Japan is the two-time defending World Baseball Classic Champion with pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka being named Tournament MVP in both 2006 and 2009. Team Japan defeated Cuba 10- 6 in 2006 with Ichiro Suzuki scoring three of Japan's runs. In 2009, Japan faced Korea in the Final and had a 3-2 lead in the ninth when the Koreans scored a run off Yu Darvish to send the game into extra innings. In the 10th, Ichiro drove in two on a single to give Japan a 5-3 win. There are currently 12 players signed to professional contracts in the United States including Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish and New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.
| Name | # | B/T | Height | Weight | Birth Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitchers | |||||
| Yu Darvish | 11 | R-R | 6'5" | 220 | Aug 16, 1986 |
| Shota Imanaga | 21 | L-L | 5'8" | 176 | Sep 1, 1993 |
| Hiromi Itoh | 17 | L-R | 5'9" | 180 | Aug 31, 1997 |
| Ryoji Kuribayashi | 20 | R-R | 5'10" | 182 | Jul 9, 1996 |
| Yuki Matsui | 13 | L-L | 5'8" | 165 | Oct 30, 1995 |
| Hiroya Miyagi | 29 | L-L | 5'7" | 182 | Aug 25, 2001 |
| Taisei Ota | 15 | R-R | 5'11" | 194 | Jun 29, 1999 |
| Roki Sasaki | 14 | R-R | 6'2" | 187 | Nov 3, 2001 |
| Hiroto Takahashi | 28 | R-R | 6'0" | 187 | Aug 9, 2002 |
| Keiji Takahashi | 47 | L-L | 5'10" | 161 | May 14, 1997 |
| Shosei Togo | 12 | R-R | 6'1" | 160 | Apr 4, 2000 |
| Yuki Udagawa | 26 | R-R | 6'0" | 203 | Nov 10, 1998 |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | 18 | R-R | 5'10" | 176 | Aug 17, 1998 |
| Soichiro Yamazaki | 63 | R-R | 6'3" | 198 | Jun 15, 1998 |
| Atsuki Yuasa | 22 | R-R | 6'0" | 194 | Jul 17, 1999 |
| Catchers | |||||
| Takuya Kai | 10 | R-R | 5'5" | 176 | Nov 5, 1992 |
| Yuhei Nakamura | 27 | R-R | 5'9" | 154 | Jun 17, 1990 |
| Takumi Ohshiro | 24 | L-R | 6'2" | 196 | Feb 11, 1993 |
| Infielders | |||||
| Sosuke Genda | 2 | L-R | 5'9" | 160 | Feb 16, 1993 |
| Taisei Makihara | 5 | L-R | 5'8" | 150 | Oct 15, 1992 |
| Shugo Maki | 3 | R-R | 5'10" | 205 | Apr 21, 1998 |
| Munetaka Murakami | 55 | L-R | 6'2" | 213 | Feb 2, 2000 |
| Takumu Nakano | 7 | L-R | 5'7" | 152 | Jun 28, 1996 |
| Kazuma Okamoto | 25 | R-R | 6'0" | 212 | Jun 30, 1996 |
| Ukyo Shuto | 9 | R-R | 6'0" | 165 | Feb 10, 1996 |
| Tetsuto Yamada | 1 | R-R | 5'10" | 163 | Jul 16, 1992 |
| Hotaka Yamakawa | 33 | R-R | 5'9" | 218 | Nov 23, 1991 |
| Outfielders | |||||
| Kensuke Kondoh | 8 | L-R | 5'8" | 190 | Aug 9, 1993 |
| Lars Nootbaar | 23 | L-R | 6'3" | 210 | Sep 8, 1997 |
| Masataka Yoshida | 34 | L-R | 5'8" | 176 | Jul 15, 1993 |
| Name | # | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Coaches | ||
| Hideki Kuriyama | 89 | Manager |
| Kazuyuki Shirai | 90 | Bench Coach |
| Sadaaki Yoshimura | 77 | Hitting Coach |
| Noriyuki Shiroishi | 79 | Infield Coach |
| Masato Yoshii | 81 | Pitching Coach |
| Masaji Shimzu | 87 | First Base Coach |
| Kazuyuki Atsuzawa | 75 | Bullpen Coach |
| Yoshinori Murata | 74 | Catching Coach |