This season, Levanga Hokkaido recorded the highest winning percentage in club history.
We spoke directly with owner Rei Ogawa about the year that marked a major leap forward.
Regarding the new arena plan, he revealed plans to move the project forward within the year.
The reason for their strength… a doubling of team personnel costs!
The “Fan Appreciation Day” for Levanga Hokkaido was held on May 9.
The three-point shootout was particularly exciting.
When representative Orimo made 17 shots…
On the other hand, player Keisei Tominaga made 18 shots and won!
It thrilled the fans and supporters.
(Keisei Tominaga) “I’ll keep working hard next season, so please continue your support.”
Levanga Hokkaido, which ended the 2025-26 season in May, recorded 37 wins and 23 losses, the best winning percentage in club history.
One of the reasons for their strength…
team personnel costs, including player salaries, doubled.
As a result, they were able to acquire excellent players, including Japan national team member Tominaga.
The catalyst for increasing these costs was owner Rei Ogawa, who took office in June 2025.
At just 29 years old, he serves as the president of the listed company “Timee.”
We asked owner Ogawa, who invests his personal assets into Levanga, to reflect on this past year.
Owner Ogawa reflects: “I think we were able to build a good team.” “It’s my pride.”
“I feel like we’ve become a team capable of this much.”
“We were aiming for the CS, so it’s a very disappointing result. What makes sports difficult is injuries. That’s where our winning percentage dropped. When I think about whether we might have made it if no one got injured… I think we were able to build a really great team this time, and it’s my pride.”
What is the role of an owner in making Levanga even stronger?
“I don’t really know much about basketball myself. It’s not my place to have a say in player selection or starting lineups. My role is to manage the business so that the GM can realize what kind of players they want and what kind of team they want to build.”
The current GM, General Manager, is Ryota Sakurai, who was loved by fans as the “Ironman of the North” and retired from active play in 2024.
When Sakurai became GM…
“I’ve always had a complex. Levanga Hokkaido hasn’t been able to become a strong team. I want to achieve that in my second career.”
To that end, he moved to strengthen the team, such as signing Japan national team player Tominaga to a multi-year contract.
Tominaga lived up to those expectations, recording the highest average score among Japanese players in the B1 League and contributing to Levanga’s victories.
“What is your evaluation of the management side this year?”
“I came in thinking it was okay to run a deficit this year. We brought in Tominaga and Okafour, and honestly, we doubled team personnel costs. It went from 400 million yen to 800 million yen. More than that, I want to win the Japan championship in five years. Rather than management itself, I want to achieve that.”
“Why did you decide to become an owner?”
“I love sports, and I played soccer in junior high and high school. Being a sports owner was a childhood dream. When I thought about taking on a challenge in the prefecture with the most potential, Hokkaido came to mind.”
Representative Orimo also strongly agrees with owner Ogawa’s thinking.
“Has owner Ogawa’s involvement expanded your options?”
“It has expanded. With owner Ogawa backing us, things that wouldn’t move before are now moving. Ogawa has a good sense of balance.”
Owner Ogawa aims for a “new arena project” with multiple candidate sites
What owner Ogawa has been stating since shortly after taking office is the new arena plan.
They aim
