Japan's sumo scandal continues as top wrestler is fired... or is he?
The Japan Sumo Association fires a top wrestler for gambling, then lists him in the summer's main tournament
Kotomitsuki on the floor, and down for the count.Following the dismissal of ozeki Kotomitsuki from the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), officials are now themselves facing embarrassment after Kotomitsuki appeared in the rankings for the summer Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, according to Kyodo News Agency.
The sumo world has been forced to defend itself following a scandal that broke last week, involving Keiji Tamiya, 34, who fights under the name Kotomitsuki, who was found to have gambled millions of yen on pro-baseball games.
Baseball betting
Gambling on baseball is illegal in Japan. According to The Japan Times, mobster Mitsutomo Furuichi has also been arrested, implicating the yakuza in the scandal too.
Nearly two dozen others face punishments from the JSA for similar misdemeanors.
It's the first time ever an ozeki -- sumo's second highest ranking -- has been fired. And in typical Japanese fashion, JSA chairman Musashigawa has been quick to take responsibiity for failing to stop the scandal.
"We have caused considerable trouble and I apologise from the bottom of my heart," he said.
Scandals galore
National broadcaster NHK, the only channel to show sumo bouts in Japan, is considering whether or not to cover the event on July 11 after the main sponsor of the tournament pulled out.
Sixty-three percent of respondents to a poll by Asahi Shimbun newspaper say the tournament itself should be postponed.
The scandal is one of a string of major problems to shake the 1,500 year-old sumo tradition in the last two years, following drugs scandals, the death of an apprentice and the retirement of grand champion Asashoryu in February after a drunken brawl at a nightclub.
More details can be found from asahi.com here and here.
