Softball first arrived in Japan from the U.S. around a century ago, and since the 1960s the 2 countries' women's teams have enjoyed a friendly rivalry on the world stage. While the U.S. were long the dominant force in the sport, recent years have seen Japan sharpen their game and soar to new heights. Following Japan's historic repeat softball gold at Tokyo 2020, a revamped professional women's softball league in Japan now hopes to build on the momentum and attract new players and fans to the sport.