“It was rather an exceptional thing for a Japanese company to become the principal owner of a Major League Baseball team.”
☆ NintendObs Event – Nintendo’s 2015 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.
Question:
I think it is a well-known fact that Nintendo of America is the principal owner of the Seattle Mariners. It has been 10 years since the company succeeded this position from the previous president of Nintendo, Mr. Yamauchi, and I would like to know what advantages the company has had and what merits there will be for the company in the future by maintaining this position. Also, I heard in January this year that Randy Johnson would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I speculate that it might be possible for the Seattle Mariners to consider retiring his uniform number of 51, but to Japanese people, the uniform number 51 of the Seattle Mariners belongs to Ichiro Suzuki. About this possibility, I would like to know the opinion of Mr. Iwata who is also the CEO of the principal owner of the Seattle Mariners, Nintendo of America.
Answer:
Iwata:
You are correct that Nintendo of America, which is responsible for marketing our products in the Americas, is currently the principal owner of the Seattle Mariners. That ownership used to belong to the late Mr. Hiroshi Yamauchi, who was the president of the company before me. The operational condition of the team had become better (than when Mr. Yamauchi became the principal owner of the team), and Mr. Yamauchi also wanted to be prepared for a number of things after his future death, so Nintendo of America succeeded his position.
Nintendo was able to establish a relationship with the Seattle Mariners with such background. As the media reported, it was rather an exceptional thing for a Japanese company to become the principal owner of a Major League Baseball team. Nintendo was able to have such a unique position, which cannot be secured only by paying money, and we cherish this relationship.
Regarding the uniform number 51, Nintendo of America is not the 100 percent owner of the Seattle Mariners, and it makes important decisions with other owners of the team. I have personally met with Ichiro several times and I personally would like to maintain a good relationship with him. However, it is not appropriate for the CEO of Nintendo of America to share my comments on your speculation at this sort of public occasion. Thank you for your understanding.
— The 75th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders
Source: Nintendo JP.
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