Yakult Rising Star Involved in Controversial Pregnancy Matter with Partner

“I was deceived by him, unknowingly turned into his affair partner, and when I got pregnant, he said, ‘Have an abortion’. This is just too much,”

said Ms. A, who lives in Tokyo, with a look of anguish. The “he” she refers to is Yuto Kanekubo (25), a promising right-handed pitcher for the Yakult Swallows. According to reports, the slender, petite Ms. A is now pregnant with Kanekubo’s child.

“Kanekubo is a pitcher from Tokai University Ichihara Noyo High School who appeared in the Senbatsu tournament and joined Yakult in 2018 as the fifth-round draft pick—a ‘Murakami generation’ player. His fastball, which reaches 152 km/h with a unique trajectory, and his sharply breaking slider have earned him high praise. He recorded his first professional win in 2021 and is considered a potential next ace,” said a sports newspaper editor.

So how exactly was Ms. A deceived by Kanekubo? She explained:

“In October last year, I received a DM from him on Instagram. Honestly, I hadn’t known about Kanekubo until then, but after some aimless back-and-forth, we ended up going out to eat. When I asked, ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ he replied, ‘No!’ and when I asked about marriage wishes, he said, ‘That’s after we start dating,’ so I thought he didn’t have a partner and agreed to meet him.”

At the end of December, they had their first meal together at a restaurant in Tokyo.

“The next time we went out after the New Year, he said, ‘Let’s date,’ and our relationship developed. Looking him up in player directories or online, there was no indication that he was married.”

After the training camp, Kanekubo and Ms. A began meeting from April onward.

“At first, he used protection, but later he stopped. There were even times when he recorded videos during intercourse.”

In June, Ms. A discovered she was pregnant. Kanekubo’s attitude then changed drastically. Showing the magazine her LINE messages and ultrasound images, she explained:

“When I told him, he denied it, saying, ‘That’s a lie.’ When I showed him the ultrasound, he then said, ‘We weren’t even dating’ and ‘I want you to abort it.’

When I pressed him, he admitted, ‘It’s not just a fling, but I’m actually divorced and it’s too soon to remarry and take responsibility.’ When I asked, ‘Do you have children?’ he said, ‘Yes.’ He also admitted that he was not yet divorced at the time he had intercourse with me.”

In July, during a meeting at a café to discuss the situation, Kanekubo allegedly handed Ms. A 60,000 yen as the cost for an abortion.

“Abortion doesn’t cost 60,000 yen. He said it would be ‘split,’ but… I was so appalled by his irresponsible attitude that I considered aborting at first. But the child isn’t at fault, and I couldn’t take the child’s life because of the parents’ circumstances.”

Furthermore, it was revealed that Kanekubo hadn’t even divorced yet.

Kanekubo’s attorney told the magazine, “This concerns private matters, so we cannot provide details. However, there are absolutely no facts regarding any unauthorized recordings during sexual activity. Mr. Kanekubo was intimidated by Ms. A and struggled in responding.”

The Yakult Swallows, Kanekubo’s team, stated, “There are parts that differ from the facts, so we are coordinating our response with the lawyer.”

The September 11 issue of FRIDAY and the paid edition FRIDAY GOLD provide detailed coverage of Kanekubo’s own comments and Ms. A’s rebuttals.

For more details and multiple photos, see here: ⬇