Little League World Series in Japan

Japan Region
Most recent season or competition:
2024 Little League World Series qualification
FormerlyFar East Region
Asia Region
SportBaseball
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007)
CountryJapan Japan
Most recent
champion(s)		Tokyo Johoku Little League, Nakano, Tokyo
Most titlesTokyo Chōfu Little League, Chōfu, Tokyo (12)

Japan first participated in the Little League World Series in 1962. Between 1962 and 2000, Japan participated in the Far East Region of the LLWS. In 2001, the Far East Region was divided into the Asia Region and the Pacific Region. From 2001 to 2006, Japan competed in the Asia Region. In 2007, the Japan Region was created, so that the winner of the Japanese championship receives an automatic berth in the Series.

Japan Championships

In 1967, the first All-Japan championship took place.[1] Prior to 1967, Japanese teams participated in the Far East region in each year between 1962 and 1966. In 1969, the Far East Region conducted its first regional tournament, with teams from six nations.

Year Champion City Runner-up City Region LLWS Record
1961 Misawa Aomori Prefecture Aomori Pacific DNQ –
1962 Kunitachi Tokyo Tokyo Far East 7th place 1–2
1963 Gyokusen Tokyo Tokyo Far East Withdrew –
1964 Tachikawa Tokyo Tokyo Far East 4th place 1–2
1965 Arakawa Tokyo Tokyo Far East 6th place 1–2
1966 Wakayama Wakayama Prefecture Wakayama Far East 4th place 1–2
All-Japan Championship
1967 West Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Osaka Nishi Osaka Prefecture Osaka Far East Champions 3–0
1968 Wakayama Wakayama Prefecture Wakayama Little Hawks ? Far East Champions 3–0
1969 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Little Hawks ? Far East DNQ –
1970 Wakayama Wakayama Prefecture Wakayama Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Far East DNQ
1971 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Wakayama Wakayama Prefecture Wakayama Far East DNQ
1972 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Izumi Otsu Shiga Prefecture Otsu Far East DNQ
1973 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Sendai Minami Miyagi Prefecture Sendai Far East DNQ
1974 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Nerima Tokyo Tokyo Far East DNQ
1975 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Tokyo Machida Tokyo Tokyo Far East Banned[2]
1976 Chōfu[3] Tokyo Chōfu Komae Tokyo Tokyo Far East Champions 3–0
1977 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Higashi Osaka Osaka Prefecture Osaka Far East DNQ –
1978 Amagasaki Kita Hyōgo Prefecture Amagasaki Suginami Tokyo Tokyo Far East DNQ
1979 Settsu Osaka Prefecture Settsu Sendai Chuo Miyagi Prefecture Sendai Far East DNQ
1980 Suginami Tokyo Tokyo Wakayama Wakayama Prefecture Wakayama Far East DNQ
1981 Motomaki Chuo Kanagawa Prefecture ? Nakano Higashi Tokyo Tokyo Far East DNQ
1982 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Kohhoku Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Far East DNQ
1983 Osaka Yodogawa Osaka Prefecture Osaka Asahi Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Far East 3rd place 2–1
1984 Taisho Osaka Prefecture Osaka Hamamatsu Shizuoka Prefecture Hamamatsu Far East DNQ –
1985 Hoya Tokyo Tokyo Adachi Kita Tokyo Tokyo Far East DNQ
1986 Tokorozawa Saitama Prefecture Tokorozawa Ehime Nishi Ehime Prefecture ? Far East DNQ
1987 Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Aichi Iwakura Aichi Prefecture Iwakura Far East DNQ
1988 Osaka Higashi Osaka Prefecture Osaka Nagoya Higashi Aichi Prefecture Nagoya Far East DNQ
1989 Settsu Osaka Prefecture Settsu Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Far East DNQ
1990 Hadano Kanagawa Prefecture Hadano Takaishi Osaka Prefecture Takaishi Far East DNQ
1991 Omiya Saitama Prefecture Ōmiya Takatsuki Osaka Prefecture Takatsuki Far East DNQ
1992 Minato Tokyo Tokyo Hasuda Saitama Prefecture Hasuda Far East DNQ
1993 Sumida Tokyo Tokyo Kumamoto Chuo Kumamoto Prefecture Chūō Far East DNQ
1994 Edogawa Minami Tokyo Tokyo Seya Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Far East DNQ
1995 Izumisano Osaka Prefecture Izumisano Midori Chuo Kanagawa Far East DNQ
1996 Matsusaka Mie Prefecture Matsusaka Hiratsuka Kanagawa Prefecture Hiratsuka Far East DNQ
1997 Seya Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Takarazuka Hyōgo Prefecture Takarazuka Far East 3rd place 2–2
1998 Kashima Ibaraki Prefecture Kashima Seya Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Far East Runner-up 3–2
1999 Hirakata Osaka Prefecture Hirakata Hyogo Harima Hyōgo Prefecture Harima Far East Champions 4–1
2000 Musashi Fuchu Tokyo Tokyo Kodaira Tokyo Kodaira Far East 3rd place 3–1
2001 Tokyo Kitasuna Tokyo Tokyo Nagoya Kita Aichi Prefecture Nagoya Asia Champions 5–1
2002 Sendai Higashi Miyagi Prefecture Sendai Takarazuka Hyōgo Prefecture Takarazuka Asia Runner-up 5–1
2003 Musashi Fuchu Tokyo Tokyo Chōfu Tokyo Chōfu Asia Champions 6–0
2004 Sendai Higashi Miyagi Prefecture Sendai Tokyo Kitasuna Tokyo Tokyo Asia DNQ –
2005 Chiba City Chiba Prefecture Chiba Gifu Tohno Gifu Prefecture Gifu Asia 4th place 4–2
2006 Kawaguchi Saitama Prefecture Kawaguchi Musashi Fuchu Tokyo Tokyo Asia Runner-up 5–1
2007 Tokyo Kitasuna Tokyo Tokyo Hiratsuka Kanagawa Prefecture Hiratsuka Japan Runner-up 4–1
2008 Edogawa Minami Tokyo Tokyo Matsusaka Mie Prefecture Matsusaka Japan 3rd place 5–1
2009 Chiba City Chiba Prefecture Chiba Izumisano Osaka Prefecture Izumisano Japan Quarterfinals 2–2
2010 Edogawa Minami Tokyo Tokyo Hirosaki Aomori Aomori Prefecture Hirosaki Japan Champions 5–0
2011 Hamamatsu Minami Shizuoka Prefecture Hamamatsu Seya Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama Japan Runner-up 5–2
2012 Tokyo Kitasuna Tokyo Tokyo Matsusaka Mie Prefecture Matsusaka Japan Champions 5–0
2013 Musashi Fuchū Tokyo Tokyo Sendai Aoba Miyagi Prefecture Sendai Japan Champions 5–0
2014 Tokyo Kitasuna Tokyo Tokyo Toyonaka Osaka Prefecture Toyonaka Japan 3rd place 4–2
2015 Tokyo Kitasuna Tokyo Tokyo Hachioji Tokyo Tokyo Japan Champions 5–0
2016 Chōfu Tokyo Tokyo Sendai Higashi Miyagi Prefecture Sendai Japan Round 1 1–2
2017 Tokyo Kitasuna Tokyo Tokyo Chiba City Chiba Prefecture Chiba Japan Champions 5–0
2018 Kawaguchi Saitama Prefecture Kawaguchi Nagasaki Minami Nagasaki Prefecture Nagasaki Japan 3rd place 4–2
2019 Chōfu Tokyo Tokyo Ushiku Ibaraki Prefecture Ushiku Japan 3rd place 4–1
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 crisis [4]
2021 Takarazuka Hyōgo Prefecture Takarazuka Fukaya City Saitama Prefecture Fukaya Japan No Int'l teams [5] –
2022 Takarazuka Hyōgo Prefecture Takarazuka Hiroshima Aki Hiroshima Prefecture Hiroshima Japan Round 2 0–2
2023 Musashi Fuchu Tokyo Tokyo Shōnan Kanagawa Prefecture Shōnan Japan Round 4 3–2
2024 Johoku Tokyo Tokyo Joto Tokyo Tokyo Japan Int'l Semifinal 2–2

Summary

As of the 2024 Little League World Series.

Prefecture JC WS Record PCT
Tokyo Tokyo 35 20 71–19 .789
Osaka Prefecture Osaka 7 2 6–2 .750
Saitama Prefecture Saitama 4 2 9–3 .750
Wakayama Prefecture Wakayama 3 2 4–2 .667
Kanagawa Prefecture Kanagawa 3 1 2–2 .500
Hyōgo Prefecture Hyogo 3 1 0–2 .000
Chiba Prefecture Chiba 2 2 6–4 .600
Miyagi Prefecture Miyagi 2 1 5–1 .833
Shizuoka Prefecture Shizuoka 1 1 5–2 .714
Ibaraki Prefecture Ibaraki 1 1 3–2 .600
Mie Prefecture Mie 1 0 – –
Aomori Prefecture Aomori 1 0 – –

See also

Asia-Pacific Region in each Little League division

References

  1. ^ "Japanese Region Little League World Series". UNPage.org. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  2. ^ See: Little League World Series (Far East Region) § 1975 Ban.
  3. ^ "Past Divisional Champs – Little League Baseball®".
  4. ^ "Little League® Cancels 2020 World Series and Region Tournaments". 30 April 2020.
  5. ^ "2021 Little League® World Series and Regional Tournament update". littleleague.org. May 3, 2021.