<figure id="attachment_437446" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5464px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-437446"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="651dc07b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/9b1bf7fd18d93738c9a353021c299084.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-437446" class="wp-caption-text">With a bright smile, Nippon TV’s announcer Niika Igarashi served as MC for the opening ceremony of the Giants Cup.</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> Posing for a commemorative photo</span></h2>
<p data-start="0" data-end="136">On August 11, the opening ceremony of the 19th All-Japan Junior High School Baseball Championship Giants Cup was held at Tokyo Dome.</p>
<p data-start="138" data-end="613">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.</p>
<p data-start="138" data-end="613"><strong>“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,”</strong> a sports reporter explained.</p>
<p data-start="879" data-end="976">For the opening ceremony on the 11th, 22-year-old rookie announcer Niika Igarashi served as MC.</p>
<p data-start="879" data-end="976"><strong>“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,”</strong> said a TV magazine writer.</p>
<p data-start="1606" data-end="1765">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.</p>
<p data-start="1767" data-end="2137">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).</p>
<p data-start="2139" data-end="2255">On the official Nippon TV website, when asked about programs she would like to try, she mentioned ZIP! and said:</p>
<p data-start="2139" data-end="2255"><strong>“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.”</strong></p>
<p data-start="2486" data-end="2549" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Niika Igarashi’s growth and performance are highly anticipated.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Nippon TV's Nika Igarashi's fresh smile"></div>
<figure id="attachment_437447" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 8192px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-437447"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5b6d3ab4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/130aded263e6695f2f96e4719cf63d19.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-437447" class="wp-caption-text">Rookie announcer Nika Igarashi rehearsing as MC.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_437448" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4508px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-437448"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="24411bb6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/df35de82afbee3da53cc01aa5bdb8347.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-437448" class="wp-caption-text">Giving a thumbs-up for a commemorative photo with the staff!</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_437449" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4508px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-437449"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3a1488fa"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/d0c12c6dd714f95735945aedcd7a0365.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-437449" class="wp-caption-text">Just before going on air, Nika Igarashi shows a slightly nervous expression.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_437450" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 8192px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-437450"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="734e517d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/5de8ed49bfcd457e8cfa99e9c8f40e3b.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-437450" class="wp-caption-text">Nika Igarashi walking on the Tokyo Dome field.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_437451" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5546px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-437451"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="45d1480c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/903db822f0c55b66f7ee5060d7a5a343.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-437451" class="wp-caption-text">From left: Risa Yamamoto, Nika Igarashi, Haru Iwasaki, and Yuki Sumioka.</figcaption></figure>


 Kumataro Arai

 On August 11, the opening ceremony of the "Giants Cup" was held at Tokyo Dome, and Nippon TV's newest announcer, Nika Igarashi, was the MC. She was in a relaxed mood from the rehearsal right before the event. We saw a glimpse of her talent, which is said to be a gem in the world of announcing.

Rookie Announcer Igarashi Shines with Fresh Smile at Giants Cup

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