which covered 217.1 km, in 10 hours, 37 minutes and 34 seconds, winning by more than two-and-a-half minutes.
On January 2, the first day of the 102nd Tokyo-Hakone Round Trip College Ekiden Race, 21 collegiate teams ran from Tokyo's Otemachi district to Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture.
After the first day of the annual competition, Aoyama Gakuin held an 18-second advantage over the second-place team, Waseda University. Hara's team was clocked in 5:18:08 for Day 1 (107.5 km).
The effort of Asahi Kuroda running uphill was instrumental in Aoyama Gakuin's success on the first day. He had a tremendous performance in the day's fifth leg of the race, a time of 1:07:16 as his school jumped from fifth to first. His time was nearly 2 minutes faster than the previous record for the leg.
"I was totally absorbed and have no memory toward the end," Kuroda said, according to Kyodo News on January 2. "I'm relieved we've won the outbound leg."
He continued: "I thought getting up to third was about the best I could manage, [and] I'd like to declare myself the new god of the mountain [leg]."
Info on the Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden
On Saturday, Sota Orita ran the final leg for Aoyama Gakuin as the team wrapped up its third consecutive title in the prestigious competition.
Kuroda, a fourth-year student, was chosen as the MVP of the 2026 Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden.
His performance underscored Coach Hara's ambitions for the team.
"I've always told my students, 'if you put the mental, technical and physical together, you can achieve anything,' " Hara said, according to The Japan News. "And they lived up to that."
Kokugakuin University placed second (10:40:07), followed by Juntendo University (10:43:55) and Waseda University (10:44:29).
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Wrestling
Ex-Judoka Wolf Makes Winning Debut
Aaron Wolf, the men's 100-kg judo gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, had a successful start to his professional wrestling career on Sunday, January 4.
Competing in Wrestle Kingdom 20, Wolf defeated EVIL (Takaaki Watanabe) by submission to snatch the NEVER Openweight Championship at Tokyo Dome.
The 29-year-old Wolf exhibited strength and competitive excellence in the title match, the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) website reported.
"Wolf showed remarkable fighting spirit, refusing to stay down and enduring everything EVIL threw at him," NJPW reported. "Fighting back, Wolf unloaded stiff chops and explosive judo throws, using the same techniques to dispatch the interfering members at ringside."
Wolf, a Tokyo native, announced his retirement from judo in June 2025 to become a professional wrestler.
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Ski Jumping
Nikaido Earns 1st Career World Cup Victory
Ren Nikaido had the day's top mark (131.0 meters in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup meet on Sunday, January 4, in Innsbruck, Austria.
That helped lift him to a narrow victory in the third leg of the Four Hills Tournament. The annual December/January winter extravaganza features two meets in Germany and two in Austria. It wraps up in Bischofshofen, Austria, on Tuesday, January 6.
Nikaido, 24, completed the Innsbruck competition with 276.5 points, finishing ahead of Slovenian runner-up Domen Prevc (276.0), winner of the first two Four Hills meets. On Nikaido's second jump in Innsbruck, he soared 128.0 meters.
"I'm really glad I could show two good jumps," Nikaido said, according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation website. "Of course, they were not perfect. But still … it was enough to win."
On Sunday, Prevc's top mark in the two-round final was 129.5 meters.
Heading into Innsbruck, Nikaido finished 13th and fourth in the first two events in the Four Hills Tournament in Germany.
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American Football
Panasonic Edges Obic in 79th Rice Bowl
Kicker Shintaro Saeki made three field goals in the Panasonic Impulse's 9-7 triumph in the 79th Rice Bowl over the Obic Seagulls on Saturday, January 3.
At Tokyo Dome, Panasonic defensive back Joshua Cox had two interceptions to help the X League's Impulse repeat as Rice Bowl champions. Cox, a Central Michigan University alumnus, earned the game's MVP award.
The Rice Bowl, first held in 1948, is Japan's American football national championship game.
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Soccer
Hamano Joins Tottenham on Loan from Chelsea
Forward Maika Hamano has joined Tottenham on loan from Women's Super League rival Chelsea until the end of the 2025-26 season.
An announcement was made on Sunday, January 4.
Tottenham manager Martin Ho said he expects Hamano to make a positive impact for the team.
"We are pleased to welcome Maika to Tottenham Hotspur," Ho said in a statement. "Maika is a technically gifted and intelligent attacking player who brings creativity, movement and composure in the final third. She has experience at the highest level and will add quality and depth to our attacking options."
The 21-year-old Hamano appeared in 45 matches for Chelsea, starting in 2023. She also competed for Nadeshiko Japan at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
"Watching the team this season, I really felt they've been playing some great football and I thought I could develop a lot as a player," Hamano was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "I want to show fans the connection with my teammates. At the end of the day, football is about winning and I'll do my best to contribute to the team's success."
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Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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