'Shotime' named Japan buzzword of year to honour baseball star Shohei Ohtani
TOKYO : "Shotime", as baseball star Shohei Ohtani
is known in the United States, was named on Wednesday Japanese "buzzword
of the year" for 2021 after he won one of U.S. baseball's top awards and
lit up his home country that has been in the pandemic's shadow.
Ohtani, often compared to baseball legend Babe Ruth because
of his ability to pitch and hit at an elite level, last month won the Most
Valuable Player award for Major League Baseball's American League, becoming the
second Japanese player to do so.
The MVP award prompted newspapers in Japan to hand out
extras and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to tell reporters he felt very proud of
Ohtani's accomplishment.
The Japanese government floated the idea of presenting a
prestigious national honour, the People's Honour Award, to Ohtani after he won
the award but the Los Angeles Angels player declined, saying it was still
"too early".
Besides "Shotime", "real two-way
player", used to describe his versatility, was also chosen as this year's
top buzzword by a committee of experts organised by Japanese publishing house
Jiyukokuminsha.
No comments