Well, this was a possibility after the Cubs released him to pursue other opportunities:

Muney is back in Japan https://t.co/BJLLzBpDOs — Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) March 31, 2017

Here’s the original report out of Japan, upon which those two tweets are based.

There was a sliver of hope that Munenori Kawasaki would return to the Cubs on a new minor league deal, but instead he’ll head back home, where he might make some more money and play more games at the highest level. It’s hard to blame him, especially after he got a chance to be part of the Cubs’ championship team last year.

Still, his uniquely infectious way will be missed.

And, hey, you never know for sure what the future holds …