Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani

TOKYO (AP) — It is hard to escape Shohei Ohtani in Japan, even while the country was glued to its own World Series equivalent.

To Japanese fans, Ohtani is just about perfect: He hits home runs, pitches great, steals bases and has a reputation for being kind and humble.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
People walk by an advertising billboard, center top, showing Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is seen in an advertisement at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
A man wears a shirt featuring Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers as he watches Game 6 of the baseball World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays during a public viewing event in Oshu, northeastern Japan, the hometown of Ohtani, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Koji Ueda)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
People walk by an advertising screen showing Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
A pedestrian takes a selfie with a cutout of Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani at Haneda International Airport Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
Pedestrians walk past an advertisement featuring Shohei Ohtani in Tokyo, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is seen on an advertisement of a Japanese tea brand at a shop at Haneda International Airport Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
People walk by an advertising billboard, center top, showing Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Photos show Japan’s fascination with baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani | iNFOnews.ca
People walk by an advertising screen showing Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

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