Pro Mahjong League "M League" Launched Aiming for Olympic Recognition

The M League Organization, a general incorporated association aiming to promote and develop competitive mahjong, held a launch press conference for the professional mahjong league "M League" at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo in Minato Ward on July 17th. The league is set to commence in October 2018.

At the outset, Representative Director Susumu Fujita (President of CyberAgent) passionately stated, "I became deeply immersed in mahjong during my university days and pursued it so seriously that I won the Mahjong Strongest Tournament in 2014, which also featured professional players. He passionately shared his thoughts, stating, "I learned everything I needed to survive in the business world from mahjong: concentration, judgment, logical thinking, and mental fortitude." He continued, "The M League aims to make mahjong an official Olympic sport. To achieve this, we will establish its image as a brain sport, pursue its professionalization, and eliminate negative perceptions by prohibiting gambling activities among participating players."

Saburo Kawabuchi, Senior Advisor, stated, "As a longtime mahjong fan, I strongly resonated with the M League's founding vision of establishing mahjong as a professional sport. I immediately accepted Representative Director Fujita's invitation. Drawing on experience gained from launching and operating the J.League (soccer) and B.League (basketball), I aim to significantly elevate mahjong as a new professional sport."

Seven teams will join at launch: Hakuhodo DY Media Partners' "Akasaka Drivens," TV Asahi's "EX Fūrin Kazan," Konami Amusement's "KONAMI Mahjong Fighting Club," CyberAgent's "Shibuya ABEMAS," SEGA SAMMY Holdings' "SEGA SAMMY Phoenix," Dentsu Inc.'s "TEAM RAIDEN," and U-NEXT's "U-NEXT Pirates" (listed in Japanese syllabary order).

Each team will register three players. A draft meeting will be held on August 7 to select players from among professional mahjong players affiliated with professional organizations. Each team is scheduled to play 80 matches in the inaugural season.

Actors Tanaka Kei and Hongo Kanata attended the venue as representatives of the supporters. Both avid mahjong enthusiasts who frequently play with friends in private, when asked how they started playing, Tanaka replied, "In third grade, there was a shop near my house that combined a candy store and a game center. I got hooked on the mahjong game there because it was cheaper than other games and you could keep playing as long as you didn't lose."

Hongo shared, "My hook was the manga 'Akagi'. I was already a fan of manga artist Nobuyuki Fukumoto's work, and I got hooked on this particular mahjong-themed series. I learned the game just by reading it. My passion grew so strong that I even starred in the live-action adaptation of the work."

Regarding the M League, Tanaka smiled and said, "I could feel the serious commitment from everyone involved. I'm thrilled to witness this new beginning for mahjong." Hongo added, "Mahjong's image has been improving year by year, but the launch of the M League should give it another significant boost."

When Hongo mentioned having played against Representative Director Fujita on AbemaTV, Tanaka playfully interjected, "I want to join in!"

Representative Director Fujita concluded, "While mahjong is often perceived as heavily reliant on luck, the longer the league matches go on, the more results align with actual skill. Matches where polished techniques and mental fortitude of mahjong pros, who win purely through skill, compete are incredibly compelling. They hold great potential as spectator content. Please look forward to the performances of the players who will become M League members."

 

"M League" Official Website: https://m-league.jp