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"Becoming a hero of Otaki Town": A new season begins with the support of the local community.

esDGz OTAKI.EXE, a 3x3 basketball team operated by JPFagri Co., Ltd. JPF Co., Ltd., held a send-off ceremony on Saturday, May 9th at the B&G Marine Center in Otaki Town, Chiba Prefecture, their home base, to mark the start of the 2026 season.
Furthermore, on May 17th (Sunday), the team participated in "3x3.EXE PREMIER JAPAN 2026 ROUND.1 (Opening Match)" held at Waterras in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, marking their first official match under the new system.
The team's theme is "Becoming Heroes of Otaki Town," and it is a "dual-career" team where players engage in sports activities while also participating in agricultural businesses. While competing in matches as athletes, they also work in agriculture and forestry, and participate in local events, contributing to empowering the town through sports.

At the send-off ceremony, many local residents, including the mayor of Otaki Town, gathered to offer their encouragement for the new season. Mayor Noboru Hirabayashi of Otaki Town commented, "It is a great honor for Otaki Town to have such a professional team. We want to support them with all our might as a town," demonstrating the community's commitment to supporting the team.

Furthermore, the team will be starting the new season with a significantly revamped roster and a new structure. Team captain Otoya Medoruma expressed his enthusiasm for the new season, saying, "As we rebuild with new members, our first goal is to win the opening game, and then aim to reach the playoffs, which we achieved last season."

In the opening match, the team took on its first official game under the new system that restarted in April. Although they didn't secure a victory, game captain Hirakawa Kanata commented, "All the players showed a fighting spirit. I'm confident that we can become a team that can win more by correcting the issues we identified this time." This demonstrated the team's progress and potential for the future.

Manager Oikawa also commented, "This was a game where we were able to properly demonstrate what we've been working on in practice. I want this to be a season where we can express our gratitude to the players, staff, and everyone who supports us on the court." Under the team theme of "Becoming heroes of Otaki Town," he expressed his intention empowering the town and promote the area nationwide through sports.

[About esDGz OTAKI.EXE: https://jpfagri.co.jp/exe]
Operated by JPFagri Co., Ltd., Ltd., a JPF Group company, this 3x3 basketball team operates under the theme of "Becoming Heroes of Otaki Town." The players practice a "dual career," engaging in agriculture alongside their athletic activities, and are also involved in regional development activities and the operation of sports schools. In 2025, they made their first playoff appearance since their founding and received the "3x3 Town Award," given to teams that have contributed to regional development.

[About JPFagri Co., Ltd. https://jpfagri.co.jp/]
JPFagri Co., Ltd. is a JPF Group company based in Otaki Town, Chiba Prefecture, that works to empowering the town through agriculture and sports. It develops agricultural businesses that utilize abandoned farmland and neglected bamboo forests, and promotes the creation of sustainable regional models. Its efforts have been selected for the Community Local Production and Consumption category of the "12th Discover Rural and Fishing Village Treasures" event, sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Cabinet Secretariat.
 
Selected article for "Discovering the Treasures of Rural and Fishing Villages"
https://www.jpf.co.jp/jpfnews/2026_jpfagri_discovermuranotakara/