Ohtani's Tokyo airport arrival hidden from fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Japanese star

TOKYO (AP) — Hundreds of fans at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, who lined up 10 deep and hoped to catch a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as he arrived on Thursday, saw nothing of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.

What they saw was a 40-meter-long (130 feet) temporary white wall to shield the players in case they came through the arrival area. The Chicago Cubs exited this way when they arrived late Wednesday night.

The Dodgers were seen on the tarmac disembarking from their charter from Phoenix, and Ohtani was one of the first off. But the players didn’t make it to the arrival area, apparently taking an escape route.

The next chance to see Ohtani and the Dodgers will be Friday when the teams open practice at the Tokyo Dome.

The two-game series to open the MLB season is Tuesday and Wednesday, early evening starts in Tokyo. Games will go live in the early morning the same day in North America. Japan is 13 hours ahead of the American east coast.

Fans waited for hours inside the terminal, hoping Ohtani might show. Many carried signs of welcome. One was a bright yellow board that read, “I love LA.” Others wore Dodgers caps and shirts and other garb.

Several times excited fans reached high with smartphones, thinking Ohtani had arrived. It was always a false alarm — they mere passengers from other flights.

Patient and polite, fans eventually departed the reception area when it was clear that Japan's most famous citizen would not appear.

Most fans were hopeful, but realistic.

"I just came hoping for any chance I might see him. But I knew, probably not,” Satoshi Yoshii, a local accountant, said. “But you come with hope because of who he is.”

Misaki Ueta came with her husband Reishi and a friend, Ryusei Takahashi. The two men wore Ohtani's No. 17 Dodgers jersey.

“We just came to be able to breathe the same air,” Misaki said. “The Ohtani air.”

Others came for the event — like a rock concert.

“I don’t care if I can’t see him because I’m not really a fan of Ohtani,” Kotomi Miyakoda said. Standing alongside was her friend, also Kotomi — Kotomi Nakatsu.

“I'm not a fan but I want to see him, the person,” Nakatsu said.

This is billed as the Japan Series by MLB. It also could be billed as the Marketing-Ohtani-in-Japan Series. Ohtani is MLB's most marketable asset.

This is the second straight season that MLB has opened its season in Asia. Last year it was South Korea with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres, and where the gambling scandal broke around Ohtani's interpreter.

The teams come to Tokyo with five Japanese players. The Dodgers have Ohtani and pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. The Cubs come with designated hitter Seiya Suzuki and pitcher Shota Imanaga.

Imanaga and Yamamoto are expected to oppose each other on Tuesday in the first game.

The American clubs will face the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers in exhibition games on Saturday and Sunday.

Chris Marinak, MLB’s chief operations officer, talked with The Associated Press in an interview about the advatanges of having a player like Ohtani.

“It helps to have a generational talent like Ohtani — essentially the best player in the game — to be from a different market,” Marinak said. “It changes how you can communicate about the game in different markets.”

It's not difficult. Japan has adopted the Dodgers as its national team. There has always been a strong connection but now it's rock soild since Ohtani won the World Series with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have set up an exhibition in central Tokyo called “Dodgers Experience at MLB Tokyo Series.” Fans can see the World Series trophy and championship rings.

There's also a chance to view the Dodgers' rich history, dating to Brooklyn before the team moved to Los Angeles to start the 1958 season. There are also interactive experiences where fans can try to hit an Ohtani pitch.

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has also designed artwork around the series. His work will also be on display during the series.

Tickets on resale sites have been listed at as much as $20,000 for a single game. Many tickets for resale are more in the $2,000-$8,000 range.

Reselling tickets for above the face value is technically illegal in Japan. The government approved the rule before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, smiles as he celebrates with teammates after scoring a run on a two-run home run by Dodgers' Tommy Edman during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled to play their MLB opening games against Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled to play their MLB opening games against Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival as a staff installs partitions to block fans from the arrival route of the Dodgers team members at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Dodgers to play their MLB opening games against and Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers's Shohei Ohtani wait for the team arrival at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Dodgers is scheduled to play their MLB opening games against Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Dodgers is scheduled to play their MLB opening games against Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

One of fans of Los Angeles Dodgers holds a banner says "Welcome to Japan! I love LA"as she waits for the team arrival at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled to play their MLB opening games against Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled to play their MLB opening games against Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers's Shohei Ohtani wait for the team arrival at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Dodgers is scheduled to play their MLB opening games against Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of Los Angeles Dodgers wait for the team arrival as a staff installs partitions to block fans from the arrival route of the Dodgers team members at Tokyo International Airport Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Tokyo, as Dodgers to play their MLB opening games against and Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares fell back on Thursday despite a rebound on Wall Street fueled by an encouraging update on U.S. consumer prices.

U.S. futures fell and oil prices were little changed.

Chinese markets led the decline as investors watched for the next steps in President Donald Trump’s trade war. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 0.6% to 23,463.92, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.4% to 3,358.73.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gave up early gains to close 0.1% lower at 37,790.03.

South Korea's Kospi edged 0.1% lower, to 2,573.64. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5% to 7,749.10.

Taiwan's Taiex shed 1.4% and the Sensex in India edged 0.1% lower. Bangkok's SET rose 0.2%.

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 gained 0.5% to 5,599.30 after skidding between an early gain of 1.3% and a later loss. The unsettled trading came a day after the index briefly fell more than 10% below its all-time high set last month.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average also pinballed sharply before ending with a loss of 0.2% at 41,350.93. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2% to 17,648.45.

The inflation report showed overall prices rose less for U.S. consumers last month than economists expected.

Companies in the artificial-intelligence industry led gains, bouncing back after AI stocks got crushed recently by worries their prices had gone too stratospheric.

Nvidia climbed 6.4% to trim its loss for the year so far to 13.8%. Server-maker Super Micro Computer rose 4%, and GE Vernova, which is helping to power AI data centers, gained 5.1%.

Elon Musk’s Tesla, whose price had more than halved since mid-December, rallied 7.6% for its first back-to-back gain in nearly a month.

But more stocks in the S&P 500 fell than rose. Among the hardest hit were businesses that could be set to feel pain because of Trump’s trade war.

Brown-Forman, the company behind Jack Daniel’s whiskey, tumbled 5.1%, and Harley-Davidson sank 5.7%.

U.S. bourbon and motorcycles are among the products the European Union is targeting with its own tariffs on U.S. products. The moves were in response to Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum that kicked in earlier in the day.

Canada also hit back with tariffs announced on U.S. tools, sports equipment and other products.

“We deeply regret this measure,” European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said. “Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and worse for consumers.”

The question hanging over Wall Street is how much pain Trump will let the economy endure through tariffs and other policies.

Even if Trump ultimately goes with milder tariffs, damage could still be done. The dizzying barrage of on -again, off -again announcements on tariffs has already begun sapping confidence among U.S. consumers and businesses by ramping up uncertainty. That could cause U.S. households and businesses to spend less, hurting the economy.

On Tuesday, for example, Trump said he would double 25% tariffs announced on Canadian steel and aluminum, only to walk it back later in the day after a Canadian province pledged to drop a retaliatory measure that had incensed Trump.

Several U.S. businesses have said they’ve already begun seeing a change in behavior among their customers.

Delta Air Lines sank 3% to compound its drop of 7.3% from the prior day, when the carrier said it’s seeing demand weaken for close-in bookings for its flights.

Casey’s General Stores, the Ankeny, Iowa-based company that runs nearly 2,900 convenience stores in 20 states, offered some encouragement. Its stock rose 6.2% after it reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected thanks in part to strength for sales of hot sandwiches and fuel. It also kept steady its forecast for upcoming revenue this year.

Wednesday’s inflation report came at a time when worries are mounting that Trump’s tariffs will drive prices even higher as U.S. importers pass on their costs to their customers.

It’s also helpful for the Federal Reserve, which had been cutting interest rates last year to boost the economy before pausing this year, partly because of concerns about stubbornly high inflation.

In other dealings early Thursday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 9 cents to $67.58 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 5 cents to $70.90 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar fell to 147.78 Japanese yen from 148.25 yen. The euro fell to $1.0884 from $1.0887.

Trader John Romolo works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist James Denaro works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Fred DeMarco works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A pair of traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A specialist works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The German stock index, DAX, is pictured at the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The German stock index, DAX, is pictured at the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)