Proving My Belief in Action — Ryojo Sueyoshi of Okinawa Shogaku on the Mindset for Competing on the World Stage

Chosen as the ace of Japan’s high school national team while still a second-year student

At Cellular Stadium Naha (Okinawa Prefecture), the stage for the U-18 Baseball World Cup (September 5–14), sharp, spine-tingling whistles echoed throughout the stands. Unlike the cheering from the Alps stands at Koshien, this time the entire stadium — 360 degrees around the mound — was filled with whistles directed toward a single pitcher. Local hero Ryosuke Sueyoshi (Okinawa Shogaku), who had just led his team to victory at this summer’s Koshien tournament, was taking the mound for the final against the United States. The crowd’s excitement had reached its peak.

“Being selected to represent Japan in a World Cup held right here in my hometown of Okinawa — I absolutely wanted to live up to those expectations and make this experience count. I just wanted to help Japan win back-to-back titles.”

Before the tournament began, the only second-year student on the roster, the 150 km/h (93 mph) left-hander from Okinawa Shogaku, Sueyoshi, was chosen as the ace of the national team. Even for someone with such a strong and broad presence, it seemed like an enormous burden for a 16-year-old to carry — but those pre-tournament worries proved unnecessary. The star of the summer remained the star on the world stage.

In key games — the send-off match against the Okinawa All-Stars, the tough first-round battle with South Korea, and the critical semifinal against the United States — manager Masayoshi Ogura (former head coach of Nihon University Third High School) entrusted Sueyoshi with the mound. Sueyoshi responded brilliantly, becoming a driving force behind Japan’s advance to the final.

“As long as I start and don’t give up runs, we won’t lose. All I thought about when I took the mound was proving that belief.”

Just a month earlier, during the Koshien tournament, Sueyoshi had been terse and seemed somewhat distant — giving off an impression of being hard to approach. But as he advanced through the massive tournament, his expression began to radiate confidence. By the time he had become a Koshien champion and donned the Samurai Japan uniform, people’s impressions of him had completely changed.

“People sometimes say I seem shy, but I don’t think I’m like that at all. I’m actually pretty cheerful by nature, and I’ve never once felt nervous before a big game.”

During practices, the older pitchers — such as Yorito Okumura (Yokohama High) — often placed the dependable underclassman Sueyoshi at the center of their group, teasing him affectionately, and Sueyoshi would joke right back without hesitation. Because he resembled the comedian Michio from the duo Tom Brown, the players secretly nicknamed him “Michio,” and their team’s LINE group chat was even called “Sueyoshi JAPAN.” It was a sign of how much the older players loved and relied on him.

Team captain Yota Abe (Yokohama High) put it this way:

“He never felt like a little brother — we all really looked up to him.”

When Japan faced the United States again in the championship game, Manager Ogura once more chose Sueyoshi to start. Asked why he insisted on relying on him so much, Ogura simply replied:

“Because I know he’ll deliver, that’s all. His inside fastball — that crossfire pitch to right-handers — isn’t something you can hit easily. If he pitches the way he did at Koshien, we’ll be fine.”

Next part: “I gave it everything I had at the World Cup (laughs)” — Genki Ishigaki, Kendai Takasaki High School: “What we need to do to compete on the world stage”

— From “FRIDAY” magazine, October 3–10, 2025 double issue