Topps and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) have announced a 2021 licensing agreement to produce and distribute baseball trading cards in Japan.
It is the first time in its 80-year history that the company has released official trading cards for all 12 NPB teams.
This past year Topps opened an office in Tokyo to better serve the Japanese and Asian market's increasing demand for trading cards.
"We have been actively pursuing the NPB league as a way to serve baseball and sports fans in Japan better and beyond," says David Leiner, global general manager, sports and entertainment, Topps. "We feel the licensing agreement will deliver fans an exciting range of collectable products and enhance how fans collect their favourite teams and players."
"We are delighted to have signed a licensing agreement with NPB in the memorable year when Topps started its business in Japan," says Satoshi Misu, Japan country general manager, Topps. "With the agreement, we hope to increase the number of trading card fans in Japan as much as possible."
Topps was founded in 1938. Its sports products include Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga, National Hockey League and Formula 1.
