North America’s Major League Baseball (MLB) has named Shimon Hoizumi as managing director of its operations in Japan, one of the competition's most important global markets.
Based in MLB's Tokyo office, Hoizumi will oversee business operations in the country and lead efforts to further expand fan engagement, media partnerships, sponsorships, consumer products, events, and grassroots baseball initiatives across the market.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Hoizumi joins MLB with more than two decades of experience across sports, media distribution, sponsorship, and business development.
He has held senior leadership positions throughout the Japanese sports and entertainment industry, including vice president of rights at DAZN Japan, head of GOLFTV Japan at Warner Bros. Discovery, and commercial director of WWE Japan.
In his new role, Hoizumi will work closely with MLB's international leadership team and local partners to build on the sport's strong momentum in Japan, where interest in MLB has grown significantly, with several Japanese players in the league, most notably Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jeremiah Yolkut, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of global operations and events, said: “Japan is one of our most important international markets, and Shimon brings an exceptional combination of media expertise, commercial leadership, and deep knowledge of the Japanese sports landscape.
“His experience growing global sports properties and connecting with Japanese fans will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen MLB's presence and create new opportunities for fans, partners, and the baseball community throughout Japan.”
Throughout his career, Hoizumi has developed expertise in Japan's media rights ecosystem and has been credited with playing a key role in growing the popularity of major international sports properties.
MLB stated that the experienced sports media and commercial executive has “successfully negotiated complex media partnerships, developed innovative commercial strategies, and worked closely with professional sports organizations to drive audience growth and fan engagement.”
His experience also includes collaborating with Nippon Professional Baseball clubs and engaging Japanese baseball fans through a variety of business and marketing initiatives.
Hoizumi said: “I am honored to join Major League Baseball at a time when the connection between Japan and MLB has never been stronger. Having spent my career working across media, content, and sports partnerships, I have seen firsthand the passion Japanese fans have for baseball.
“I look forward to working alongside our partners and the broader baseball community to deepen engagement with fans and contribute to the continued growth of the game in Japan.”
MLB has continued to expand its presence in Japan through fan engagement, strategic media partnerships, marquee events, and initiatives aimed at increasing participation.
In the 2026 season, there are 14 Japanese-born players on active MLB rosters, with the Dodgers having the most with three.
As well as Ohtani, the franchise’s roster includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto – who was named MVP of the World Series last year – and Roki Sasaki.
The reigning back-to-back World Series champions have leveraged their Japanese stars to attract several commercial partners in the country over the past year.
Most recently, clothing brand Uniqlo became a presenting partner at the team’s iconic Dodger Stadium.
Japanese brands that partnered with the Dodgers in the 2025 campaign included Daiso, Nippon Airways, Toyo Tires, Kose Corporation, Toei Animation, and Kowa Company.
