Overview

• High-school baseball at the national festival opened Sept. 29 in Otsu with eight schools each in hardball and rubber-ball divisions playing seven-inning games.
• Okinawa Shogaku, the summer Koshien champion, lost 1–5 to Gifu Commercial after leading early, with the upset sealed by three runs conceded in the sixth.
• The Okinawa Shogaku lineup consisted entirely of third-year players, and the match was played under the new seven-inning rule.
• The schedule is compressed with semifinals on Sept. 30 and the final on Oct. 2, with no postponements and explicit consideration for players’ health due to calendar overlap.
• The Japan High School Baseball Federation has an expert panel continuing discussions on seven-inning adoption, while regional sports and culture news included Engaru’s third straight northern rugby title, a Niseko station diorama display, GLAY panels in Hakodate through Dec. 26, and an Oct. 26 archaeology symposium on Okushiri.