Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify the process of labor negotiation by Japan Professional Baseball Players Association in order to capture the change of the status of the players, who are the important persons concerned in the professional baseball world. This article focuses the period from 1985, when the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association （JPBPA） was established to 1993, when a free agent （FA） system was introduced.
Recognized as a labor union by the Labor Relations Commission, the JPBPA obtained their legal right that they could negotiate with the Nippon Professional Baseball organization （NPB）. As a result, the JPBPA succeeded in the improvement of the working conditions as they had wished since its foundation.
In addition, JPBPA managed to reach the introduction of the FA system, which permits the freedom of the transfer of the player. However, due to the interest of each baseball clubs the players as combatant could not involve in decision making directly. As a result, the introduced FA system was different from the system that the JPBPA required in 1991, and limited players could exercise the right. However, the introduction of the FA system could be regarded as an epoch－making, in that it enables the players to negotiate with the baseball clubs equally viewpoint with the NPB by the freedom of the transfer of players being permitted.
Furthermore, we should pay attention to having gained such rights by the JPBPA under the condition
which the NPB seems to lead the process of the negotiation.
