During this time, he began visiting his mother, who had changed her name to Sachiyo and married NPB catcher and manager Katsuya Nomura.
[1][2] In 1977, at the age of 21, the Japanese Home Ministry would no longer allow Nomura to hold a dual US–Japan citizenship, requiring him to choose one.
For a time, Nomura was forced to send his wife and infant daughter back to Japan while he lived out of his car in Los Angeles because of his poor financial state.
By 1985, he had saved enough money to rent an apartment and bring his family back to L.A.[5] Nomura then converted $1,000 to $41,000 while playing baccarat in Las Vegas.
[6] In 1989, Nomura borrowed money to buy 50% of the Salinas Spurs, an unaffiliated Class-A baseball team in the California League.
After failing to reach a contract agreement with the Kintetsu Buffaloes, Nomo retired from NPB and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995.
In 1998, the NPB contract loophole was tested again when Nomura advised Hiroshima Carp player Alfonso Soriano of the Dominican Republic who wished to move to MLB.
This decision resulted in the Carp management suing Nomura for $100,000 in damages as well as threatening legal action against any MLB ball club that negotiated with Soriano.
[9] The incidents with Nomo, Irabu, and Soriano motivated NPB and MLB to abolish the working agreement and replace it with the current posting system.
one of his mentor, practice player at Kindai High school Osaka, Japan played for Yoshio Toyoda another important person in Nomura's life.