BRADENTON, Fla. — Finally, the Pittsburgh Pirates know what it's like to have a Japanese player in the fold. That means they finally know what it's like to have major-league media attention again.

No fewer than 20 reporters, photographers and cameramen from Japanese media outlets spent most of Thursday following the every move of minor-league pitcher Masumi Kuwata, a former star in his homeland.

And they represented fewer than half the number of press credentials the team expects to issue before demand is filled.

Jim Trdinich, the Pirates' director of media relations, likened the crush to "Brad and Angelina gracing us with their presence here," as pitchers and catchers reported for spring training at Pirate City.

The Japanese contingent has turned one of the quietest camps in the Grapefruit League into a sort of carnival. In fact, the carnival now has a tent, specially built by Trdinich and his staff for Kuwata's daily sessions with the press.

For Kuwata, the celebrity is hardly new. A veteran of 21 seasons with Japan's legendary Yomiuri Giants, he won one MVP award, two ERA titles, eight Gold Gloves and was an eight-time All-Star in that country's Central League.

"The media followed me always like that," Kuwata said when asked about the current media throng. "I need time for privacy, but Japan is a small country that loves baseball. I understand."