Fukufuji signed a two-year contract this summer after a successful campaign in the ECHL - his first full season of North American hockey. Fukufuji recorded 27 wins, 3 SO and a GAA of 2.48 for the Bakersfield Condors. This year Fukufuji attended the Kings' rookie camp and training camp. The Kings returned him to the minors where he started the season with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs. He has since been loaned to the Reading Royals of the ECHL. Still it's a pretty impressive path thus far for a young goalie that had never even heard of the NHL while growing up on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Fukufuji's desire to play hockey overseas started when he played for the Japanese National team.

Fukufuji is just the latest in a line of Japanese athletes that are starting to break through in various mainstream North American sports.

	Ichiro has cemented his MLB legacy by setting records and garnering awards. (Source: AP)

Ever since Hideo Nomo first appeared for and won ROY honours for the LA Dodgers back in 1995 the level of talent in Japanese baseball has not been questioned in the same way. After Nomo's success other Japanese players followed his transition to North America, although with limited success. Then in 2000 the Seattle Mariners signed Japan's seven-year reigning batting champion away and since then Ichiro Suzuki has become without a doubt Japan's greatest baseball export and one of baseball's best. In his first year he matched Nomo's ROY honour and also tacked on an unheard of MVP trophy in his first season. Just last season Ichiro set the all-time record for hits in a season, breaking an 84-year record previously held by George Sisler. Other than Ichiro, Yankees OF Hideki Matsui has been the only other Japanese player to make a significant impact in North America. Matsui was tabbed as Japan's Barry Bonds albeit without the surly attitude and demand for a locker room recliner. While he hasn't lived up to the HR figures that drew him the moniker of "Godzilla" in Japan, Matsui has proven his worth as a good MLB hitter with a penchant to deliver in the clutch.

With the superstardom of Ichiro and the solid careers of Nomo and Matsui the path for future and sustained relationships between Japanese baseball and MLB should continue to prosper. But for Japanese athletes trying to breakthrough in other traditional North American sports they're still waiting for their "Nomo opportunity" to make their mark.

The NFL's developmental league, NFL Europe is solely named after the continent its teams originate from, not where the players originate. Fact is, there are a handful of Japanese born and trained football players that make up NFL Europe rosters. The existence of these players was brought to prominence during the 2002 American Bowl pre-season tilt in Japan between the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins. In the exhibition contest the 49ers used LB Masafumi Kawaguchi and the Redskins dressed WR Akihito Amaya. The move generated tons of publicity in Japan and further fostered the relationship between the land of the rising sun and the NFL which dates back all the way to 1976 when the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers played a preseason game in Tokyo; the first NFL game played outside of North America.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets squared off during the 2003 American Bowl they upheld the same roster move and dressed two of Japan's best young players in NFL Europe. The Bucs dressed LB Shinzo Yamada who played one defensive series and the Jets placed WR Yoshinobu Imoto in the lineup. Imoto delighted the fans late in the game with a huge 44-yd pass completion. If the NFL continues with these types of efforts it won't be long before a Japanese player makes his debut and impact for a NFL club.

	Yuta Tabuse has become one of the league's most popular players. (Source: NBA.com)

Yao Ming's popularity is well documented. While still playing in the Western Conference Shaquille O'Neal said as long as online voting is in place he would be resigned to the fact that he would be coming off the bench for all all-star games. Ming, the 7'6 Houston Rockets Centre is the most popular athlete in China, the world's most populated country. Having an Asian-born player star in one of the NBA's strongest marketplaces is great for the league but for the Japanese public nothing could top seeing Yuta Tabuse make his debut for the Phoenix Suns in 2004.

Tabuse's November 3rd, 2004 debut for the Suns drew huge headlines in Japan. The Japanese media and public treated Tabuse's scoring line of 7 points and 1 assist in 10 minutes of play like it was Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game. The 5-9 reserve point guard is the first Japanese-born player in the NBA and he's also one of the league's most popular players.

Leading up to his debut last season Tabuse set a single-day record for player page views on NBA.com, receiving over 23,000 views on his player profile. The previous record belonged to LeBron James and Kobe Bryant with over 15,000 views. Tabuse was eventually released by the Suns before the Christmas break but during his two months with the club his jersey was the third best seller on the team's website. After finishing out the 2004 campaign in the ABA, Tabuse impressed enough to earn him another contract; he'll start the 2005-2006 campaign with the LA Clippers.

For now it seems as though all the headlines for Japanese athletes will be of a simply "first to appear in a league" nature but a few years from now who knows, we could be reading that the NHL has its first Japanese-born Vezina winner or the NFL has its first Japanese-born Pro Bowler.