Regular Season Games In Japan?

Why are the A's/Sox games in Japan part of the regular season? This makes little sense. Exhibition games would sell out just as easily over there. Plus, the A's lose two games off their home schedule and the game is on at 3am. Both teams now come back to the States and play a bunch more spring training games. The standings sit with two teams at 1-1 for a week. There is no standings competition between any teams during this series. That the Red Sox took first place a week before the season even starts is meaningless. Dumb, dumb, dumb.