SHAPE’s Contributions to the 2nd Asia Koshien Tournament

SHAPE Sports contributed to tournament operations as a co-hosting organization at the “2nd Asia Koshien Tournament in Indonesia” (Organizer: General Incorporated Association NB.ACADEMY), held in Jakarta, Indonesia from December 13 to 20, 2025, by dispatching 7 consultants to Jakarta.With 14 teams from three countries participating, the second tournament concluded after a series of intense matchups. Through serious competition, the players deepened both their growth and their friendships. We believe this tournament served as an opportunity for learning and development through baseball for everyone involved, including players, spectators, and the tournament staff. For further details, please refer to the organizer’s release and related media coverage below.

■ 2nd Asia Koshien Tournament Website
https://event.nbacademy.jp/asiakoshien2025
■ Post-Event Report Release (Source: General Incorporated Association NB.ACADEMY)
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000068.000109248.html
■ Media Coverage After the Tournament (Source: The Asahi Shimbun Company)
https://www.asahi.com/video/articles/ASTDR42YLTDRUHBI01GM.html?iref=com_video_01

■ Our Key Areas of Contribution
A total of 7 SHAPE members participated in the planning and operations of this project. Our work focused primarily on the following four areas.

1) Tournament Planning and Operations
Asia Koshien is a project to create a new international tournament from scratch based on “Koshien culture” (Japan’s iconic high school baseball tournament). SHAPE members contributed across both overall tournament planning and on-the-ground operations.
Key responsibilities included:

• Visualizing the tournament design (concept → structured design → implementation)

• Designing the run-of-show for opening and closing ceremonies inspired by Koshien

• Managing schedules and team logistics and flow

• Supporting event MC duties to recreate the Koshien atmosphere (handled by SHAPE members in Japanese, English, and Indonesian)

  
  

2) Sponsor / Supporting Organization and VIP Relations
Given that many executives from Japanese global companies and Indonesia-based corporations attended Asia Koshien, SHAPE took responsibility for coordinating with sponsors, supporting organizations, and VIP guests.

3) Support for Introducing a Player Evaluation System
For the second tournament, rather than relying on a conventional single-game, all-or-nothing evaluation approach, SHAPE shared its expertise with Asia Koshien Project Representative, Shogo Shibata. Based on this input, the tournament designed and implemented its own Potential Assessment System, delivered as an application. During the tournament, Asia Koshien Project Representative, Shogo Shibata, together with scouting representatives, used the app to evaluate all players and select the All-Star team.

4) Bilingual Team Performance and Local Collaboration
For an event held overseas, close coordination with local co-host organizations, stakeholders, and primarily Indonesian participants is essential to making the tournament possible.
SHAPE members bring strengths such as:

• Many members with backgrounds in global consulting firms and general trading companies

• A high proportion of Japanese-English bilingual talent (including Indonesian speakers)

These capabilities helped reduce the “friction costs” that often arise in overseas projects, including language barriers, cultural differences, and decision-making speed.

■ How SHAPE Positions Asia Koshien and Next Steps
Within SHAPE, the number of employees hoping to participate in the Asia Koshien project has increased each year. Combined with the following characteristics, we view this as a particularly SHAPE-aligned challenge and plan to continue supporting the 3rd tournament as well:

• A meaningful social theme (Asia × youth development × sports)

• Strategic support for expanding the Koshien brand across Asia

• Hands-on experience launching and operating a real-world event, experience that is difficult to gain through typical consulting engagements

• A venue where consulting skills and bilingual talent can create tangible impact

■ Comment from the Organizer’s Representative
Shogo Shibata
As an organization in the form of a general incorporated association, and still relatively new, we are made up of members who often balance other primary jobs while sharing a strong passion for baseball, Koshien, and overseas initiatives such as Indonesia.Among them, SHAPE has been deeply involved in Asia Koshien operations and has truly been a pillar supporting the tournament. The seven participating members responded to my requests throughout the year, alongside their demanding daily work. They demonstrated significant strength across a wide range of situations, including accompanying sponsor sales efforts in Japan and overseas, participating in meetings related to tournament planning, handling VIP relations, and supporting the introduction of the player evaluation system.They also willingly took on gritty, behind-the-scenes responsibilities that are far removed from the typical work of high-fee strategy consultants, and there were many times when their dedication made all the difference.
This hands-on, close-support style overlaps with SHAPE’s “Aspiration First” value, and I have found SHAPE to be an exceptionally reliable partner. From the 3rd tournament onward, we will continue moving forward together with SHAPE and further dedicate ourselves to ensuring that Asia Koshien becomes an opportunity that opens the future for young players.