[Scoop!] “Zombie Cigarette Dealer” Ryosuke Takiguchi’s Exclusive 150-Minute Confession: “I’ll Tell You Everything”

For the sake of these four players

“Because of their association with me, four players—Masaya Yano (27), Shunsuke Tamura (23), Seita Maekawa (23), and Kaito Kozono (26)—were released by the Hiroshima Carp.

To the players themselves and their families, the team officials, those whose names were cited as suspects because of me, the fans of the Hiroshima Carp, all professional baseball fans, my wife, my mother, and my relatives—I have caused you all tremendous trouble and worry. I am truly sorry. I offer my heartfelt apologies.

“I may not have the right to say this, but I sincerely hope that these four players will be able to continue playing baseball.”

On October 1, a shockwave rocked the professional baseball world. Four key Hiroshima players—including last season’s batting champion Kozono and Yano, the star player who won the Golden Glove Award in 2024—were all released simultaneously. The reason given was that “it was difficult to build a relationship of trust.”

Ryutaro Hazuki (26) was arrested just before spring training for using etomidate—a substance classified as a controlled drug and commonly known as “zombie tobacco” (he was later sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for three years).

In response, police conducted urine tests on several players, but all results came back negative. On September 25, Yano and Maekawa were referred to prosecutors on suspicion of violating the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Act, though it was widely expected that they would not be indicted.

The reason the team decided to terminate their contracts—despite the lack of legal grounds for a “guilty” finding—was the presence of a “dealer.”

As soon as “FLASH” reported that Yano and Kozono had “excessively close ties” with Ryosuke Takiguchi (38), a business owner arrested in June for allegedly supplying drugs to Hazuki, the two were removed from the first-team roster and sidelined until the end of the season.

“For the sake of the four players’ reputations and futures,” the man at the center of the controversy finally spoke up.

“I first met the Carp players about three years ago. Ryutaro (Hazuki) was the first. A business owner I’m on good terms with happened to know Ryutaro. There’s an izakaya I run near the hotel the Carp use during their trips to Yokohama, and Ryutaro started coming there for meals after games. One time, he brought Mark (Yano) along and asked, ‘Is it okay if I join you?’

It turns out that the business owner was also acquainted with Ma. I wonder if Seita (Maekawa) was someone Ma brought along? That’s how my network with the Carp expanded, but it wasn’t until about a year later that I met Kaito (Kozono).

At the time, he was the only one who was married, so he might have been holding back. “Out of the four of us—Kaito, Tam (Tamura), and me—I got along best with Ma, and we started eating together often during our road trips to the Kanto region.”

I slept soundly

During high school, Takiguchi played baseball at Kanagawa Technical High School, and in the summer of 2004, the team advanced to the prefectural tournament finals as an unseeded team. Their opponent was Yokohama, which featured Hideaki Wakui (40), but Takiguchi had undergone shoulder surgery and wasn’t even on the bench.

Unable to give it his all, Takiguchi continued playing baseball at a U.S. university and played in an independent league after graduation. He was primarily an outfielder but occasionally pitched. However, he was forced to retire due to his shoulder injury.

Since he was fluent in English, he began working as a sports agent. While organizing events such as baseball clinics and working as an interpreter, he keenly realized the importance of building a professional network and decided to return to Japan. While expanding his network, he worked in car sales and launched a consulting firm.

It was during this time that he met the Carp players.

“For someone like me who aimed for Koshien and the pros but failed, NPB players were figures beyond my reach. Whether they were young players or had a batting average in the low .200s, I had nothing but respect for them. I found their on-field play and the little anecdotes about opposing pitchers both fun and inspiring. Plus, they’re really friendly.Players from Tokyo-based teams are more sophisticated—they have their regular spots and patrons who look out for them, right?

But many Carp players have neither of those things. When I’d take them to a shop owned by an acquaintance, they’d say things like, ‘Our road trips to Tokyo are the most fun.’ They were like younger brothers to me.

I’m not sure if “encouraging them to be ambitious” is the right way to put it, but I tried to help them turn their attention to business opportunities outside of baseball by bringing them offers to appear at events and talk shows, as well as advisory contracts with equipment manufacturers.

I think the first time I used “zombie tobacco” was at the end of March last year. I used to enjoy using “happy balloons”—commonly known as nitrous oxide—abroad, but in Japan, it was regulated as a controlled substance. However, it was introduced to me as “Zombie Cigarettes are similar to nitrous oxide, and they’re not illegal.”

My supplier was a foreigner I’d met through work—a man who appeared to be of Chinese descent. He didn’t tell me his name, and we communicated exclusively via the messaging app “Signal.”

When I actually tried the “zombie cigarettes,” I fell into a deep, sound sleep. I’d heard that smoking too much would make you act like a zombie, but the only effect I experienced was that my speech became slurred. Ryutaro also stated in his testimony that he “used it because it helped him sleep,” but since he’d shown interest, I handed it to him on a whim, saying, “It’ll help you relax.”“I’d heard it wouldn’t show up in doping tests, too.”

The October 9 issue of *FRIDAY* (October 23 & 30 Combined Issue) and the paid version *FRIDAY GOLD* provide detailed coverage of Mr. Takiguchi’s testimony regarding the athlete to whom he gave the “zombie cigarettes,” the method of delivery, the events leading up to the arrest, the evidence the police had gathered,whether there was a mastermind behind the scheme, and the “third party” who was questioned during the investigation and trial.

Click here to view the full details and multiple photos ↓

From the “FRIDAY” October 23 & 30, 2026 Combined Issue