Professional baseball in Japan日本プロ野球[ Nihon Pro Yakyu ]

Professional baseball in Japan first started in the 1920s, but it was not until the Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club (大日本東京野球倶楽部, Dai-nippon Tōkyō Yakyū Kurabu) was established in 1934 that the modern professional game had continued success. Baseball was introduced to Japan in 1872 by Horace Wilson, and its first formal team was established in 1878. For almost 30 years, until 1906, a game could be viewed free of charge, as it was considered shameful to take money for doing something the players liked.

from Professional_baseball_in_Japan (Wikipedia) CC BY SA 3.0