A man reads a newspaper’s extra edition outside JR Yurakucho Station in Tokyo on June 3, 2025, following the death of Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan on Tuesday mourned the death of legendary former baseball player and manager Shigeo Nagashima, who earned the nickname “Mr. Giants” for his lifelong contributions to the sport as part of the country’s most historically dominant team.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Nagashima, who died at the age of 89, was someone whom he and those in his generation “truly admired,” adding that the passing of the legend “marks the end of an era.”
“I’m deeply saddened by this. But at the same time, the memory of that cheerful Mr. Nagashima remains in my heart,” Ishiba, 68, told reporters at his office.
Award-winning film director Takeshi Kitano, a big fan of Nagashima, said, “I always felt his presence and was encouraged by his outstanding performances for decades,” ever since discovering the charm of baseball.
The Chiba Prefecture native was affectionately called “Mr. Giants,” “Mr. Pro Baseball” or oftentimes just “Mister” for his lifelong contributions to the professional sport as a member of the Yomiuri Giants.
After joining the team in 1958, Nagashima played in 2,186 games and hit 444 home runs over his 17-year career. He won the Central League batting title six times, was home run king twice, led in RBIs five times, and was named CL MVP five times.
His walk-off homerun in 1959 at the first pro baseball game attended by the Japanese emperor and empress is remembered as one of the most celebrated sports events in Japan.
In 2003, he served as manager of the Japanese national team for the following year’s Athens Olympics, the first to feature only professional baseball players. But a cerebral infarction later prevented him from leading the team at the games.
He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 and received the People’s Honor Award in 2013.
Nagashima’s death was mourned across Japan on Tuesday morning, prompting an outpouring of feeling from baseball fans and those who had known or crossed paths with him even outside Tokyo, the home turf of the Giants.
Mayor Tomonori Kiyoyama of Miyazaki, where Nagashima was an honorary citizen, said, “He brought great joy and vitality to our citizens. I pray his soul will rest in peace.”
Referring to the city’s long history as a training camp site for the Giants, Kiyoyama added Nagashima’s “passion for baseball and his love for Miyazaki are deeply engraved in the hearts of the citizens.”
The baseball community in Taiwan, where the Yomiuri Giants had conducted their training camp and held friendly games with local teams, also mourned the loss of sport legend in Asia.
“Mr. Shigeo Nagashima’s passing is not only the loss of a superstar — it’s the passing of an icon who symbolized an entire era. It’s truly a great loss,” said Chung Yu-neng, secretary general of the Taiwan Baseball Hall of Fame.