TOKYO (TR) – The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of a weekly tabloid in a libel suit with the Yomiuri Giants over articles that claimed the manager of the baseball club paid off a former organized crime member to quash a story about an adulterous relationship, reports Daily Sports (July 16).
Between June and July of 2012, Shukan Bunshun reported that Tatsunori Hara paid 100 million yen to a former gangster and another man who had extorted him over evidence of an adulterous escapade that had taken place place in 1988.
The 56-year-old skipper acknowledged the payoff, which was completed in 2006, but indicated that he did not know of any gangster involvement and had no connections to organized crime. The team said that they were told by the police that the men had no mob ties.
The Giants is seeking 30 million yen in compensation and a published apology.
Yomiuri plans to appeal the ruling. A representative of Bungeisha, which publishes Shukan Bunshun, said that the result is satisfactory.
