The newly formed Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles will likely hold next year's spring training in Okinawa, team manager Yasushi Tao said on Friday.
Koji Uehara of the giants pitches against the major
league team during Game 7 of the Japan-MLB exhibition series at Nagoya Dome on Friday. Japan won 3-2.
Tao, who flew back from Okinawa earlier in the day, said the team hopes to set up its camp on the island of Kumejima in February after repairs are completed on the facilities there.
"After the repairs are done, I'm sure we'll be able to use it. I'll report (my observations) to the team and if we get the green light, we'll make a request to use the facilities," he said, adding he expects a decision by Sunday.
Tao, together with head coach Daisuke Yamashita, checked out the conditions of the artificial turf at the stadium as well as a 60-square-meter indoor facility during a trip to Kumejima earlier in the day.
Kumejima has prepared a budget of 250 million yen to bring the Sendai-based team to Okinawa for spring training.
The island is located 100 km west of the city of Naha and has a year-round average temperature of 23 C.
Tao said the team will likely use another facility in Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, for its second training base after completing its menu in Okinawa.