Ichiro Suzuki informed Japanese officials on Monday that he will not take part in next year's World Baseball Classic.

"I appreciate being asked to play for Japan again at the WBC," Suzuki said. "But after the second tournament in 2009 I never considered playing in the third event. My feelings have not changed to this day, and it's where things stand."

Suzuki, 39, was instrumental in helping Japan win the WBC in 2006 and 2009. He joins fellow Japanese major leaguers Yu Darvish and Norichika Aoki in opting out of the March 2-19 tournament.