Fan balloting is under way for the 2006 Japan Pro Baseball Sanyo All-Star Series to be played next month.

The best players in the Central and Pacific Leagues will square off in two games: Friday, July 21, at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, and Saturday, July 22, at Sun Marine Stadium in Miyazaki.

While the concept is similar to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game played each year in mid-July, the Japanese version, dating back to 1951, features several differences from the MLB format.