Rookie Announcer Igarashi Shines with Fresh Smile at Giants Cup

Posing for a commemorative photo

On August 11, the opening ceremony of the 19th All-Japan Junior High School Baseball Championship Giants Cup was held at Tokyo Dome.

The tournament began in 1994 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Yomiuri Giants. It is the only junior high–level hardball baseball tournament in which all five leagues—Little Senior, Boys, Pony, Young, and Fresh—participate. Since 2007, it has been officially recognized by the Japan Baseball Federation as a national championship. Many professional players, including Kazuma Okamoto (Giants, 29) and Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima, 25), have emerged from this tournament.

“Every year, a rookie announcer from Nippon TV handles MC and reporter duties for this tournament. Dressed simply in a navy polo shirt and slacks, they manage everything from the opening ceremony to live reports from the stands,” a sports reporter explained.

For the opening ceremony on the 11th, 22-year-old rookie announcer Niika Igarashi served as MC.

“She has dreamed of becoming an announcer since second grade. In her senior year of high school, she won the top prize in the broadcasting division at the National High School Cultural Festival, known as the ‘Inter-High for Culture Clubs.’ At 19, while attending Waseda University, she appeared in Steenz (Shogakukan) in the ‘Teens of Interest’ feature. She also belonged to the ‘Ikushima Planning Office’ and appeared on Zenryoku Zaka (TV Asahi) in 2022. Having reported for news programs as a student, she was seen as a talent who would play a key role in whichever TV network she joined,” said a TV magazine writer.

As a Nippon TV announcer, she made her debut on ZIP! and DayDay. in June. Although she has no regular shows yet, she has received very positive feedback.

On the day of the opening ceremony, Igarashi appeared confident on the big stage of Tokyo Dome, maintaining a relaxed and cheerful demeanor during preparations. She received advice from her senior, Risa Yamamoto (26), and carried out the rehearsal smoothly. After the ceremony, she took commemorative photos with Yamamoto and fellow rookie announcer Haru Iwasaki (25).

On the official Nippon TV website, when asked about programs she would like to try, she mentioned ZIP! and said:

“I realized that announcing isn’t just about delivering information one-way, but about spending time together with viewers. From now on, I want to continue sharing words with viewers in the morning, staying true to myself.”

Niika Igarashi’s growth and performance are highly anticipated.