LOS ANGELES — A new chapter is being written at Dodger Stadium — not with home runs or 100-mph pitches, but with heart and gratitude. Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, a trio of Japanese stars for the Los Angeles Dodgers, have joined forces to create “The Samurai Fund,” a special scholarship fund to support Japanese students pursuing their athletic and scientific dreams in the United States.
“We came to America to play baseball, but this journey gave us so much more — opportunities, knowledge, and people who believed in us. Now it’s time to give back,” Ohtani said at the announcement in Los Angeles.
“The Samurai Fund” is designed to be a symbol of Japanese culture and spirit in modern sports. The fund will provide full and partial scholarships to Japanese students who want to study sports, science, engineering, and biomedicine at universities in the United States—fields the trio believes “will shape the world of tomorrow.”
In addition to financial support, the program includes soft skills training, cultural exchanges, and one-on-one mentoring from MLB professionals and Japanese scholars living in the United States.
Yamamoto said through tears:
“We were raised with the spirit of never giving up—the samurai spirit. Now, we want to pass that on to the next generation, not just in sports, but in life.”
The story of “The Samurai Fund” begins with a simple moment: three players sitting together after spring training, talking about the past. They recall their time in Japan—the days of practicing on dirt fields, studying English with old dictionaries, and cold nights when their dreams seemed far away.
Roki Sasaki was the one who came up with the idea: “If someone helped us when we were kids, why don’t we do the same for others?”
And so, in collaboration with the Dodgers Foundation, “The Samurai Fund” was born — a bridge between two cultures, between baseball and knowledge, between gratitude and hope.
The scholarship fund’s launch ceremony moved thousands of fans. When Ohtani stepped up to the podium and said, “We don’t just represent Japan — we represent the dreams of kids who have never heard them,” the crowd rose to their feet and applauded in tears.
The Japanese community in Los Angeles called it “a historic moment,” not just for the act of charity, but for the message of unity the trio sent: “Baseball is a sport, but the human spirit is the real legacy.”
The Samurai Fund has already received more than $5 million in initial pledges from donors, and plans to award at least 50 scholarships each year starting in 2026. Japanese education experts have hailed it as a “globally impactful initiative” that will not only help students, but also inspire perseverance and compassion in professional sports.
Yamamoto concluded the press conference with simple but profound words:
“We were taught by MLB that strength lies not only in muscles, but also in the heart. And today, that heart belongs to dreams yet to be realized.”
The Samurai Fund is more than just a scholarship fund. It is a reminder that the samurai spirit lives on—in effort, loyalty, and sharing. The three Japanese stars brought to MLB not only talent, but also character that the world bows in awe of.
And in an age where sports are sometimes overshadowed by money and fame, their actions remind us that — the greatest thing an athlete can leave behind is not a record, but a legacy of kindness.
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