Nippon-Ham pitcher Takayuki Kato entered bullpen in Nago, Okinawa on the 25th. He threw 36 pitches and showed good form.

His earlier-than-usual finishing touches showed his determination for this season. He threw 36 powerful pitches, including a new cutter he has been working on since autumn training camp. "I feel like I'm doing a little better than usual," he said, expressing his satisfaction.

In January, during his voluntary training with his former team, Nippon Steel Kazusa Magic, he entered bullpen twice. As he said that in previous years, "it was just short stop pitching," he has been working on his training early. He has set a goal of being in the rotation for the entire year, and said enthusiastically, "It's true that I didn't produce results last year, but if I produce results, I think they'll continue to use me. I want to establish a spot (in the rotation) once more. I was disappointed, so I really want to do my best and not give up."

During the offseason, Arihara, who is in the same year as him, joined the team. "We have (Nishikawa) Haruki and Shimamoto, and I don't think it's often that we have more people (in the same year) at this age, so we're motivating each other. Arihara was the ace at Softbank Hawks. It's good for the team, but if we don't beat guys like that, we won't be able to maintain our place in the rotation. I'll do my best to keep up," he said, revealing a sense of rivalry.