[2] After Kuehnert ran the Lodi Orions, he returned to Japan in 1974 and became the director of sales and promotions for the Taiheiyo Club Lions, a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Fukuoka.
[2] In 2004, Hiroshi Mikitani, the founder of Rakuten, approached Kuehnert for sports management advice on his struggling soccer team, Vissel Kobe.
In hiring Kuehnert, NPB's first foreign general manager, he hoped to bring "new blood" and "innovative ideas" to Japanese baseball.
He was known for his criticisms of Japanese baseball's traditionally intense training methods and hired like-minded managers and coaches.
[3] Following a 6–22 start, just over a month into the season, the Eagles removed Kuehnert as general manager and demoted to the role of an advisor.