[Full Text Published] Grabbing Her by the Hair… Hanshin’s Star Left-Hander Ryoto Ihara “Assaulted a Woman in Her 20s While She Was Drunk”—Graphic Photos from the Scene

Loud shouts and screams rang out

“It hurts! It hurts!”

“It doesn’t hurt!”

“It hurts!”

“Huh? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I told you it hurts!”

《Shut up, you!》

Ignoring the woman’s protests, a man yells in a Kansai dialect—the raw exchange captured in this video features left-handed pitcher Takato Ihara (26), who joined the Hanshin Tigers as the No. 1 overall pick in the ’24 draft.FRIDAY has obtained photos (Photos 1–4) showing this future ace prospect assaulting a woman while heavily intoxicated.

“Ihara made the opening-day first-team roster in his first professional season and earned his first win in a game against Hiroshima in April 2025. He continued to pitch consistently afterward, making his presence felt from his rookie year onward.This season, his second in the pros, he was named to the starting rotation from the opening day but was removed from the roster twice. Although his performance slumped temporarily, when he was entrusted with another start in the game against Hiroshima on August 16, he secured his first win in about a month,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Let’s return to the shocking scene described at the beginning. The video obtained by FRIDAY captured an unbelievable assault and verbal abuse by a drunk Ihara against the victim, Ms. A. What exactly happened between the two of them?

“This past January during the off-season, pitcher Ihara attended a drinking party at a restaurant in a bustling district of Osaka, accompanied by teammates pitcher Keito Monbetsu (22) and player Haruki Itsubo (21).It was a so-called ‘mixed-group drinking party’ attended by seven or eight men and women. Ms. A was also present. I’ve heard that Ms. A, a woman in her 20s, had gone out drinking with Pitcher Ihara on several occasions before.However, it seems there was a girl among the participants that day whom he didn’t like, and he became sullen partway through the evening, starting to hurl insults like ‘Die’ not only at her but also at the other people around him. Player Itsubo and Pitcher Monbetsu entered the professional ranks earlier than he did, but they’re considerably younger. It might be understandable that they couldn’t have stopped him…” (An acquaintance of one of the party attendees)

He admits his wrongdoing and apologizes, but…

Even though he was on a brief vacation and had let his guard down more than usual while drinking with teammates, Ihara’s abusive language was hard to believe.

“Pitcher Ihara is already well-known for not having the best drinking habits. Apparently, he was drinking tequila that night and seemed quite drunk,” said the same source.

A few hours into the drinking party, the group moved on to a second venue—a cocktail bar—where they enjoyed a lively gathering until past 1:00 a.m. The incident occurred just as the group was about to leave. The controversial video obtained by FRIDAY captures the following shocking scene:

While Ms. A was taking a break at the bar counter, Ihara told her it was time to go home. However, when she remained seated, unable to move, he—perhaps mistaking her inaction for being ignored—suddenly grabbed her from behind and began choking her with both arms.Showing no sign of letting go of Ms. A, who was crying out, “It hurts,” she tripped and fell over. Frustrated by Ms. A’s fall, Ihara grabbed a handful of her hair and began jerking it up and down as if swinging her around.Ignoring A-ko, who screamed “It hurts, it hurts” over and over, he continued his assault while still heavily intoxicated—even going so far as to wrap his arms around her from behind in a bear hug. Then—.

“Don’t fight, Ihara-san, Ihara-san”

Perhaps realizing things had gone too far, Itsubo’s panicked voice was recorded as he tried to stop him. That’s where the video in question ends.

“A-ko has been deeply traumatized by this incident. Apparently, Ihara later sent her a message on LINE saying, ‘I’ll apologize properly another time,’ but even now, more than half a year later, she hasn’t received a formal apology. The violence from someone she thought was a friend, coupled with this insincere response… it seems to have left her with severe trauma,” said an acquaintance of A-ko’s.

Is the “assault while heavily intoxicated” true? When we sent a written inquiry to the Public Relations Department of “Hanshin Tigers Co., Ltd.,” we received a response to the following effect:

“At this time, we are not in a position to comment on the facts of the matter.”

Precisely because he is a future star player expected to carry the team, he is now required to act in a manner that reflects a renewed awareness of his position.

From the September 4, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*