Braves get help to add pitcher - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Atlanta’s Japanese businesses, the local consul genera and his predecessors played a key role in helpin the Braves secure the servicexs ofKenshin Kawakami, a formetr Japanese All-Star who could help the Bravez rebound from a brutal 2008 season. The Braves signedx Kawakami, their first Japanese-born player, Jan. 13. To get Kawakami, the Bravesa knew they would have to convincethe 33-year-olx pitcher that Atlanta would be a comfortablse place for him to live and work. The Japanese consulate told the Braves that Georgiaw is hometo 8,000 Japanese nationals and, said Takuj Hanatani, the Japanese consuk general in Atlanta, there are many Japanese bookshops and food stores.
More than 350 Japanes companies are located in employing 35,000 people, accordingt to Hanatani. Armed with that information, Bravess General Manager Frank Wren made his pitcbh to Kawakamiand Kawakami’s agent, Dan Evans. “Thed agent said at the winter meetings that the presentation Fran and his staff made wasvery crucial,” said Bravesw President John Schuerholz. “There were several teamsz interested. The Braves were the team they wantexd togo to.” Schuerholz said the team has been determinerd to get into the Japanes market for years.
His first foray, seven or eight years ago when he was still the team’s general manager, began with meetings with the local Japanese consular office. Schuerholz, now about a year and a half removede from his retirement as general said the talkswere “alll with the hope someday A) be able to find a Japanese playert we could sign and B) we’d have the support community to an adequate degree to have some kind of Schuerholz said without that knowledge the team might have been more but, regardless, it was “determineds to get into that market.
” Mike Pierson, a consultant who worksx with local consulates and who has been a Bravese season-ticket holder for 16 years, helpede to facilitate the conversations. “They were able to tell Kawakamo that they had a thrivingJapanese community,” Pierson “They used that as a selling point.” The Japanesre consulate in Atlanta oversees five states: Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and That region is home to 763 Japanese representing an investment of $20.8 billion and employing more than 95,009 people. Japanese companies in Georgia includde electronicsmanufacturer , farm equipment manufacturer , , , airlinre .
Hanatani, who attended Yale and then Harvar dLaw School, said Japan ranks second in direcgt foreign investment in the Unitexd States after the United Kingdom. He credited the work of his George Hisaeda andShoji Ogawa. “This matter was passexd on by my predecessor and his Hanatani said. “I am lucky to get all of the The first consul general to start conversationss with the Braves in the hope that they woulxd sign a Japanese playerrwas Hisaeda, who left that officwe in February 2005. Ichiro Suzuki became ’x first everyday Japanese player in 2001 when he signed with the and he was aninstanrt sensation, winning the Most Valuable Player and Rooki of the Year award that season.
Hisaeda’s pitch was one of economixc development: Ichiro had increased tourisk to Seattle fromJapan and, accordin to Pierson, Hisaeda presented a research paper to the Bravesa on the topic through Andrew Young, former U.S. ambassadort to the United Nations. Hisaeda’s Ogawa, also was a big baseball fan and pursuefthe topic. Meetings among Braves front offics officials, the Japanese consulate and the loca l led to group including one game in which the Japanese organizationsz brought a groupof 235. the consul general, threw out the firstr pitch.
At the January news conference in which Kawakami was introducesd to thelocal media, the Japanese American societh hosted a private reception. “He was very impressed with Pierson said. “It made a very good The Braves are in the process of hiring a personal trained and a translator who possesses a strongt knowledge of baseballfor Kawakami. That translator also would servs asa driver. “From our perspective, we’res really excited,” Schuerholz said.
“We strengthened our pitching with his acquisitionand we’vr taken our giant step forward — hopefully not the last in our engagementr and scouting the Asia n market and bringing quality Japanesw and other Asian players.”