Eastern League (Japanese baseball) Eastern League (Japanese baseball) The is one of the two minor leagues ("ni-gun") of Japanese professional baseball. The league is owned and managed by the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Teams in the Eastern League generally play an 80-game schedule every year. 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
Megumu Yoshida of three backs defense. However he could hardly play in the match in 2005. In 2006, he moved to J2 League club Sagan Tosu. He played as mainly center back in 2 seasons. He retired end of 2007 season. After retirement, Yoshida started coaching career at Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2008. He coached for youth team in 2008. In 2009, he became a coach for his local university, Chukyo University. In 2010, he signed with Sagan Tosu and became a coach for top team. In August 2014, manager Yoon Jong-hwan was sacked and Yoshida became a new manager as Yoon successor.