TOKYO — In the more than two decades that followed Hideo Nomo’s MLB debut, there was a clear shift in U.S.-Japan relations. In 1995, that relationship was arguably at its lowest point since WWII, primarily because of a massive trade conflict. But by 2010, things had changed for the better. Americans had become fascinated by Japanese anime, manga, horror movies, video games, fashion, and Hello Kitty, while, for their part, Japanese had learned to appreciate American-style individualism a little bit more. Head hunting, job hopping and litigation became less uncommon, as traditional values began to appear to be eroding somewhat. More important, trade disputes were now so passé.
A number of factors combined to cause this shift. The advent of the Internet and satellite TV served to bring Japanese and American cultures closer together, while the stock market collapse weakened the Japanese economy and enabled China to step in to replace Japan as America’s leading trade rival … and Public Enemy #1.
But one of the major factors was, undeniably, the startling new migration of Japanese stars to the MLB. More than 50 players followed Hideo Nomo to the States, most notably among them Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani, and their success changed the stereotypical image of the Japanese.
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