Seibu’s Yamakawa, who was indicted on suspicion of forcible sexual intercourse, “A super-sized contract to his favorite team, which was hopeless”.

Hotaka Yamakawa, 31, of the Seibu team, who has been away from actual competition for more than three months due to allegations of sexual assault, has been dropped from the case.

On August 29, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office ruled that Yamakawa was not guilty of the allegations after he was sent to prosecutors on suspicion of forcible sexual intercourse with a female acquaintance. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Azabu Police Station received a report from the female victim alleging that Yamakawa had committed indecent assault. However, the police dismissed the “lethal injury” charge on the grounds that there was no justifiable cause-and-effect relationship.

At the July owners’ meeting, Seibu’s owner Takashi Goto emphasized, “We will wait until the prosecutor’s decision is made. Yamakawa’s return during this season is also a possibility. The players’ association is also requesting Yamakawa’s early return, considering his longevity as a player.

However, the hurdle is certainly high. Seibu is more strict about compliance than other teams. Even though the charges were dropped, there is no doubt that Yamakawa was unfaithful to his wife and child. Yamakawa will be eligible for domestic FA rights in 17 days. He would like to return to Seibu as soon as possible in order to get his FA rights, including leaving Seibu, where he may be severely punished.

What kind of trouble was Yamakawa’s alleged assault on a woman for which he was not prosecuted? The following is a recapitulation of an article that appeared in FRIDAY Digital on May 13 of this year, looking back on the turmoil and also touching on the “large-scale contract transfer” that is said to have been scrapped (some content has been revised).

Disagreements between Yamakawa and the woman’s claims

An outrageous scandal has surfaced involving Yamakawa.

On May 11, Bunshun Online (hereafter Bunshun) reported allegations of indecent assault against a woman in her twenties. According to “Bunshun,” last year, Yamakawa and Ms. A had dinner at a high-class yakiniku restaurant in Minato Ward, Tokyo, and then moved to a bar with a private room that looked like a hotel. Ms. A suffered an injury on the lower half of her body and was bleeding. A few days later, he reportedly consulted with the police, and a damage report was accepted.

In response to a direct interview by “Bunshun,” Yamakawa denied any indecent assault, saying, “It was absolutely not forced. Yamakawa denied any indecent assault, saying, “I was pushed down forcibly,” which was at odds with Ms. A’s claim.

Yamakawa married a former softball player whom he met in college in 2005, and they have a young daughter. There is no doubt that he committed adultery and betrayed his family. Yamakawa was selected as a member of the WBC “Samurai Japan,” which Japan won, and was famous as a beloved character who would enliven fans with his “dosukoi pose” when he hit a home run. However, this scandal must have tarnished his image considerably.

Yamakawa is one of the leading sluggers in baseball, having hit 218 home runs as of last season. Last offseason, he was offered a multi-year contract by Seibu, but he opted for a single year. It is believed that he made this decision in consideration of the FA rights he is expected to obtain this year.

Yamakawa is an upwardly mobile player. He may be hoping to use his FA rights to move to a team that can always aim for the championship.

The team he is interested in is Softbank, which has won Japan’s top division seven times since 2010.

Yamakawa and Hiroki Minei, who is also a member of the same team, have been together since 2010, and both have won the Japan championship seven times since 2010. Yamakawa and Minei are from the same prefecture of Okinawa and were classmates. They played together in Japan-U.S. Collegiate Baseball and are well known for their close friendship. Yamakawa calls Minei “the best guy in the world,” and they even go out to eat together frequently. They are close friends.

Many SoftBank players, such as Richard Sunagawa, with whom Yamakawa trains on his own, and Gyo Higashihama, who is also from Okinawa Prefecture, have been in contact with Yamakawa. There is no doubt that this is a team where Yamakawa feels at home. Considering that Softbank acquired Kensuke Kondo of Nippon Ham for an estimated 7-year, 5 billion yen contract last offseason, he was also rumored to be moving to a very large contract. However, …….

says, “Even if the rumors were true, the scandal seems to have doomed his chances of transferring to Softbank on a large contract. If they pay a lot of money to acquire a player who has caused problems, it is inevitable that there will be a fierce backlash from fans. Even if it were to happen, it would probably be a free trade like the one for Sho Nakata, who joined the Giants after a violent incident at NIHAM.

What will Seibu make of Yamakawa after the indictment is dropped? The result will become clear in the near future.