Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. is working in cooperation with the JAPAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION (below, JPBPA) to host the event "KONAMI Presents Let’s Play Catch!" (below, KONAMI Let’s Play Catch!). The first event this year will be held on Saturday, September 22^nd and Sunday, September 23^rd, near Konami Group headquarters at Tokyo Midtown (Minato Ward, Tokyo).

This event marks the third consecutive year that baseball fans and non-fans alike have taken to the grass at Tokyo Midtown to have a great time playing catch. Also, this event is just the first in a total of six similar events planned to be held at venues in Miyagi and Kanagawa, plus outer Tokyo and other regions, during 2012.

"KONAMI Let’s Play Catch!" features current and former professional baseball players who use special soft balls to gently introduce the basics of playing catch in an event intended to give kids a taste of all the fun that baseball can be. Since 2005, Konami has worked alongside the JPBPA to aid the spread and development of baseball with this event, and last year a total of 6,000 people had a go at playing catch during events held in various locations including Tokyo, Kanagawa and Fukushima.

Konami Group has a range of deep-running connections to baseball, starting with the creation and distribution of baseball-themed entertainment such as the "JIKKYOU PAWAFURU PUROYAKYU" series and social media content "Professional Baseball Dream Nine," and extending to its activities as an NPB partner and sponsor of the "KONAMI Nippon Series." Konami will continue to both support the JPBPA’s baseball-promoting efforts and contribute to the growth and expansion of baseball in general.

Last year’s event

[Playing Catch Event Information]

■Dates: Saturday, 22^nd - Sunday, 23^rd September, 2012, 10:00 a.m ? 11:30 a.m. *Registration begins 9:30 a.m.
■Venue: Tokyo Midtown Grass Square *Canceled in case of rain
■Participation Fee: ¥500 (ball cost)
■No. of Participants: 150 per day *Ages 3 and over
■How to Participate: Check the JPBPA website at http://jpbpa.net/
■Hosted by: JAPAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
■Co-host: Tokyo Midtown
■Sponsor: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.