The Yakult Swallows held a press conference in order to announce that they accepted a US$2.5M bid on Norichika Aoki earlier today.

"All I could do was wait, so I feel relieved now.  I feel as if I am now one step closer to realizing my dream.  I will allow my agent to handle the rest while I focus on my practices to make sure I am fully prepared," said Aoki.