For Immediate Release
August 6, 2012FUNAI ELECTRIC AND BOSTON RED SOX ANNOUNCE FIFTH YEAR OF THE
RED SOX U.S./JAPAN YOUTH BASEBALL EXCHANGE
Young Japanese Baseball Players to Visit Boston for Third Year in a Row for theFenway’s 100th Year Anniversary
BOSTON -- The Red Sox Foundation and global electronics giant Funai today announced thefifth anniversary year of the Red Sox US-Japan Youth Baseball Exchange Presented By Funai
Electric. The program allows children from Japan and the United States to visit one another's
homelands and explore their customs and culture through their shared love of baseball.
On July 28th, a dozen Japanese youngsters from Kyoto, sister city of Boston, and Chiba, a suburbof Tokyo, travelled with two coaches to Boston for a 11-day stay with 6 host families in Greater
Boston through Tuesday August 7th. The Japanese teens will participate in baseball clinics byHarvard and Northeastern University baseball coaches and will play games with several of theRed Sox Foundation's RBI Youth Baseball teams of the same age. Funai executives and thedozen Japanese boys and their Boston hosts will be honored at Fenway Park prior to the Red Soxvs. Rangers game on Monday, August 6th.
In the past five years, the exchange has run in both directions, with Boston boys traveling toJapan as well as Japanese teens traveling to Boston to participate in various baseball and culturalactivities while living with Japanese or American host families. This year’s exchange wasoriginally scheduled to take place in Japan, but the program was changed so that the children canenjoy and participate in many of the special activities in conjunction with the Fenway’s 100thAnniversary.
Funai generously agreed to change the venue to the US and Boston families quickly rose to theoccasion by volunteering once again to welcome Japanese youngsters into their homes thissummer, giving the young baseball players welcome respite from the continuing challenges
Japan faces in the aftermath of the natural disaster.
"In the Fenway 100th Anniversary year it was important for the exchange to take place in Boston
allowing new friendships to develop in Boston and at Fenway,” said Tomonori Hayashi,President & CEO of Funai Electric Co., Ltd., "This program continues to provide life changing
experiences, and reminds us all how much we can share through educational exchanges andthrough our shared beloved pastime of baseball. In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami
destruction 1.5 year ago, Japan received much support and encouragements from international
friends -- our nation is recovering and we look forward to hosing 12 American boys from Boston
in Japan next year."“Funai’s continued commitment to this exchange speaks volumes about their vision as achampionship company with a true global reach,” said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. “We arehonored that Red Sox fans here in Boston have opened their hearts and homes to the Japaneseyoungsters, who not only share their love of baseball, but also have the courage and perseverance
to travel halfway across the globe to learn about American history and culture.”
Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine, who has continued to support this international grassrootsexchange program since 2009 while managing the Chiba Lotte Marines team in Japan, said “In aworld where we are all increasingly connected, the common language of baseball offers
youngsters a chance to grow beyond their geographic boundaries.”
This is the fifth straight year that Funai Electric is the Presenting Sponsor of the Red Sox USJapan Youth Baseball Exchange program, which is coordinated by the Red Sox Foundation.
“Our hearts and prayers remain with the Japanese people, who each day bravely take on the workneeded to move forward towards their nation’s recovery,” added Red Sox Senior Vice President
Meg Vaillancourt, Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation. “We are particularly proud tohost the young Japanese players here in Boston this summer and thanks to Funai, these teens canenjoy America’s favorite pastime while they make new friendship we know will last a lifetime.”
ABOUT PRESENTING SPONSOR FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Funai Electric Co., Ltd. Founded by Mr. Tetsuro Funai, the company was established in 1961 inOsaka, Japan. Funai Electric Co., Ltd. in Japan is engaged in development/design, manufacture,marketing and distribution of audio/visual products such as LCD TVs, DVD/Blu-ray relatedproduces. Funai also produces printers. Funai has sites in Japan, Poland, Republic of China(consignment manufacturing), and Thailand. For more information on Funai Group, please visit:
http://www.funaiworld.com. Funai Corporation in the United States was established in 1970 as awholly-owned subsidiary of Funai Electric Co., Ltd. Funai Corporation, Inc. was reorganized inMay 1991, and is engaged in the import, export, servicing, marketing and distribution of Funai
products in order to serve customers across United States. For more information, please visit
http://funai.us/.
ABOUT RED SOX FOUNDATIONThe official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation harnesses the power ofRed Sox Nation to support select programs serving at risk children and families across NewEngland. The Foundation’s efforts are primarily focused on our cornerstone programs, including
the Red Sox Scholars Program, which provides tutoring, mentoring, enrichment programs and acollege scholarship to academically talented but economically disadvantaged Boston publicschool students and the Red Sox Foundation's RBI and Rookie League youth baseball programserving more than 2,000 inner city teens each summer. The team charity also supports the newRed Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program for veterans
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress disorders and traumatic brain injury, TheDimock Center in Roxbury and The Jimmy Fund, supporting breakthrough cancer research at theDana Farber Cancer Institute.
A 501c3 nonprofit, the Red Sox Foundation raises funds through special events and corporate
sponsorships and grants. Founded and initially funded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry,Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Larry Lucchino and their partners, the Red Sox
Foundation has won numerous awards for the impact of its innovative programs. Last year, theRed Sox Scholars program was recognized by Major League Baseball with the first-ever “MLBCommissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence.” In 2009, the Red Sox Foundation wasalso honored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sports Philanthropy Project withthe Patterson Award as the nation’s “Best Team Charity in Sports.” For more information about
this unique Red Sox US-Japan Exchange Program Presented by Funai on the web, please visit
www.redsoxfoundation.org.