   
Click here for 2006 program Report (PDF:929KB)
This summer, for the third year in a row, the Japan-America Youth Baseball Camp will allow American and Japanese boys aged 13 to 15 a chance to participate in a cultural exchange. Two camps will be held, the first between the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Arizona Diamondbacks from August 11-18, and the second between the San Diego Padres and the Yokohama Bay Stars August 11- 22. The purpose of the camps is to provide baseball instruction and a cross-cultural experience, and to encourage young baseball players to learn more about each other and each others' countries.
Baseball, rich in the history of the U.S.-Japan relationship, provides an excellent platform for teenagers of the two countries to be exposed to another culture. Cross-cultural interactions are an important function of international relations, and if we are to strengthen our bilateral relationship for future cooperation, it may well begin on the baseball diamond.
Twelve Japanese baseball players have been selected from Yokohama and eight have been selected from Hokkaido by the Asahikawa Baseball Club. The selection criteria were based not only on the candidates' baseball skills, but also on their interest in having a cross-cultural experience.
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