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Full text of press conference by new manager Hiroki Kokubo

10/9/2013TopTeam

Full text of press conference by new manager Hiroki Kokubo

October 9th, Hiroki Kokubo was introduced as the new manager for Team Samurai Japan at the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.

Introductory speech of the new manager

Hiroki Kokubo


Hiroki Kokubo

My name is Hiroki Kokubo, the newly assigned manager for the Japan National Baseball Team Samurai Japan. I just turned 42 years old yesterday and so I am still very young and lack the experience, but I will do the best that I can as the manager for Team Japan.

First of all, I am grateful to all the people who have shown up here today. To be honest, when I first received the offer, I was doubtful of my capabilities to manage the team because I have had no previous experiences as a manager. However, I do believe that the meaning of life is to take on challenges and that choices should not be made from the standpoint of whether you can or cannot but rather from a choice of fight-or-flight and that is what gave me the courage to take on this position. From now on I will be the manager of the national team, but at the same time I will be playing an important role in the entire baseball world of Japan including the amateur national team and the collegiate national teams. This is the beginning of our journey towards an ultimate long term goal -- for Team Japan to win back the title of World Champion in the 2017 WBC. The series against Chinese Taipei in next month's series will be an important first step so we will play to win, but as I just mentioned, we have a long term vision and therefore you can expect to see a roster consisting of mainly young players. This is my first experience so at this point I do not yet have a clear image of what style of baseball will be best suitable for my team. However, I am well aware that the entire baseball world of Japan is now united under a shared goal and that I have an important role as the manager of the national team to build a strong team.

Q&A

- Please describe the sequence of events and the changes in your mind leading up to accepting this job.

When I first got the offer, I was simply surprised because I had never imagined myself in such a position so it was difficult for me to see myself as the manager. However, when people spoke to me about how important it was to unify the various teams for the future of Japanese baseball, it made me want to make a contribution. Then I consulted President (Sadaharu) Oh of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and he encouraged me by saying that Something like this is all about timing and fate and therefore I decided to take on this job.

- Now that you will be managing Samurai Japan, what kind of team do you want to build?

Although I retired as a veteran, I am still young as a manager so I believe that the way I approach the game is close to with the active players. That is why I want to communicate closely with the players and show people that we are a young team full with energy.

- Do you have an image of the types of players you would like to select?

Because we have long term goals, mainly the 2017 WBC and the 2015 Premier 12 tournaments, I am thinking of selecting the players who I believe will become the core of the team in 4 years time. However, 4 years is a long time from now and so currently it is difficult for me to mention the names of specific players. But you can expect to see a roster of mainly young players in the next series against Chinese Taipei. Currently the Pacific League is still in the pennant race and with the Climax Series (Playoffs) and Japan Series coming up, the players without much fatigue or health issues will be basis of the team. But we are still in the process of selecting the players.


Hiroki Kokubo

- The word is that you are very fashionable. Do you have any preferences for today's press conference regarding your necktie/neckerchiefs?

No, I don't have any preferences, but I am wearing this necktie for the very first time. This year I studied baseball from an outside perspective, and in that regard, I paid attention to respect the players and the managers when going out on the field. However, no, I don't have that strong of a preference.

- You have 4 years ahead of you. What is the first step you want to take as a manager?

As I had been an active player until last year, I understand how difficult it is for players to have to adjust their conditions so that they can play games in March. However, as the manager of Samurai Japan, it is my duty to build a team that the players would want to play for and to let the players know the importance of playing for a national team. If I cannot do that, I will not be able to gather players to play for Team Japan. I believe that it is important for me to construct a team over the 4 years that will attract the active players to want to join in.

- What do you think is the strength of Japanese baseball?

The basis of Japanese baseball is defense centered around pitching. Additionally, the best weapon Japan has to offer in a tournament is small ball. Though I'm not certain if you can say that sacrifice bunts count as small ball, we definitely have to refine the ways we manufacture a single run. I do consider it will be difficult for us to compete against countries that have more power and speed than us, so that sort of finesse and meticulousness is the baseball I'm going to aim towards.


Press conference at the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

- What is your uniform number and why did you choose it?

My uniform number is going to be 90. I don't really have a deep reason for it, but the number I was most familiar with during my years as a player was 9 so I wanted that number as a part of my uniform. I also wore the number 6 while I was with the Yomiuri Giants so I thought about taking the number 96 but that seemed a little too heavy as a number so I decided to take the number 90.

- Do you have a concrete image of your coaching staff at this point?

I am currently in the process of deciding the coaching staff, but ideally I would like young coaches. When I say young, I know that it's going to be difficult to find coaches that are younger than me, but just because I don't have any managerial experience, it doesn't mean that the I will have a staff of internationally experienced coaches. I consider this as a fresh start so it won't be about relying on the experiences of coaches who have previously supported the WBC or the Olympics. We are looking at a long term vision so it will be a staff of coaches who I hope that will I can grow and mature together with.

- Will the coaching staff be in the same age group as you?

I haven't yet come to a conclusion but I am currently selecting my coaches.

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