Nippon Professional Baseball decided Wednesday to immediately abolish the so-called "kibo-waku" system, which allows notable amateur players to designate the professional teams they wish to join and vice-versa.
Acting Japanese Baseball Commissioner Yasuchika Negoro made the announcement to the effect, revising NPB's earlier decision to scrap the system next year, in response to protests from amateur baseball organizations that wanted an immediate abolishment.
The move to abolish the system comes in the wake of a scouting scandal in which two amateur players were paid a total of 13 million yen under the table by the Seibu Lions since their high school days.
Negoro said all 12 ballclubs accepted NPB's proposal to do away with the "kibo-waku" system from this fall's draft and hold a lottery in the event multiple teams seek to obtain the right to negotiate with a player from the collegiate or corporate league in the first round of this year's draft.