On the 30th, Softbank Hawks 's manager Hiroki Kokubo, chief baseball officer Kenji Jojima, and other members of the front office, management, players, and staff visited Hakozaki Shrine in Fukuoka City to pray for victory. The manager vowed to be back-to-back Japan Series champions and expressed his hopes for fierce competition for positions within the team. Below is the first part of a Q&A session.

-How do you feel right now?

"Coming here is the day that flips the switch that tells me the season is about to begin, and today will also be the opportunity to interact directly with the fans who are hungry for baseball after the season ends, so I was looking forward to meeting the fans."

-What kind of determination?

"I was able to experience the wonderful scenery of last year's No. 1 spot in Japan during my time off, and it naturally makes me want to see that scenery again. It's also the perfect day to switch to a fresh start, and I think that's exactly what the slogan (All New) was."

-What did the players look like?

"Everyone looked happy. From what I can report, there were no major injuries sustained during their training. We will leave the S group to make their own adjustments, but before that, there is the WBC this year, so we would like to provide the players who will represent Japan with the best possible support and send them off to the national team." (continued)