Nippon-Ham pitcher Fukuya Yamazaki announced on the 4th that he will be collaborating with Aflac Life Insurance to conduct a performance-linked donation campaign aimed at raising awareness of childhood cancer. This season, he will donate 10,000 yen for each inning he pitches.

Yamazaki, who underwent brain tumor surgery during his junior high school years, explained his reasons for taking up the activity, saying, "There are many people suffering from illness, so I wanted to do something to help them, even just a little. I myself had a brain tumor, and at that time it was painful and mentally tough. Now that I have recovered like this, I want to help people like that to feel a little brighter, so I thought I'd like to do this kind of activity."

When asked to give a message to children suffering from illness, he said, "I hope I can give them even a little bit of energy and courage, that's the most important thing. I hope that they will get more and more energetic by watching me pitch and The Fighters win, and that they will look forward to a bright future."

Yamazaki and Aflac have been collaborating since last year to support childhood cancer awareness, and this performance-based donation was Yamazaki's idea. The donation will be used to support children with childhood cancer and their families through the Gold Ribbon Network and the Children's Cancer Association.