Shohei Ohtani: A Japanese Baseball Star with a Thirst for Oi Ocha Green Tea
Shohei Ohtani, born in 1994 in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, is a 193cm, 95kg right-handed pitcher and left-handed batter who was the first overall pick in the 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball draft, joining the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, where he gained recognition for his two-way style of play.
In 2016, Shohei Ohtani played a pivotal role in the Fighters’ Japan Series championship, earning the Pacific League MVP award.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani was named the American League MVP after hitting 46 home runs as a hitter and winning 9 games as a pitcher.
In 2023, Ohtani had a historic season, becoming the first Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball history to win the AL home run title while reaching double-digits in both home runs and wins in consecutive seasons. In 2024, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani has been a consistent drinker of Oi Ocha green tea, from his days in Japan to his current life in Los Angeles, and says, “I have loved Oi Ocha green tea since I was in Japan and it has continued to be a great companion in my life here in the US.”
Oi Ocha, the flagship brand of ITO EN and the world’s leading brand of unsweetened green tea, recently celebrated its 35th anniversary in February 2024 and has sold over 43 billion bottles since its launch in 1989.
The “Oi Ocha” brand has continued to evolve based on ITO EN’s technological capabilities to adapt to changing tea drinking styles and its ability to procure high-quality raw materials (tea leaves) through initiatives such as contract farming in tea-producing regions. Overseas, Oi Ocha has been well-received, and the number of fans is steadily increasing in North America, Southeast Asia, and other regions. As of March 2024, “Oi Ocha” is sold in over 40 countries and regions.
Aiming to become a global tea company, ITO EN will further enhance the value of Japanese tea around the world by carrying out various projects in Japan and overseas with Shohei Ohtani.
According to an ITO EN representative, to commemorate the announcement of this contract, the company sent a letter of encouragement to Ohtani, who is actively playing on the world stage in Los Angeles. The text of the letter will be carried in national newspapers such as the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, and Sankei Shimbun, as well as sports newspapers and regional newspapers in Japan, including Iwate and Hokkaido, where Ohtani is from.
Beyond Japan, the letter will also appear in newspapers published in baseball-loving countries such as the NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Honolulu Star-Advertiser in the United States, Chosun Ilbo in South Korea, The Courier-Mail, The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun in Australia, and more.
Through the placement of this letter in prestigious newspapers and on its official website, the world will be filled with messages of support for Ohtani as the company sends its encouragement to Shohei Ohtani: “To Shohei Ohtani. As the new season begins, you continue to inspire with your outstanding achievements. We hope that Oi Ocha green tea will refresh and energize you. No matter the time of day or the distance between us, we’re here for you, Ohtani-san. We will always be supporting you, ITO EN Oi Ocha.”
Expressing his feelings on becoming an ITO EN partner, Shohei Ohtani said, “I am excited to announce that I have become a global partner with the ITO EN Oi Ocha green tea brand. I have been a big fan of Oi Ocha since my days in Japan, and it continues to be an important part of my life here in the US. I’m glad to know that my love for Oi Ocha and my frequent use of it reached ITO EN, leading to this partnership opportunity. I’m excited to have the chance to spread the appeal of Oi Ocha to people all over the world.”
Based on its management philosophy of “customers first,” the company’s mission is to help customers lead healthy and prosperous lives while contributing to the creation of a sustainable society. ITO EN is committed to providing the best in taste and value in Japanese tea to customers of all ages.
To realize its long-term vision of becoming a global tea company, ITO EN will continue to promote Oi Ocha as a representative Japanese brand worldwide, connect with tea cultures in regions around the globe, and create new global tea culture and markets through technology, the ITO EN Group’s value chain, and more. And we will continue to contribute to the healthy and prosperous lives of customers in Japan and around the world.
