According to the Guardian Unlimited website, a strike, rare in Japan and unprecedented in the 70-year history of its pro baseball, could be called if Japanese owners proceed with a merger plan that would eliminate one team.
Atsuya Furuta, chairman of the players’ association, told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan: "We've got a variety of case simulations and responses to consider but have not made a final decision."
The union has already filed a request for a court injunction against the merger of the Orix BlueWave and Kintetsu Buffaloes, two western Japan-based teams.
Player representatives of Japan's 12 pro teams will meet on Monday in Kobe, while owners will meet separately mid-week. The union will not make an announcement until after the owners' meeting.
Owners of Orix and Kintetsu say a merger is the only way to keep their loss-making teams on the field, while the union says more than profit and loss is at stake. "We recognise there are economic implications, but baseball teams are not only corporate tools but have a cultural and public role," said the 39-year-old Furuta, association chief since 1999.
The union has been outspoken about the impact of possible jobs losses on its 752 members, calling for a delay in any merger. Officials of Nippon Professional Baseball have rejected those demands.
