Officials of Nippon Professional Baseball and representatives of the pro baseball players association met Thursday to negotiate possible revisions of the rules regarding trades and player transfers, salary and the amateur draft system.
Yomiuri Giants president Hidetoshi Kiyotake and Lotte Marines president Ryuzo Setoyama were among those speaking for NPB, while players association head Furuta Atsuya of the Yakult Swallows attended the meeting held at the baseball commissioner's office in Tokyo.
"I sensed NPB's eagerness to try and change the baseball world. With the way things went today, I think we're headed in a positive direction," Furuta said after the three-hour talks.
"Before mapping out the details we wanted to get together and confirm that we're playing the same game. We talked not only from the players' perspective, but what we thought would be best for the fans," he said.
Thursday's topics included restrictions on the amount of salary cuts, support for increased player movement and reform of the annual draft system.
After the players' association meets Dec. 2 and the NPB labor-management council gathers for another committee meeting Dec. 20, the two parties will hold their first official conference Jan. 25.
Miki to make a bundle The Yomiuri Giants signed Hachinohe University right-hander Hitoshi Miki to a provisional contract carrying an annual salary of 15 million yen on Thursday.
Miki, 22, who agreed to a pre-draft arrangement with the Tokyo-based Central League club, will also receive 100 million yen in signing bonus and can earn another 50 million yen in performance incentives.
In other news, the Giants will meet the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, who will join Japanese professional baseball next season, in their opening series of preseason exhibition games in February, Yomiuri officials said.