A former member of a gangster organization is at the center of a police investigation.

“The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department seems to know which entertainers are involved in baseball betting,” says a person related to the investigation. “And in tracking them down, it all is going back to the same former gangster. So he is the key guy in the betting scheme.”

Among those suspected to be partaking are a famous idol and an enka singer.

“The idol is a huge fan of the Yomiuri Giants,” explains a production manager at a big firm. “He’ll wager around 20,000 or 30,000 yen on Giants games. Even though the amounts are small, that is still betting. The enka singer owns his own team, and he loves betting. He’ll put down one million yen a week. He’s even been getting enka composers involved.”

According to a person with knowledge of baseball betting, the enka singer has had a strong relationship with the former gang member. “He was a sponsor to the enka singer,” says the source. “That’s how the gambling started, and he became addicted. The gang member also has access to underground casinos, and he sponsored wrestler Chiyotaikai, the former ozeki, who was never questioned in the betting scandal.

“The gangster wound up marrying a large-breasted model after engaging in extra-marital affairs with her,” the course continues.

A person in the mass media adds, “The former gangster was marked by the police, mainly due to unusual behavior resulting from suspected drug use. When he was first seeing the large-breasted model, he ran a high-end real estate firm.”

But now, Shukan Jitsuwa says, the former gangster is nowhere to be found.

“The police are attending parties and events organized by the former gangster,” adds the same source close to the investigation. “But they can’t find him, and he’s since divorced the big-breasted model.”

Should the former gangster be found, the tabloid concludes, a can of worms will be opened up regarding illegal activities within the entertainment world. Though the current status of the big-breasted model might be of more interest to the average Jitsuwa reader. (K.N.)

Source: “Sosatokyoku ga maaku suru yakyu tobaku no omono ichimi,” Shukan Jitsuwa (Sep. 2, page 209)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

“After the story concerning sumo wrestlers and baseball betting broke, three illegal gambling operations in Kabukicho were raided,” explains one illegal casino operator. “They included a gaming room, an Internet operation and poker game shop. I am very worried about a raid on my place.”

What’s going on?

“Normally there are two patterns for the raids,” explains a member of the National Police Agency, who refused to be named. “The first case is when customers or others in the industry report an illegal operation. The second occurs when higher-ups order the police to raid a particular place.

“If it’s a customer or person in the industry leaking information, then the raid will be only place shop,” the source continues. “However, if (Tokyo Gov. Shintaro) Ishihara announces that he wants to pursue the establishment of a legal casino in Tokyo, for example, multiple places will be raided.”

The representative of the police adds that the Japan Racing Association may also request the busting of operations offering illegal, off-track satellite wagering. The crackdown then on the three Kabukicho parlors is unprecedented, the source says.

Customers are feeling the backlash.

“At poker clubs in Kabukicho, it used to be that players could start out up 500,000 yen and then if they continued they might go down one million yen,” explains an owner of a kyabakura chain who enjoys betting with poker machines. “Now, you can burn through two or three million yen from the start and not see one royal flush or a four of a kind.”

The owner of a fuzoku club likes baccarat. “Before, it would be 50-50, win or lose,” the source says. “Not knowing whether one will win or lose is the fun of gambling, and the customer will keep playing. But now, it’s all losing.”

An underground casino manager says that everyone is being targeted. “We don’t know which place will be raided next,” the owner explains. ” So the owners of the clubs want to earn as much as possible now. As a result, the regulars lose all the time. I feel bad for them. But I have to do it. I can’t go against upper management.” (A.T)

Source: “Ura kajino jyankii tachi ga rensen renpai no naze?” Weekly Playboy (July 26, page 10)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

On Sunday, the association decided to dismiss 34-year-old wrestler Kotomitsuki and his stablemaster Otake. Other wrestlers and senior advisors received punishments.

Recent revelations that Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate members have been supplied with ringside seats for past matches — ostensibly so that fellow gangsters behind bars can catch a glimpse of their compatriots on television — have also soiled the image of the pastime.

Two days after the firings, NHK announced that it would not provide a live broadcast of the upcoming tournament in Nagoya as a result of viewer complaints over the ongoing scandals.

Yet very little has been explained regarding the intricate connections the grapplers have with mobsters and just how they were gambling on ball games. For that, The Tokyo Reporter turns to a back issue of Flash (June) for a little insight.

“It is not just the rikishi (wrestlers), it is also former grand champions (yokozuna) and sumo officials who are betting on baseball,” a senior member of a Kansai boryokudan, or a yakuza group, explains to the tabloid. “The gamblers stay at inns in the countryside with people affiliated with gang groups and bet on games. Some officials will have their wives there. Relatives of gangsters who are running the gambling ring will also be in attendance. This practice has a long history; it didn’t start just yesterday.”

Revenue collected from baseball betting has historically been one means of income for yakuza groups. “The practice started in the Kansai area in the ’60s,” says a journalist who covers criminal activities. “In the ’80s, it spread to extend nationwide.”

The source says that a single game can see between 10 million yen and 100 million yen change hands.

The betting system is much more complicated than simply picking a winner. In each game, a betting line, or hande, is determined by a bookmaker. This number is based on a variety of factors, including the strength of the teams and the scheduled starting pitchers.

“On the day of the game, the hande of each game is decided by noon and passed to a yakuza messenger who will then distribute them to the gamblers by email,” explains a person affiliated with gang groups. “All bets must then be placed by 2 p.m. that day.”

Two different types of hande are generally applied. Flash provides a photo of a mobile phone screen that displays hande data for the games of May 24. As an example, the favored Yomiuri Giants are given a hande of 1半5 (which is read ichi han go) over the Orix Buffaloes. This means that should the Giants win by a single run, wagers on the Giants are considered losing bets. If the Giants prevail by two, punters will receive a return of 50 percent. If the difference is three or more, then bettors will get even money returned.

In another case, a 1.5 hande is applied to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters over the Yakult Swallows. This translates as follows: should the Ham Fighters win by a single run, bettors receive a 50 percent return; and even money is reached for a two-run difference or better. The magazine notes that Nippon Ham Figher star right-hander Yu Darvish will often receive a 2.3 hande, meaning a whopping three-run margin would be required for even money.

It should be noted that a 10 percent commission gets taken off the top by the gang group on all wagers.

Interestingly, starters in the Central League are guessed at — a necessity given the league’s tendency of not naming starting hurlers in advance. On May 24, both Yudai Kawai and Kenta Asakura were listed as probables for the Chunichi Dragons against the Rakuten Eagles.

“At least three games must be wagered on,” says the same senior gang member from Kansai. “The money must be paid each Monday. Bets are commonly between 10,000 yen and 1 million yen.”

The same source says that the bets are usually placed by company presidents, members of the sumo world and entertainment figures. Betting on high school baseball also takes place, with gamblers often wagering on games involving their alma maters.

“Since the wrestlers train in the morning, they have time during the day to check the hande numbers,” says the senior boryokudan member quoted previously. “In the afternoon, they’ll have their bouts. So at night they’ll watch the baseball games.”

Sumo and the criminal underworld have a long history, says Flash. “Years ago, sumo wrestlers visited cities and towns in the countryside on special tours,” says the crime journalist. “The people sponsoring the events — which means providing the catering, security and lodging — were local leaders and gang groups.

“Nowadays, the tours don’t happen, but the intricate relationship still exists,” the same journalist continues. “At the sumo stables, for example, it is still up to the yakuza to provide security and transportation, and should there be trouble with a particular wrestler, it’ll be the yakuza who’ll keep it away from the media.”

Sumo watchers feel that the sumo world needs to change its culture if it wants to transcend from mere entertainment to actual sport. “The wrestlers are always receiving everything, always having everything done for them,” explains a person connected to sumo. “If this doesn’t change, they’ll never be able to sever the ties with gangsters and move forward.” (K.N.)

Source: “Kakukai to boryokudan ‘kuroi kankei,’” Flash (June 15, pages 9-11)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

A fan favorite since joining the Tigers in 2003, Williams, who hails from Australia, had arm surgery after the 2008 campaign and returned this year in a limited role before another operation at midseason. Should the club determine that it will be difficult for him to return as a player, they are also looking at offering him a position as U.S.-based scout.

Williams shared indicated to the tabloid in November that his doctor believed that he should be able to pitch again in May. A senior manager from the Tigers office explains: “We want him to contribute to Hanshin one way or the other. While the language barrier may exist, he has been a role model in our bullpen.” (K.N.)

The seventeen-year-old Yoshida, nicknamed “Eri-chan,” who recently left the Kobe 9 Cruise of the Kansai Independent League, was on the mound against the “best lineup” the Hiroshima Carp were capable of fielding during the club’s “Fan Festival” on Monday at Mazda Stadium.

The exhibition was played under a special rule in which Yoshida would be declared the winner if she was able to hold the Carp to two or fewer runs in one inning.

With more than 30,000 people in attendance, star outfielder Tomonori Maeda, who has collected over 2,000 hits in twenty seasons with the club, fouled out to the catcher on an 0-1 knuckler. The Carp then pushed across a single run, sparked by a double by infielder Akihiro Higashide. But the game ended when pitcher Ryuji Yokoyama grounded into a double play.

“I could feel the pressure from the batters,” Yoshida said afterward. “I am grateful that I was given an opportunity like this today. I next want to join the Nippon Pro Baseball league.” (K.N.)

The team’s skipper, Akinobu Mayumi, has requested action by the front office in replacing the roles served last year by middle relievers Jeff Williams and Scott Atchinson. Right-handers Esteban Yan, who was a starter for the Tigers in 2007, and Ryan Vogelsong, also a member of the rotation that year, are considered to be strong candidates.

An individual close to the team speculates: “There must be some kind of hidden issue with Juan, as he does not compete at the major-league level while being able to throw at 167 kilometers an hour. Foreign players with unknown elements leave us with a lot of anxiety. So the chances of success by those who used to play for us is higher.”

That means Yan and Vogelsong will probably each get a look, according to the source. “With [Kenji] Jojima joining,” he says of last year’s backstop for the Seattle Mariners, “he can lead them effectively and they will produce positive results.” (K.N.)

During a practice session at the Naruohama Ball Park, Mench found that he liked the grip and feel of a bat used by a teammate, catcher Akihiro Yano. He has ordered the manufacturer (Mizuno) to fabricate the same model, which has a thicker contact area than his current stick. The bat should arrive by the end of May.

Mench has been using a model that weighs 850g, but this new model is 20g heavier. Further, his current bat has its weight towards the grip, limiting its head speed and not allowing his power to be applied optimally. It is hoped that he will experience a drastic turnaround at the plate in spite of his slow start — one in which he has hit .148 with no home runs over 15 games.

Yet it might be too late. Earlier this season Mench was shipped to the minors. After being recalled for two games on May 15 and 16 against the Yakult Swallows (in which he failed to collect a hit in six at-bats), he was returned “for readjustment.” The team is already looking for another foreign player to join the roster, placing additional pressure upon the outfielder.

Today, he spent batting practice at Naruohama. “It was disappointing that I couldn’t deliver in spite of the fact that they promoted me to start after I had a hot streak in minors,” said Mench. “Right now, I just have to do what I can do.”

The earliest he is scheduled to play in a game will be on May 26 against a minor league team of the Chunichi Dragons. (K.N.)

And oh yes, adds Shukan Jitsuwa (May 14), that also includes Miyazaki. The capital city of this Kyushu domain, currently in the limelight thanks to its celebrity governor, is also where the Yomiuri Giants hold their baseball spring training camp. It is also said to boast a system of “take-out snacks” where the snack you take out is taken to bed. And it’s rumored some Giants players may even go there to take a few nocturnal practice swings.

Shukan Jitsuwa’s reporter is directed to Ueno-cho, which is located in the back of the neon district close to the central station.

“The snacks in the area open around 8 p.m.,” says a local source. “They charge from 10,000 to 15,000 yen, but these days the more expensive ones will knock down the price to around 12,000 yen.”

So after feasting on Miyazaki’s local breed of free-range chicken, the reporter sauntered over to Ueno-cho in search of another type of bird.

While prowling the streets he encountered an elderly hen who accosted him, cackling, “You wanna have some fun? It’s 12,000 yen.”

Her nest contained two chicks, both in their mid-20s and both quite attractive.

“At first I thought I’d check out the action at a few more shops, but these gals were so pretty I decided to stick with the first place,” the reporter relates.

Having made his choice, the 12,000 yen entitled him to take his pick and escort her to a nearby love hotel, where he got to sample some of Miyazaki’s native hospitality, including a romantic kiss, “deep throat” blow-job and, after rolling on a latex French letter, a hot session of honban (intercourse).

“Since it was in a hotel, the session wasn’t by the clock,” he says. “We did it with her straddling me, and afterwards we snuggled up like sweethearts. And I imagined what it feels like to be one of the Yomiuri Giants.” (K.S.)

Source: “Jidori-go wa ‘tsuredashi’ e GO,” Shukan Jitsuwa (May 14, page 261)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

Koshien Stadium, which opened in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture in 1924, is adding a 250-meter by 1.2-meter LED “Koshien Liner Vision” display board; seventeen special izakaya box seating sections for parties of 4 or 5 people to enjoy the action from behind third base; “Royal” corporate suites that extend out onto a balcony; and bag storage spaces for the steeply aligned outfield bleachers, or “Alps” seats.

Renovations include an expansion of Ginsan, the sun roof over the infield seating, by 40 meters on both sides to a total coverage of 7,500 square meters. The umbrella, also elevated by 5 meters, will now function as a mount for light standards, whose old positions in the stands have been removed to enhance the spectator’s view. The team’s Web page indicates that the new lighting arrangement was tested over two evenings last week.

Reborn on the stadium’s outer brick wall will be seven sections of ivy. Similar to Wrigley Field, the greenery has been a hallmark of the field. Heavily damaged by the U.S. bombing raids of World War II, the ivy in the area near home plate was removed during the stadium’s renovation process. Seedlings, raised by 233 schools within the Japan High School Baseball Federation, were planted earlier this year. It is expected that it will require 10 years before full coverage will be achieved.

It has also been revealed that the field’s dimensions are slightly less than had been previously posted. The distance from home plate to center field had been listed at 120 meters, but in fact it is two meters shorter. Distances to both foul poles will be revised to 95 meters, one less than before. This year’s markers will reflect these new measurements.

Shinya Sakai, the 61-year-old president of Hanshin Electric Railway, the team’s owner, is quoted in the Mainichi Shimbun as saying that the stadium is still a suitable ground for baseball. “Home runs at the stadium are real home runs,” Sakai said.

The 81st National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament begins today, the first time the improvements will be on display to the general public.

For the Tigers, which last season finished two games behind the rival Yomiuri Giants, new managerial and roster additions include skipper Akinobu Mayumi, a member of Hanshin’s last Japan Series’ winner (1985), outfielder Kevin Mench and pitcher Cheng Kai-wen from Taiwan.

Certainly, all teams head into opening day with a degree of optimism, believing that their offseason tweaks will make a difference. Yet with the Tigers’ cursed Colonel Sanders statue having been rescued earlier this month from the depths of the Dotonbori Canal now accompanying the fresh look of its home ground, perhaps the team and its fans have good reason to think this will indeed be the year. (K.N.)

Born to an American father and Japanese mother in Japan, Boothe was in new territory — and it had nothing to do with the fact that the northern Utah city of Ogden has only one sushi shop near the ballpark.

A game in late June included an on-field brawl after Ogden’s leadoff man was plucked with the second pitch of the game from the starting pitcher for the Idaho Falls Chukars. A scuffle resulted with both benches emptying. “I heard that if one goes we all go,” remembers the burly 23-year-old right-handed pitcher during an interview from a coffee shop in Tokyo just prior to his departure for this year’s spring camp.

Amid the ensuing pileup, popularized on YouTube, Boothe raced from his seat on the bench and saw his catcher, Jessie Mier, getting pummeled from behind. Boothe pulled the attacker off Mier so as to drag his teammate free from the scrum. “I was surprised,” says Boothe, sporting a thin line of stubble under his chin and cheeks and spiky dark hair. “This situation exists in Japan but it is much more apparent in the United States.”

The right-hander received a one-game suspension and a quick insight into baseball as it works stateside, just one step on the path he hopes will end in the big leagues.

Fellow countrymen like Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox and the Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda both had extensive careers in Nippon Pro Baseball before making the jump. Boothe, however, wanted to leave at an early age and not wait the nine years required for free agency in NPB. “The level of excitement, the ability of the players, and the intensity of the game pushed me to the U.S.,” explains the hurler.

Having been raised in western Tokyo, Boothe speaks only a little English — an issue that was somewhat troublesome from the start of spring camp at Vero Beach, Florida. “The point of camp is to practice; it is baseball,” he says. “But you still have to communicate with your teammates and friends. I was a little uncomfortable. But eventually guys started coming over to me and things were easier.”

Upon Boothe’s arrival in Florida the Dodgers felt a few tweaks were needed to his delivery. “My leg was coming outside of my shoulder,” says Boothe, whose repertoire consists of a fastball, change-up, splitter, and slider. “They shortened it, and had me come inside more.”

For Japanese standards, Boothe is imposing on the mound, standing tall at 192 cm. But in the U.S. that is an average height. “Pitchers tend to be shorter, so they are taught mechanics for delivering from a lower position,” he says of Japan.

From the stretch position, the Dodgers wanted Boothe to focus on shifting his weight back, believing that he could develop more power by getting his front leg a little more off the ground and driving off his back hip.

His heater, which now tops out at 153 kilometers per hour, was impressive early in his career, starting with his days at Hachioji Jissen High School. “His best pitch was his fastball,” explains Mitsuru Nishida, who was a coach at the time but is now the manager. “His off-speed stuff got hit so I thought he should stick to the over-powering fastball.”

Boothe went on to develop an interest in fireballers like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Bartolo Colon. “Finesse wasn’t of much interest to me then,” explains Boothe, whose large, 100-kilogram frame is well-suited for letting it rip. “I wanted to throw the ball through people.”

He later starred at Asia University, whose history with the Dodgers goes back to the 1960s, when then manager Akihiro Ikuhara moved to Los Angeles to work in various capacities with the club, a relationship that lasted over two decades and led to an induction into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Boothe was a member of the AU team that won the Autumn All Japan Collegiate Championship in 2006.

Boothe pitched on the All Japan College All Star team that traveled to Holland in the summer of 2007 for the six-team World Port Tournament. Though a handful of NPB teams showed interest in him, he signed with the Dodgers in December of that year.

After an extended spring training session, Boothe found himself with the Raptors in June. His first start provided mixed results. Boothe yielded four runs and six hits over five innings, yet he walked just one and struck out eight. He realized quickly that his once over-powering fastball was now quite hittable. “A pitcher throwing 150 kph in Japan doesn’t have too much worry about throwing a first-pitch fastball,” Boothe says. “Of course, approach is important because batters do have good bat control. But in the U.S., there are so many good fastball hitters.”

For consulting purposes, there was Takashi Saito, then the closer for the Dodgers but now a member of the Red Sox. With two seasons under his belt following a career with the Yokohama Bay Stars, Saito gave the youngster advice in person (at spring camp) and occasionally on the phone on how to pitch to major-league hitters.

Unlike the initial experience of Boston setup man Hideki Okajima during his rookie year in 2007, the slightly different characteristics of the ball were not a problem for Boothe. “It is certainly slicker,” he says of the MLB ball, which is as well larger. “but none of my pitches were more difficult to throw.”

Cultural peculiarities included trips to Walmart for large quantities of bacon and sausage — a cheaper option than the local Carl’s Jr. or McDonald’s — the 10-hour bus rides between minor-league cities, and American slang (to the Japanese ear “socks” and “sucks” ring similar). The occasional outing for sushi and an in-room rice cooker helped smooth things a bit, and so did his interpreter, Daisuke Matsumoto, in handling media inquiries.

Boothe’s record of 2 wins and 5 losses and 6.89 earned-run average over 12 starts was less than spectacular, but he never lost motivation. “The first half of the season I felt good,” he says. “The Dodgers had me throwing solely out of the stretch to work on my slide step. My balance was on, my control was good, and my command and speed were there.”

In the second half, Boothe was allowed to go to his windup, a position in which he felt a bit off balance. “I lost some velocity and my change-up wasn’t effective,” he explains. “Guys weren’t going for it, and my splitter wasn’t dropping.”

Encouraging though was his 61 strikeouts over 64 innings and a subsequent invitation to attend the Arizona Instructional League, which is held in September and October for select players from minor league teams.

This offseason was spent training in Tokyo, with Boothe focusing on his balance and throwing with a more relaxed release to coax more movement from his fastball. In the Tokyo suburbs near Asia University, he has become something of a local celebrity among former classmates and instructors. “Everybody wants a piece of him,” says his father Glenn.

Where the Dodger hopeful will play this year following spring camp is not certain. But he is ready for the challenge. “It’s all up to me, my effort and how I throw,” Boothe says.

Note: This article originally appeared in the spring 2009 issue of Tokyo Journal.