Nippon Ham Fighters ordered to pay damages for foul ball

the foul ball to her eye was not intentional, so don't understand how the lady could have won the lawsuit

You can sue for negligence whether or not the damages are intentional. This has nothing to do with the peculiarities of the Japanese legal system.

It is not written, but it would have been nice to see the baseball team take care of this woman after she was hit. That would include medical cost and after care. Wonder if that was the case? Maybe she was texting on her phone ... if that is the case, ban the phones so fans can pay more attention.

This is ludicrous. Foul balls that fly into the crowd is a part of the game and it's the fans' responsibility to pay attention to what's going on on the field. The same goes for basketball, hockey, even golf. Fans willfully accept the possibility (and the consequences) of getting hit by a ball when they choose to attend a game. I absolutely don't agree with court ruling in this case.

the foul ball to her eye was not intentional, so don't understand how the lady could have won the lawsuit. sounds like the usual archaic japanese law at work.

I would have thought a simple solution to this would be for the stadium to have insurance for such an eventuality.

As much as I feel sorry for the woman who lost her eyesight, I think anyone who goes to a game should be fully responsible themselves for getting hit by any foul balls.

Wait, do the Fighters own the stadium? Why wouldn't the dome be responsible, if anyone is?

Baseball stadiums in Japan have protective netting around the field of play, but balls often fly into stands

Obviously somebody who hasn't been to a game in the last 10 years or so. Major stadiums in Japan used to have extensive netting in place, however, many of the stadiums received facelifts about 10 years ago and much of the netting was removed. Case in point, you can now actually sit in baseline seats at Tokyo Dome while wearing a batting helmet. Meanwhile out at Yokohama the sets along both baselines are unobstructed from roughly the dugouts right down to the foul line posts in left and right field. As such, two things are advised. 1. Don't buy too much beer from the beer girls. 2. Watch the game. This is particularly important when a line drive is sent into the stands.

I believe purchasing a ticket implies you know the risks. In the US this is certainly true.