<P> At a match played in Yokohama in 1896, a team from Tokyo's Ichikō high school convincingly defeated a team of resident foreigners from the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club . The contemporary Japanese language press lauded the team as national heroes and news of this match greatly contributed to the popularity of baseball as a school sport . </P> <P> Professional baseball in Japan first started in the 1920s, but it was not until the Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club (大 日本 東京 野球 クラブ Dai - nippon Tōkyō Yakyū Kurabu) a team of all - stars established in 1934 by media mogul Matsutarō Shōriki, that the modern professional game found continued success--especially after Shōriki's club matched up against an American All - Star team that included Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Charlie Gehringer . While prior Japanese all - star contingents had disbanded, Shōriki went pro with this group, playing in an independent league . </P> <P> The first Japanese professional league was formed in 1936, and by 1950 had grown big enough to divide into two leagues, known as Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). (It is called Puro Yakyū (プロ 野球), which simply is a translation of professional baseball .) The Central League included the established teams, and the Pacific League was made up of new teams and players . The Pacific League uses the designated hitter style of play . The pro baseball season is eight months long with games beginning in April . Teams play 144 games (as compared to the 162 games of the American major league teams), followed by a playoff system, culminating in a championship held in October, known as the Japan Series . </P> <P> Corporations with interests outside baseball own most of the teams . Historically, teams have been identified with their owners, not where the team is based . However, in recent years, many owners have chosen to include a place name in the names of their teams; the majority of the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB) teams are currently named with both corporate and geographical place names . </P>

How many games in a japanese baseball season