A joint press conference was held on the 2nd at Chiba City Hall by Chiba City, the Lotte Marines baseball team, and Aeon Mall Co., Ltd. They announced plans to build a new stadium near the aging ZOZO Marine Stadium, aiming for a dome-type design. They also announced that, through an agreement among the three parties, Aeon Mall Co., Ltd. has been selected as a business partner in Chiba Marine Stadium reconstruction project, and that an "Agreement Concerning the Formulation of the Basic Plan for the Reconstruction of Chiba Marine Stadium" has been signed.

The new stadium aims to open in 2034. It has been revealed that the roof will be fixed rather than retractable, and that the cost is expected to be about 40 billion yen more than that of conventional outdoor stadiums, bringing the total cost to over 100 billion yen.

Initially, an outdoor stadium was planned, but Lotte held ongoing discussions with Chiba City, which owns the facility, and requested a dome-type stadium in October of last year. In response, Chiba City Mayor Shunichi Kamiya announced in November that he would reconsider the dome-type stadium plan.

At the press conference, Lotte's acting owner and director, Genichi Tamatsuka, stated, "The team cannot function without players playing energetically and fans who support them. I watched a game from behind the net at ZOZO Marine Stadium in May, and after about two hours I was completely exhausted from the heat. Considering the fans and the players, indoor stadium construction is unavoidable." He explained that they had requested a dome-shaped stadium from Chiba City, taking heat countermeasures into consideration.

While the costs of roof maintenance and other expenses will primarily be covered by private businesses, including Lotte, based on the premise of increased profitability, acting owner Tamatsuka stated, "In order to continue this project, we must somehow come up with ideas based on the premise of a dome-shaped stadium. I believe it is the role of the Lotte Group to come up with various creative and innovative ideas, including financial aspects." If the dome-shaped stadium is realized, it will be the fifth team Pacific League to do so, excluding Rakuten Eagles.

◆Announced future review schedule (tentative)

Consideration of the basic plan from June 2026 onwards.

Around March 2015: Decision on project implementation and formulation of basic plan.

Basic design, etc. after April 2017

Opened around 1934