Nagase-Kenko AirSafety Baseball™ Selected as Official Ball for Chinese Youth League Play


Tokyo -- October 4, 2004

Nagase-Kenko Corporation is pleased to announce that the Chinese Baseball Association has selected its AirSafety Baseball™ as the Official Baseball for use among children – 12 years and under – in youth league play.

“The increasing popularity of international youth baseball can be seen in the growing number of children playing the game in countries such as China, which have not traditionally been centers of baseball activity,” noted Nagase Kenko Executive Vice President Yasuhiko Nagase. “We are therefore very pleased to receive this endorsement by the Chinese Baseball Association and look forward to helping to develop the sport in China as well as other countries around the world.”

Nagase-Kenko’s all-rubber AirSafety Baseball™ was first introduced in Japan over seventy years ago. It is designed to compress upon impact to absorb shocks and reduce injury. The surface features an aerodynamic design and a raised seam to simulate the characteristics, flight and bounce of a regulation baseball. Available in three sizes and weights to meet the needs of younger children and to facilitate their use in pitching machines, the Kenko baseball is the official licensed baseball of International Baseball Federation National Programs and many other youth programs around the world.

The Kenko Air Safety Baseball™ is the official youth baseball for the International Baseball Association (IBA), Confederacion Panamericana de Beisbol (COPABE), Mexican (FEMEBA) and Brazilian Youth Baseball, Africa Baseball and Softball Association (ABSA), Baseball Federation of Asia (BAF) and the Victorian Baseball Association of Australia.

To view a photo album of Nagase Kenko Corporation’s recent visit to China with a Japanese Delegation to meet with the Chinese Olympic Committee, click here.

To view a photo album of Nagase Kenko Corporation’s attendance at the 2004 China All Star Game, click here.

To view a photo album of Nagase Kenko Corporation’s attendance at an Opening Game in Wuxi New Stadium near Shanghai, click here.

About Baseball in China:

Since the Chinese Baseball Federation was formed in 1974, interest in the sport has been rapidly growing. It is estimated there are currently about 50,000 players, competing in over 100 cities across China. Participating entities include the China Baseball League (4 teams), the China Hope League (10 teams), the China Youth League (7 teams), the National Child League (50 teams) and the China College League (19 teams). There are also 65 teams playing within regional leagues, over 270 school teams (from primary school to college) and approximately 480 players within professional teams.

About Nagase Kenko Corporation:

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Nagase Kenko Corporation is a global, multi-line sporting goods company. In addition to its AirSafety and Universal Regulation baseballs, NKC markets a wide range of sporting good products and services through its Team Sports and Tennis, Sports Flooring and Gymnastics Equipment and International Sales and Marketing divisions.

Presently employing a staff of over 250 individuals, NKC maintains four Japanese manufacturing facilities and three regional sales offices in Osaka, Fukuoka and Hokkaido. It also maintains a growing network of agents, distributors and representatives who help to manage its international sales and marketing and promotional activities.

For more information on NKC, Kenko products, services and sports marketing programs, please visit http://www.kenkobaseball.com or contact the representative indicated below.

Contact:
Alex Rabin
KWR International, Inc.
Tel. +1-212-532-3005
Fax. +1-212-685-2413
E-mail: kenko@kwrintl.com.