Yakult’s Former Rising Star Faces Fallout from Scandal After Season Ends

Yakult Swallows’ rising star, pitcher Yuto Kanekubo (26), was involved in a scandal of an affair and a messy pregnancy. This is a look back based on an article published on September 19, 2025.

The full story of the pregnancy trouble

“I was deceived by him, became the affair partner without realizing it, and when I got pregnant, he said, ‘Get an abortion’. This is just too much.”

Speaking with a look of anguish is Ms. A, who lives in Tokyo. “He” is Yuto Kanekubo, Yakult’s promising full-fledged right-handed pitcher. Now, Ms. A, petite and delicate, is carrying Kanekubo’s child.

“Kanekubo is a pitcher from Tokai University Ichihara Bohyo High School who appeared in the Senbatsu tournament. He joined Yakult in 2018 as a fifth-round draft pick, part of the ‘Murakami generation.’ He is praised for his fastball reaching 152 km/h with a unique trajectory and sharply breaking slider. He earned his first professional win in 2021 and is considered a rising star and next ace candidate,” explained a sports newspaper editor.

So, what does it mean that Ms. A was deceived by Kanekubo? She explains:

“In October 2024, I received a DM from him on my Instagram account. Honestly, I didn’t know about Kanekubo at that time, but after exchanging some casual messages, we ended up going out for a meal. I asked him, ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ and he replied, ‘No!’ I asked, ‘Do you have any desire to get married?’ and he said, ‘Not until we start dating~.’ I thought he didn’t have a partner, so I decided to meet him.”

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

“After the new year, when we went out for the second meal, he said, ‘Let’s date.’ I was attracted to his soft-spoken manner, contrary to his athletic appearance, and immediately said, ‘Yes.’ Even checking player directories and online, there was no mention anywhere that Kanekubo was married.”

After the training camp, Ms. A and Kanekubo began meeting repeatedly from April 2025.

“At first, we used protection, but he stopped using it partway through. There were even videos taken during our encounters.”

Amid this, in June 2025, Ms. A discovered she was pregnant. Kanekubo’s attitude then changed drastically. Ms. A showed FRIDAY her LINE messages and ultrasound photos while explaining:

“When I reported it to him, he flatly denied it, saying, ‘That’s a lie.’ When I showed him the ultrasound, he said, ‘We weren’t even dating, and I want you to abort it.’
I became certain I had been played with and confronted him. He then confessed, ‘It’s not just a fling, but I’m actually divorced and it’s too early for me to remarry responsibly.’ When I asked, ‘Do you have kids?’ he said, ‘Yes.’ And he said that when he was with me, his divorce had not yet been finalized. Honestly, I felt like the world went dark in front of me.”

In July 2025, when Ms. A visited a café to discuss the matter, Kanekubo allegedly handed her 60,000 yen under the pretext of abortion costs.

“Abortion can’t be done with just 60,000 yen. He said, ‘Let’s split it,’ but I was shocked at his utterly irresponsible attitude. At first, I thought about having an abortion, but the child in my womb is innocent. I couldn’t take a life just because of the parents’ convenience.”

Furthermore, a shocking fact came to light: Kanekubo had not even finalized his divorce.

“Looking back, no matter how much I asked, he wouldn’t let me into his home, saying ‘It’s dirty.’ I was suspicious, but I never imagined he was still living with his wife and child.”

FRIDAY confronted Kanekubo about the series of pregnancy troubles.

—Regarding Ms. A: Is it true that, despite being married with children, you reached out to her via DM and, upon learning about the pregnancy, demanded an abortion?

“That is true, but I’ll be divorced soon. Technically, we’re still living together but it’s already decided.”

—So you are currently still married?

“Yes. And originally it was my fault but Ms. A is also demanding money under the guise of child support. She mentioned 30 million yen. I wonder if the purpose is really just to take money. There are also defamatory messages on LINE. Honestly, it’s tough.”

Ms. A responded to this:

“I told him I just want him to pay child support. He said, ‘I don’t want to be involved anymore.’ I said, ‘If you don’t want to deal with monthly child support payments and have to contact me anyway, then just pay the average child support from zero to adulthood—30 million yen—in a lump sum. Otherwise, don’t say you don’t want to be involved.’

Also, he hid the fact that he had a wife and child while making me his affair partner, so it’s only natural that my words would be strong. For him to present this as if I were some kind of extortionist is unacceptable.

He was the one who approached me via DM, not the other way around, and he never mentioned that he had a wife and child. I returned the 60,000 yen he gave me for the abortion.”

Kanekubo’s attorney commented to the press:

“Since this is a matter of privacy, we cannot provide detailed answers. However, there is no truth to any allegations of unauthorized filming during sexual activity. Mr. Kanekubo was pressured by Ms. A and struggled to respond appropriately.”

Yakult, Kanekubo’s team, responded to inquiries:

“Since there are parts that differ from the facts, we are consulting with the lawyer regarding our response.”

Released as rumored

Ultimately, in the 2025 season, Kanekubo appeared in a career-high 12 first‑team games, but his ERA was 7.71. As a result, immediately after this report, a certain team official said:

“The parent company of Yakult is a publicly listed company, so they are extremely strict about compliance. From a competitive standpoint as well, he is in a very difficult position, and it’s highly likely he will be released this off-season.”

As predicted, on September 29, 2025, he received a release notice from the team.

Later, when interviewed while doing independent training at Toda Stadium in Saitama, Kanekubo said:

“There are various offers. I’ve looked at the conditions, but the most offers are from Korea, so that’s where I’m leaning.” (Sanspo, November 2, 2025)

He also said:

“The most important thing is to be able to play baseball, so I want to do my best to fully focus on the game. I want to play until I’m satisfied. After all, I only left behind disappointing results in Japan, so I do want to come back to the NPB, but even if I play in another country, I want to achieve results and continue playing baseball for as long as possible.” (ibid.)

Although expressing some anxiety, he spoke of a new determination. Then, on December 16, 2025, the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes announced that they had signed Kanekubo with a total contract of $130,000 — $100,000 base salary plus $30,000 in performance incentives.

From the 2026 season, Kanekubo will start a new chapter of his baseball career in a foreign country.