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Japanese media covering Masahiro Tanaka are stuck in NY coronavirus limbo

Eriko Takehama normally would be covering the Yankees this time of year, following Masahiro Tanaka with other Japanese sportswriters who are assigned to watch the right-hander’s every move. But Takehama and the rest of the Japanese media are stuck inside their apartments in New York due to the coronavirus pandemic — and unlike other New …

Eriko Takehama normally would be covering the Yankees this time of year, following Masahiro Tanaka with other Japanese sportswriters who are assigned to watch the right-hander’s every move.

But Takehama and the rest of the Japanese media are stuck inside their apartments in New York due to the coronavirus pandemic — and unlike other New Yorkers, their families are thousands of miles away.

“For me, it’s been very challenging emotionally, because I worry about my parents back home in Japan,’’ Takehama, of Sankei Sports, wrote in an email. “And I’m so far away from home and I can’t even go back and help them. I just pray that they will stay safe but it’s hard. I did think about going back home, but flying 13 hours to Japan is too risky right now for both my parents and I… I live by myself so it’s been really lonely too, but I feel more thankful because I can stay home safe. So I remind myself to stay strong.’’

Takehama, who lives in Manhattan, has been in New York since 2003 and has been through other volatile times here.

“I never thought New York would shut down like this,’’ Takehama wrote. “I experienced the blackout, Hurricane sandy … but New York was always strong. I never lost hope, but this is completely different. We don’t even know when we can go back to normal life. That’s the scariest thing.’’

Anri Uechi was covering the Chunichi Dragons in Nagoya, Japan, when his home country was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

The start of that season was pushed back nearly three weeks.

“This has made me recall what happened with the earthquake, but I haven’t experienced anything like this,’’ Uechi said. “Sports stopped at that time, too, but the season wasn’t delayed long and the rest of the world didn’t stop.”

Eriko Takehama (far left) is one of the members of the Yankees Japanese media stuck in New York during the coronavirus pandemic.Kotaro Ohashi

Uechi now covers the Yankees for Kyodo News and lives in upper Manhattan with his wife and 7-month-old son. And that’s where he has remained.

“My wife and son were there [in Japan] for a month during spring training,’’ said Uechi, who has been in New York since 2016. “I asked my wife if she wanted to go back again now and I would stay here and work, but she was worried about bringing the virus home and infecting her parents. I have a job to do here, so I have no choice. I’m kind of stuck here.’’

Tanaka last spoke to the media — both American and Japanese — in Tampa on March 15.

Just over two weeks later, Tanaka said on Twitter he’d left for Japan after “an event that made me feel danger [being close to] the infection with the new coronavirus, so I decided to return home with due care.’’

Like Takehama, Uechi doesn’t intend to follow Tanaka’s lead.

“If you go back to Japan, everyone is tested and you have to quarantine for two weeks,” Uechi said. “It’s not a good time to go back. There are stories in Japan that if people come back from abroad — especially America — people there are worried you’ll bring the virus with you. So there’s really nowhere to go. And we’re in the worst part of the world with how many people having the virus.’’

Uechi left Florida two days after Tanaka last talked. Like most New Yorkers, he isn’t getting out much.

“It’s boring, but I’m enjoying time with my family,’’ Uechi said. “It’s nice to see my son grow every day. If I was traveling and working, I wouldn’t get to do that.’’

Daisuke Sugiura, who covers the Yankees for Sports Nippon and freelances for other outlets, is in a similar situation.

“A silver lining is now I’m able to be with my wife and two-year-old daughter all the time,’’ Sugiura wrote in an email. “Personally I was a little too busy to enjoy the fun of parenting. Finally got the time, and it’s priceless. Also, all of us are still healthy. So, I’d rather not to complain. I fully realize the fact that a lot of people in NYC are having more difficult time than us.”

Like most other sportswriters, they are trying to stay busy while waiting for games to resume. All three scour the internet looking for stories to write or translate to Japanese for their sites.

“There’s not much else to do but wait,” Uechi said.

Takehama said she keeps in touch with other journalists and they try to assist each other and shared the freelance funds website with others.

And no one knows when this will end.

“When you think how long it might be like this, it’s depressing,’’ Uechi said. “But it’s a dilemma: There are people dying and suffering, so who cares about sports or how many pitches Tanaka threw in the bullpen? But sports also has the power to bring people joy and courage. At a time like this, though, sports doesn’t have much power.’’

In the meantime, his priorities are in New York.

“I’m glad I still have a job and a salary,” Uechi said. “So my main concern is keeping my wife and baby safe.’’

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