Shin Nippon League In 1954 the six teams of NPB's
Central League agreed to form their own minor league — the
Shin Nippon League (or "New Japan League") — as a complement to the already extant
Kansai Farm League, which had begun play in 1952. The minor league affiliates of the
Chunichi Dragons and
Hanshin Tigers moved over from the Kansai Farm League. The initial roster of Shin Nippon League teams (NPB parent team in parentheses): •
Chunichi Diamonds (
Chunichi Dragons) •
Hiroshima Greens (
Hiroshima Carp) •
Kokutetsu Fresh Swallows (
Kokutetsu Swallows) •
Osaka Jaguars (
Osaka Tigers) •
Taiyō-Shochiku Junior Robins (
Taiyō-Shochiku Robins) •
Yomiuri Junior Giants (
Yomiuri Giants)
Formation of the Eastern League Both minor leagues decided to join forces with
Nippon Professional Baseball in 1955, and the 14
farm teams of the Central League and
Pacific League were split up to create the
Eastern League and the
Western League, each with seven teams. The Eastern League contained the minor league teams of the seven professional teams that had their homefields in the Eastern region of Japan (NPB parent team in parentheses): •
Daiei Junior Stars (
Daiei Stars) •
Kokutetsu Fresh Swallows (
Kokutetsu Swallows) •
Mainichi Little Orions (
Mainichi Orions) •
Taiyo Junior Whales (
Taiyo Whales) •
Toei Chick Flyers (
Toei Flyers) •
Tombo Unions ni-gun (
Tombo Unions) •
Yomiuri Junior Giants (
Yomiuri Giants)
1956-1960 hiatus After one year of operation, the league dissolved in 1956 for financial reasons.
Rebirth The Eastern League restarted in 1961 with five teams: in the interim the
Daiei Stars and the
Takahashi Unions (formerly the
Tombo Unions) had merged into the
Daiei Unions, who in turn merged with the
Mainichi Orions to ultimately form the
Daimai Orions (now known as the
Chiba Lotte Marines). From that point until the year 2000, all Japanese minor league teams used the same name as their NPB parent club. In 1979, the
Nishitetsu Lions moved their franchise to Saitama, with their minor league team leaving the
Western League to join the Eastern League. In 2005 the
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles were formed to join NPB, and their farm team became part of the Eastern League as well. The independent
Niigata Albirex Baseball Club was added to Eastern League for the 2024 season. == References ==