<figure id="attachment_461672" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1526px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-461672"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="05f366ca"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/9158e107f0ba8f3bd38ed8bfa6933a49.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-461672" class="wp-caption-text">Hirokazu Ibata with a stern expression after losing to Venezuela</figcaption></figure>
<h2>“I just can’t believe it”</h2>
Hirokazu Ibata, who led Samurai Japan for about three and a half years, announced his intention to step down after this tournament, saying, “Results are everything.”
After his playing career with the Chunichi Dragons and Yomiuri Giants, Ibata reflected that “I have too few tools,” and sought coaching experience at the corporate and even junior high school levels to build his skills as a manager.
His appearance on NHK E-Tele’s “Otousan to Issho” not just as a baseball analyst but as “Hirokazu Dad” was also a reflection of his regret that he had left childcare entirely to his wife during his playing days. In short, he is a diligent person who constantly seeks change. His personality was one of the reasons he was chosen to manage the top national team, according to NPB sources.
However, being a top-level manager was not easy.
“You have to listen not only to the NPB and MLB teams who lend players but also carefully consider each player’s agent. I would sometimes think with a wry smile, ‘I’m not the manager, I’m the coordinator,’” said the source.
Ibata’s worries extended beyond overseeing teams and players. Astonishingly, confidential information about Samurai Japan’s roster decisions and player usage was being leaked.
“Ibata realized the leaks during a dinner with a TV insider. Somehow, station staff who should have been outsiders already knew which players would be selected or dropped, as well as pitcher usage and batting order plans. This aroused his suspicion, and upon investigating, it appeared that a certain X, who had prior ties with Samurai Japan and was close to Ibata, had been sharing team information with the media since Ibata became manager.
X is someone who Ibata sometimes consults. Being friendly, he tends to share more than necessary when asked by reporters or directors. Even casual conversation becomes critical information in an international tournament where player selection and lineups are sensitive,” another NPB source explained.
X was accompanying Samurai Japan during the tournament, and while there were chances to speak, Ibata never let his guard down.
“At social gatherings with media, Ibata would lament, ‘Could it be him. I just can’t trust X,’ and even conduct reverse interviews asking, ‘Who is he really?’” a key network source said.
X is expected to remain involved with Samurai Japan due to his wide network across professional and amateur baseball, and media outlets have already launched a reporting campaign targeting him. Meanwhile, Ibata continues to monitor X’s actions closely. Facing the world stage while developing distrust toward someone close must have been incredibly difficult, the source added.
It seems that this Samurai Japan may have lost not just on the field but also in information management.

 Kyodo News

 The WBC's quarterfinal elimination was not the only source of concern for Hirokazu Ibata, the manager of the Japan Professional Baseball League. Incredibly, confidential information on the selection of the Samurai Japan team members and the use of players was leaked.

Hirokazu Ibata Struggles with Trust After Suspected Confidential Leaks in Samurai Japan During WBC

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