Japan will begin its defense of the World Baseball Classic title on home turf.

Tokyo Dome was selected as one of the first-round venues for the 2009 World Baseball Classic, which will begin on March 5 2009, Major League Baseball's Senior Vice President of International Business Operations Paul J. Archey announced on Monday in a Tokyo hotel.

"We're very proud to be starting the tournament here, at the home of the 2006 champions," Archey said. "If you recall in 2006, the tournament was jump-started by the excitement that was here in the first round."