Press "Enter" to skip to content

Sumo chairman dined at Michelin restaurant day scandal broke

Shukan Shincho Feb. 17
Shukan Shincho Feb. 17
TOKYO (TR) – On the night of February 3, the day the sumo bout-rigging scandal was revealed, the chairman of the Japan Sumo Association was photographed dining at a Michelin 1-star Japanese restaurant in Tokyo, reports Shukan Shincho (Feb. 17).

JSA Chairman Hanaregoma was seen with an unidentified man at the white wood counter inside the restaurant, which goes unnamed but is reported to have received its award from the tire company in last year’s edition of its popular guide. The tabloid adds that the course menu at the establishment, located in the Akasaka entertainment area, begins at 10,000 yen.

That day the JSA confirmed that text messages discovered on the mobile phones of 13 senior wrestlers have implicated them in systematic bout-fixing. Last year, a separate scandal implicated a number of wrestlers in a gambling ring that focused on baseball games.

“This is the greatest stain in the history of sumo,” the 62-year-old Hanaregoma told reporters on Sunday, when the announcement was made that the Osaka tournament in March would be cancelled.

The tabloid does not mention whether Hanaregoma has a future in restaurant reviews.