On August 21, 2023, Mr. KAWANISHI Tomoyuki, Executive Vice President of Ibaraki Kenmin Baseball Team Co., and Mr. Naruephon Muangkasem, Thai baseball player paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Singtong Lapisatepun, Ambassador of Thailand to Japan, to inform about Ibaraki Astro Planets’ Thai Day Event which is scheduled to be held on 3 September 2023. On this occasion, both sides exchanged views on the situation of baseball in Thailand and the cooperation between Japan and the Baseball Association of Thailand.

The Baseball Association of Thailand and Ibaraki Astro Planets have signed an MOU to jointly develop baseball in Thailand. Their cooperation includes the dispatch of Thai baseball players for short-term training in Japan and the dispatch of Japanese baseball coaches to provide training in Thailand. Mr. Naruephon, also known as Note, is the first Thai baseball player to join a professional baseball team in Japan.