[Full Article] Giants’ Shinnosuke Yamase Caught in “Serious Relationship” with an Older Female Celebrity! [Exclusive]

Heading home to their love nest, toilet paper in hand

Dressed in matching, refreshing outfits, the couple snuggled up together in Tokyo as the sun was about to set, exuding a relaxed atmosphere.

At 6:00 p.m. in late July, a burly man wearing sunglasses emerged from a luxury high-rise apartment building in Tokyo. With his extraordinary chest width and arms like logs, the phrase “muscular and well-built” fits him perfectly.

And for good reason—this man, holding a laptop and a wallet in one hand, is Shinnosuke Yamase (25), the Giants’ promising catcher with a powerful arm.

“A native of Ishikawa Prefecture, Yamase formed a battery with Yasunobu Okugawa (25, currently with the Yakult Swallows) at Seiryo High School. After leading the team to a runner-up finish at the Koshien Tournament, he was selected by the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft.His arm—one of the strongest in the NPB—is highly regarded, and former manager Shinnosuke Abe (47), who was also a catcher, has been enthusiastically coaching Yamase since his days as the farm team manager.

“He’s gradually getting more opportunities to start behind the plate for the first team, and with his first professional home run this season, he’s showing signs of a breakout year. Given that the Giants’ catching corps is aging, Yamase is being touted as a candidate to be the next starting catcher,” said a sports newspaper editor.

Amid the lingering summer heat, a beautiful woman presses her slender body close to Yamase, flashing a cheerful smile…

“It’s TV personality Chika Yamane (30). In 2012, while still in high school, she advanced to the finals of the ‘Horipro Talent Scout Caravan’ and signed with Horipro after the competition ended.Since her parents were avid sumo fans, Yamane herself is known as one of the entertainment industry’s foremost sumo experts; while appearing on sports and variety shows, she also writes a regular sumo column for a newspaper,” (ibid.)

Yamane wore a black T-shirt paired with light gray sweatpants, while Yamase sported a plain black T-shirt and light gray shorts.Despite the sun setting soon, the two strolled through the streets in “matching outfits”—complete with sunglasses—radiating an aura of happiness.

“These two are in a serious relationship. I hear they met at a drinking party hosted by a mutual acquaintance earlier this year and started dating. Yamane is a baseball fan and a Giants supporter, so it seems they hit it off right away,” said an acquaintance of Yamase.

He boldly declared to those around him, “I’m serious about this, so I’ve stopped partying.”

In fact, before dating Yamase and Yamane, he was apparently known as one of the Giants’ top “party animals” among the younger players…

“He was close friends with Ryusei Takeoka (25) of the Yakult Swallows—who’s in the same age group—and teammate Riku Masuda (26), among others, and frequently hosted gatherings with women at a restaurant in Tokyo’s Minato Ward that’s a favorite among Giants players. It’s said he even dated a gravure idol he met there at one point.

However, ever since he started dating Ms. Yamane, he’s reportedly stopped going out drinking or on dates with other women. He’d boast to those around him, ‘I’m dating a celebrity—and I’m serious about her, so I’ve stopped fooling around.’ He’s completely smitten with her and can’t say no to her (laughs).” (Ibid.)

FRIDAY spotted the pair again about five hours after the scene described at the beginning. Just before midnight, Yamase—carrying the same laptop and wallet as before, along with a supermarket plastic bag in his left hand—was seen holding a bag of toilet paper in his right.

After walking home for a while, the catcher—known for having one of the strongest arms in baseball—was led by his “partner” and safely “tagged in” at their love nest. Their stride was as calm and composed as that of a long-married couple.

We contacted the Yomiuri Giants and Yamane’s agency regarding the couple’s relationship and marriage plans, but neither party responded by our deadline.

In his personal life, Yamase has stolen Yamane’s heart, and the two have formed a powerful battery. With the support of his older girlfriend, will he be able to secure a spot on the first team and use his natural strong arm to thwart stolen base attempts one after another?

From the September 4, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*