Final answer:
Pro baseball in Japan was an initiative to boost newspaper sales, particularly through the Yomiuri Giants team owned by a media company with large newspaper interests.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pro baseball in Japan, represented by the Yomiuri Giants, likely started as a way to increase sales of newspapers. The team was owned by a media company that also owned one of the country's largest newspapers, the Yomiuri Shimbun. Much like the American examples of the Atlanta Braves and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, the Yomiuri Giants served as a strategic venture to enhance sales of another product, which in this case was newspapers.