[Scoop!] Former Lotte Player Ikuhiro Kiyota Caught in “Coin Parking Affair” with Former Beer Vendor

I turned off the lights inside the car for a secret rendezvous that lasted about an hour.

“…Why me?”

The words, squeezed out in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, seemed to betray deep regret. And no wonder. The man who instinctively crouched down on the ground was Ikuhiro Kiyota (40), a former player for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Since joining the Lotte Marines in 2010, Kiyota had been involved in three scandals, including an extramarital affair, leading to the termination of his contract in 2021. It was the independent league team, the “Saitama Musashi Heat Bears,” that reached out to him.

“Mr. Akira Sumi (35), the president of the Heat Bears, reached out to Kiyota.Mr. Kado was originally an infielder for the Lotte Marines and had been Kiyota’s junior on the team. As a result, Kiyota joined the Heat Bears as a commentator in April 2022 and signed as a trainee in March 2023,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

At the time, in 2022, Kiyota was in the midst of a legal battle with his former team, the Lotte Marines. Mr. Sumi went out of his way to save him, even if it meant stepping into the fire.After playing for one year, Kiyota retired as a player. Following a stint as a coach, he became the Heat Bears’ manager starting with the ’25 season. However, it is said that whispers of his “bad reputation” are now circulating within the very team that showed him such great kindness. A former team official familiar with the situation is outraged.

“All the players on the team are playing their hearts out, aiming to make it to the NPB. But Manager Kiyota rarely shows up for practice and is constantly late. I can’t stand how his attitude and lack of motivation are dragging down the team’s morale.”

The officials’ anger isn’t limited to his attitude toward baseball. It seems his old bad habits are resurfacing.

“Manager Kiyota has been caught in extramarital affairs on numerous occasions in the past, but he hasn’t divorced his wife. It seems his wife had issued a ‘no-overnight-stays-outside-the-home’ order. However, that ban was lifted when he took the job as manager. Taking advantage of this, he’s been openly having affairs by inviting women to join him on every road trip.

His partner is reportedly a woman who used to work as a beer vendor at the ballpark; they met at a drinking party during last year’s offseason. She comes to watch games wearing a limited-edition uniform designed by Manager Kiyota, and it’s become a routine for her to wait in his car, parked in the lot, come the ninth inning. Many team officials have witnessed the two of them on dates.”

Despite the immense debt of gratitude he owes the team, he has once again engaged in an extramarital affair—the price he’ll pay is far too high.

The August 20 issue of *FRIDAY* (September 11 & 18 edition) and the paid version, *FRIDAY GOLD*, provide detailed coverage of the inside story behind the “coin parking affair,” including direct comments from the individuals involved.

Click here for detailed content and multiple photos ↓

From the September 11 & 18, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*

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