Jammed by Takarazuka Revue ……” Hanshin Okada’s departure talks disrupted by ‘home situation of the baseball team’

The departure of Hanshin manager Akifumi Okada, 66, who is currently second in the standings after a strong chase for the top-ranked Giants, is still “completely undecided” at this late stage of the season.

Okada is the famous manager who led the Hanshin to their second Japanese championship in 38 years last year. Fans and officials alike are surely hoping that Okada will lead the team again next season, but if things continue as they are, the situation is likely to ignite the “family feud” that is a Hanshin specialty.

Okada-san has signed a two-year contract through this season, but considering his track record, even if the team finishes the season in fourth place or lower in the B class, it is a foregone conclusion that he will remain with the team. It would be reasonable to renew his contract for at least one more year. He may be subject to criticism from fans, but at this point there is no one better suited to the job than Mr. Okada.

In August, when the team faced the prospect of losing its own championship, Okada looked forward, saying, “Well, the game will be decided in September! Okada looked forward to the future. True to his words, the batting lineup exploded in September. At this point, the possibility of a second consecutive league championship is rapidly emerging.

However, ……. According to several sources, the team’s executives have yet to confirm Okada’s decision to leave.

According to the source, “At this point, the team is considering making an offer to Okada to continue with the team next season and to appoint him as GM after he retires. Since he is a great manager with proven results, the baseball team absolutely has to hear what Director Okada wants. It is too late to start listening in the off-season, so we have to start now, little by little. However, the staff members involved in the negotiations are scared to death across the board. ……

The Takarazuka issue has had an unintended …… impact.

Another team official adds with a wry smile, “Normally, we would go into these negotiations with a lot of fear.

Normally, it is the president and general manager of the baseball team who attend these negotiations. However, Okada is on very good terms with the upper management of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, the parent company of the baseball team, so the president of the baseball team and his staff, who are executives of the subsidiary company, are unable to make any moves.

It was none other than Kazuo Kado, 75, CEO of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, who strongly recommended Okada’s reappointment two years ago. The staff had to carefully consider the wishes of Chairman Kado and other top management while negotiating with the peculiar Okada. It is natural that it would be difficult to approach him at the end of the season, when the atmosphere is tense.

Furthermore, the incident that shook the world is further complicating the situation.

The power harassment by Takarazuka Revue members, which came to light last year, has weakened CEO Kaku’s power, which contributed greatly to the birth of Okada. In the past, if Mr. Kaku had said with a single word from the crane, ‘We really want Mr. Okada to continue,’ things would have moved as they did, but given the current situation, there may be people in the upper management who would object. I am not sure who I should follow. I didn’t think that the Takarazuka issue would jam up negotiations for the future of the baseball team. ……

With such a complicated situation, the negotiations for Okada’s departure are no longer in the hands of the team president or the general manager of the baseball team. The most ideal situation would be a “three-way meeting” involving Mr. Kado and the team’s owner, Takehiro Sugiyama (65), who was ordered by Mr. Kado to take the job, but it remains to be seen whether this can be realized.

We hope that Okada will not get caught up in the family turmoil and will be able to show his “Donden-busi” in a relaxed manner. ……