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In Japan for an All-Star tour, baseball officials said Friday the sport will open an office in Beijing within a month to help promote the game in a nation that has a population of more than 1.3 billion.

In Sunday's Pool A finale of the World Baseball Classic, Japan felt the Korean boom.

A procession of major-league pitchers helped Korea hold off bitter Asian rival Chinese Taipei 2-0 in the WBC opener on Friday.

Seibu Lions shortstop Kazuo Matsui, a seven-time All-Star in Japan, said Monday at a news conference that he's decided to pursue a big league career in North America.