Finally, the coach’s dismissal was announced… “What really happened” at Tokai University Sugo Baseball Club, where “corporal punishment on a daily basis” was reported.

When we visited Tokai University Sugao High School (Akiruno City, Tokyo) at noon on January 22, less than a week before the selection committee meeting, the baseball team members were solemnly preparing the field.

When they noticed this reporter, they all took off their hats and greeted each other in loud voices, but their expressions showed a hint of anxiety. Not only was the leader of the team, Hiroyasu Wakabayashi, 56, who led them to the Sembatsu tournament, not there, but their participation in the tournament itself was in jeopardy.

The players were told that the coach, Hiroyasu Wakabayashi, had been punished for corporal punishment. ……

When I asked the players, who had started a meeting in front of the benches, to speak, their movements stopped for a moment, but then they all turned to face me and looked straight at the reporter. It appeared to be a “silent protest” against the reports of corporal punishment.

It all started with an article in the January 26 issue of the Weekly Bunshun, which reported “Accusations of Batting…Tokai University Sugo Coach Accused of Violent Habitual Behavior. The article reported that coach Wakabayashi had been beating a first-year player, Mr. A, with the grip end of a knock bat, kicking him, grabbing him by the chest and pushing him against a wall, and other such acts of violence on a daily basis. Other prominent players “received about 15 slaps” and other acts of violence were reported on a daily basis.

Is there such a leader in this day and age?

The reporter flew to the site to confirm this directly with the players, and what he saw was the scene described above. At least this reporter could not confirm that there were any bruises or scratches caused by “routine violence.

Just before the reporter was removed by school officials, Yakult alumnus Shinya Miyamoto, 52, appeared on the field. As a temporary coach at the school and a “father” who sends his oldest son, Kyosuke, to the school, Mr. Miyamoto opened his mouth with a serious comment.

I have watched him frequently since my son started attending Sugo, and from what I have seen, there has never been any corporal punishment,” he said. Since a report was filed with the Japan High School Baseball Federation, physical punishment itself must have occurred, and that in itself is unforgivable. But at least there was no ‘routine corporal punishment’ as described in the article. Of course, there are times when students are scolded. But there is always a clear reason, such as failing to cover up, for example. My son has also been scolded. He has never been scolded because he is Shinya Miyamoto’s son, and he is rather grateful that he went to Sugo. I want to take Mr. Wakabayashi to the Sembatsu,” he says, “but can’t he even get on the bench? I am heartbroken when the students ask me, ‘Why can’t we take Mr. Wakabayashi to the Sembatsu?

When directly confronted by the Bunshun reporter, Wakabayashi said, “I have a lot to say,” but did not offer a specific rebuttal. A friend of his said, “A-kun, who is a fast and skillful hitter, is a very good player.

A-kun, who is a fast runner and a good hitter, is a promising prospect who made the bench as a first-year player. Because he had his eye on him, he coached him diligently, and the result was an accusation of ‘routine corporal punishment.’…… I feel sorry for Wakabayashi.”

On January 26, the school announced the dismissal of coach Wakabayashi. Without a leader, the Nine prepared for the fateful announcement of the school’s participation in the Senbatsu tournament.

From the February 10, 2023 issue of FRIDAY