<figure id="attachment_370923" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-370923" style="width: 2656px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="dc8c1ce3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/3572a79e006c68dc4515177f55dd095e-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-370923" class="wp-caption-text">Shohei Otani was involved in a &#8220;gambling racket&#8221; involving a suspect, Ippei Mizuhara. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
 It is no exaggeration to say that the whole of Japan was astonished by the illegal gambling scandal involving Ippei Mizuhara, an interpreter for Shohei Otani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a Major League Baseball team. The suspect has been charged with &#8220;bank fraud,&#8221; and the investigation is nearing its conclusion.
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 The details are now coming to light, and one can only be stunned by the huge amount of money that Mizuhara extracted from Otani&#8217;s account, not the 600 million-plus that was initially reported, but 2.4 billion.
 The details of their modus operandi have also come to light, and the suspicions leveled against Otani have been cleared. However, the recent turmoil has caused some Americans to take a hard look at Otani. A writer living in the U.S. said, &#8220;Gambling is not as bad in Japan as it is in the U.S.
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 The reason why it was reported so widely even in the U.S., where gambling is not considered as offensive as it is in Japan, is because of the amount of money involved and, above all, the fact that Mr. Mizuhara was the interpreter for superstar Otani. However, if Mr. Mizuhara had only been an interpreter, would it have been reported as widely as it was? &#8230;&#8230;
 He was in the media with Otani on all occasions and was seen as more of a manager or secretary than an interpreter. No Japanese Major League Baseball interpreter has ever been so famous. It was an aspect of celebrity crime and scandal.&#8221;
 And because the amount of money Mizuhara transferred from Otani&#8217;s account was so large, people asked, &#8220;Did Otani really not notice?&#8221; &#8220;Did Otani really not notice?&#8221; and &#8220;Was Mizuhara actually taking over his debt?&#8221; The amount of money Otani had remitted was so large that suspicions began to arise that &#8220;Otani was really unaware of the money?
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Pete Rose, who was banned for illegal gambling in the past, is ......"></div>
Some even suggested that Otani might have been involved in illegal gambling with Mizuhara. Some even suggested that Otani might have been involved in illegal gambling with Mizuhara. Pete Rose, a former Major Leaguer who was banned for illegal gambling in the past, said, &#8220;If I had an interpreter, I wouldn&#8217;t have been arrested,
 &#8220;If I had an interpreter, I wouldn&#8217;t have been arrested,&#8221; he still complains.
 He still complains, &#8220;If I had an interpreter, I wouldn&#8217;t have been arrested.
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 However, as the investigation progressed, it became clear how Mizuhara was able to transfer money from Otani&#8217;s bank account, and how Otani was unaware that a large amount of money was missing from his account. The allegations against Otani have been completely lifted, and his fans are relieved. &#8230;&#8230;
 In Japan, too, people who aren&#8217;t interested in baseball don&#8217;t know the names of baseball players very well. It is the same in the United States. But because of this controversy, more people know about Otani. In Japan, no one speaks ill of Otani, but not all Americans are Otani fans.
 I don&#8217;t think there is anyone who speaks ill of Otani, but there are people who are not pleased with his success. There are people who have a strong sense that Major League Baseball belongs to the United States, and there are more than a few people who cannot honestly rejoice when an Asian player does well. &#8230;&#8230;
 Such people, including those in the American media, have come to express critical opinions not only about Mizuhara, but also about Otani.
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 Mizuhara became a celebrity and got carried away because Otani mistreated him, and Otani is responsible for that.
 As for not noticing that the money was missing from the account,
 &#8220;He lacks self-control.
 To top it off,
 &#8220;How is it that he still relies on an interpreter after seven years in the U.S.?
 These accusations are far removed from the current disturbance. The writer commented on such accusations, saying, &#8220;No matter where you are in the world, you are still a superstar.
 The more you become a superstar in any world, the more anti-climbers you have. They are all criticisms. As for the &#8220;English hasn&#8217;t improved,&#8221; I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s true. He speaks fluent English in normal conversations with his teammates and in his daily life.
 He answers interviews in Japanese as a service to his Japanese fans, or out of consideration. Fans watching the interviews on TV in Japan can easily understand them.&#8221;
 Although Otani was betrayed by his trusted best friend, the worst thing that could have happened to him, he seems to have had a mental steel. Since then, he has been active as if nothing had happened.
 On the 21st (Japan time 22nd), he hit his 5th home run of the season, bringing his total to 176 in the majors, surpassing Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese player. He is now hitting over .300 for the season. It won&#8217;t be long before the anti-mouth difference will be silenced&#8211;it seems.

 Born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. At the age of 31, he became a reporter for FRIDAY and has reported numerous scoops. Since then, he has continued to work mainly for weekly magazines. Currently he also appears on TV and radio as a commentator.

 Hiroyuki Sasaki (Entertainment Journalist)

 Kojiro Yamada

 The illegal gambling problem by Ippei Mizuhara, an interpreter, surprised not only Japan but also the world. He was charged with "bank fraud," but in the U.S., bashing of Shohei Otani still continues from some people. ......

Shohei Ohtani, “Involved” in the Ippei Mizuhara Suspect, Was Bashed in the U.S., “Unreported in Japan

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