(by Steve Hopkins, photo ETTU)
Japanese T-League fans let out a collective sigh of relief as the league’s top player announced he will be staying in Japan for the near future. Harimoto was the anchor of the Ryukyu Asteeda club and he won 18 of his 20 league matches this year, but this year Ryukyu were runner’s up to TT Saitama. Harimoto announced he was leaving Ryukyu at the end of the season and there was widespread expectation that he had signed to join a German League TTBL team or a Super League team in China. However, a week later, he has announced his move to the Okayama Rivets, a team that finished third this year (losing a tight Semifinal match against Saitama).
Harimoto has officially signed a multi-year contract, so his league home will be Okayama for the near future. The team appears committed to challenging for a championship. The already strong team includes Japanese players Mizuki Oikawa, Hibiki Tazoe, and Kazuki Yoshiyama and their foreign player is Hao Shuai, a seasoned Chinese player who at one time reached World No. 7 (2009), but whose best years are behind him.
Japan’s professional league was established in 2018 and it is not yet on the same level of China’s Superleague or Germany’s TTBL, but the quality of play is quickly improving. Keeping Tomokazu Harimoto at home in Japan is a big step forward for the league.
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