The NPB announced the following alternates for the All-Star roster:

Daiki Enokida (Hanshin; left elbow pain) - Shinji Tajima (Chunichi; first appearance)

Yuki Karakawa (Lotte; right elbow inflammation) - Takahiro Shiomi (Rakuten; first appearance)

NOTE: according to Section 86 of the Baseball Agreement, Enokida and Karakawa will not be allowed back onto the active roster until ten games after the All-Star break.

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UPDATE @ 5:30pm - Morimichi Takagi told reporters he will decide on his Game 1 starter after watching how Kenta Maeda (Hiroshima) pitches tonight.  His condition after the game will also play a part since he would be making the start on two days of rest.  Source: Sports Hochi Osaka 7/17/2012

UPDATE @ 5:36pm - Hideki Kuriyama told reporters today that Yuki Saito will start Game 1 and Mitsuo Yoshikawa will start Game 2.  Source: Sports Hochi 7/17/2012

UPDATE @ 8:33pm - Tajima is the first Chunichi rookie to make the All-Star squad since Kosuke Fukudome in 1999.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/17/2012

The NPB announced the following alternates for the All-Star roster:

Tony Blanco (Chunichi; fracture in second metacarpal, left hand) - Daiki Enokida (Hanshin; second appearance)

Terrmel Sledge (Nippon Ham; cartilage damage, left knee) - Kenji Akashi (Softbank; first appearance)

Blanco will also miss the home run derby.  His replacement will be Shinnosuke Abe (Yomiuri).

NOTE: according to Section 86 of the Baseball Agreement, Blanco and Sledge will not be allowed back onto the active roster until ten games after the All-Star break.

Source: Official NPB site, Daily Sports 7/13/2012, Sponichi 7/13/2012

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The NPB also posted the following make-up dates for the second and third games:

Game 2 - Botchan Stadium - July 22 at 13:30

Game 3 - Iwate Stadium - July 24 at 13:00

Source: Official NPB site

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UPDATE @ 6:33pm - The NPB will be selling extra tickets for Games 2 (about two-hundred-and-fifty seats) and 3 (about thirty seats) of the All-Star Series.  These seats either have a bad view of the field, or no view at all.  Tickets will go on sale on Sunday, beginning at 10am.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/13/2012

Morimichi Takagi told reporters he was thinking about naming Hirokazu Sawamura (YOM) as Tony Blanco's (CHU) alternate.  Masanori Ishikawa (YAK) is another possibility.  Source: Sports Hochi 7/12/2012

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Katsuya Kakunaka is the first player to make the All-Star roster after spending time playing in an Independent League (Island League, Kochi Fighting Dogs).  He is looking forward to the possibility of playing in Game 2 of the series (Matsuyama).  Source: Sponichi 7/12/2012

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At twenty years of age, Shota Dobayashi (HIR) will be the youngest player on the 2012 All-Star roster.  He is also the youngest player in Hiroshima Carp history to make the All-Star team -- the previous record of twenty-one years and nine months was held by Hiromu Fujii (1957).  Source: Sponichi 7/12/2012

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UPDATE 7/13 @ 1:55am - Takagi told reporters on Thursday that Daiki Enokida (HAN) will replace Tony Blanco (CHU) on the CL roster.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/12/2012

SKYACTIV Technology Plus One Dream Ballot Results

Individual Ballots: 44,827
Total Votes: 78,097

Home Run Derby Ballot Results

Game 1 - Kyocera Dome

Game 2 - Botchan Stadium

Game 3 - Iwate Baseball Stadium

Individual Ballots: 15,408
Total Votes: 84,544

Mazda All-Star Game 2012 updates:

• Yuki Saito (HAM) is currently slated to start the first game of the All-Star series for the Pacific League.  Kenta Maeda (HIR) will likely start the first game for the Central League.  Source: Sports Hochi 7/10/2012
• Yuki Karakawa (LOT) is hoping to make his All-Star appearance during the third game of the series.  Karakawa was scratched from his start on Wednesday because of possible back tightness.  Source: Sports Hochi 7/10/2012
• Tony Blanco (CHU) is expected to withdraw from the All-Star series.  Source: Sponichi 7/10/2012

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The twelve NPB teams would like to see the Samurai Japan manager selected by late August because they want to get started on the business-side of things, like rounding up sponsors.  Acting NPB Commissioner Ryozo Kato told reporters that he would also like to make a decision as soon as possible, but was having a difficult time deciding whether or not to go with an active (tight schedule) or retired (may have lost the feel for the game) manager.  Source: Sports Hochi 7/10/2012

Kato is currently working with WBC special advisor Sadaharu Oh to narrow down candidates for the position.  Source: Sponichi 7/10/2012

Amongst the names that have been mentioned: Tatsunori Hara, Koji Akiyama, and Hiromitsu Ochiai.  Source: Sanspo 7/10/2012

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The KBO player's union is threatening to boycott the 2012 KBO All-Star Game and the next WBC if a tenth team is not allowed into the league.  Source: Daily Sports 7/10/2012

A little more detail from the Korea Times (6/19/2012):

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) concluded Tuesday that it will not allow a 10th team in the league at this time, disappointing fans in the areas vying for the new outfit.

The Korean baseball players' union is also unhappy with the decision and announced that its players will boycott the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and the All-Star Game in July.

... The board concluded that improving the conditions of amateur baseball in high and middle schools was a prerequisite ahead of adding another team to the league.

And from a Korea Herald article that was posted on 7/10/2012:

The Korea Baseball Organization's board of directors announced on Tuesday that it will review information regarding the establishment of a 10th team.

The decision of the pro baseball governing body is a reversal from its earlier decision on June 19 to postpone the discussion.

... "There was a proposal that was well developed," said Yang who added that he would discuss the proposal with the players' association.

... It was reported that teams opposing a 10th club, including Samsung, Lotte and Hanwha, did not reject the proposal, unlike in previous meetings.

Voting for the SKYACTIV Technology Plus One player will take place between July 3 and July 9.  Eligible players: 1) made the active roster by May 31, 2012; 2) not selected by fans, players, or managers; 3) through to July 2, for pitchers, either five or more games or ten or more innings; batters, either ten or more games or twenty or more plate appearances.  Results will be announced on July 11.

Voting for the Home Run Derby will also take place between July 3 and July 9.  Any player that has recorded either seven or more home runs this year (through to July 2), or fifteen or more home runs last year, is eligible. Ties will go to players with more home runs this year.  A total six players will be selected (two for each game).

Final Roster

Notes

F = players voted by fans / P = players voted by players / B = both player and fan vote winners

Rosters can still be changed base on injury

See also:

Mazda All-Star Game 2012: Player Ballot Results

Mazda All-Star Game 2012: Final Fan Ballot Results

Morimichi Takagi told reporters that he is planning to select Kazuhiro Hatakeyama (Yakult) for the All-Star roster because of his ties to the Tohoku region (he is from Iwate).  He also mentioned other names like Shuichi Murata (Yomiuri), Wladimir Balentien (Yakult), and Daisuke Miura (Yokohama).

This coming just a couple days after Takagi said he was thinking about players like Tomoaki Kanemoto (Hanshin), Masahiro Yamamoto (Chunichi), Shota Dobayashi (Hiroshima), and Sho Aranami (Yokohama).  His change in thinking may be a result of wanting to select players with closer connections to the Tohoku region.

FWIW: Dobayashi received 248,231 fan votes, which was eighth most in the CL.

Source: Sponichi 6/28/2012, Sponichi 6/30/2012

Final Results

Notes

※1 Of the past four player selections, he was selected as an outfielder three times.
※2 Of the past five selections, he missed one because of an injury.
The number directly to the right of the name represents the number of times a player was selected by players.  The number in parentheses represent the overall number of selections.  Names in italics indicate players that were also selected by fans.

Some news and notes from June 26:

• Takashi Toritani (HAN) led all CL players with 293,825 votes.  He is the first Hanshin player to lead the CL with votes since Kyuji Fujikawa in 2006.  He is also just the second Hanshin shortstop to lead the CL with votes.  The other: Yoshio Yoshida (1955-1957).  Source: Sponichi 6/26/2012
• For the first time in his career, at forty-one years and eight months, Shinya Miyamoto (YAK) made the All-Star team as a fan pick.  That breaks the previous record of forty-one years and four months, set by George Altman in 1974.  Source: Sponichi 6/26/2012
• Eight Fighters were selected by fans to the All-Star roster.  The last time that happened was back in 1978.  It is also the second time Atsunori Inaba led all players in votes (498,353 in 2009 and 426,066 in 2012).  Source: Asahi Shimbun 6/26/2012
• Alex Ramirez (YOK) placed an order with ZETT for a sweatband with the words "We are one" stitched into it.  He plans to wear the band during the All-Star Series.  Source: Sports Hochi Osaka 6/26/2012
• The Chunichi Dragons and Rakuten Eagles finished with zero players selected by fans.
• Results from the Player Balloting will be released on June 28 (nineteen players will be selected, nine from the CL and ten from the PL).  Manager Selections will be revealed on July 2.  Plus One Balloting will take place between July 3 and 9; the results will be posted on July 11.  A total thirty-two players will be selected for each team.