TOKYO (TR) – The sudden resignation of the president of the Japan High School Baseball Federation (JHBF) earlier this year was shrouded in mystery, but new revelations show his departure was triggered by a secret affair, leaked secrets, and an unpaid debt to a mistress.
In April, Kaoru Takara, 69, abruptly stepped down before his term ended, officially citing “personal reasons” after receiving a strict warning from the federation. The vague explanation fueled widespread speculation, but the truth lay in a whistleblower complaint filed by a 40-something female office worker from the capital, reports weekly tabloid Shukan Shincho (July 2).
The scandal traces back to last year’s Summer Koshien tournament. On August 10, Hiroshima baseball powerhouse Koryo High School made an unprecedented withdrawal from the tournament following an assault incident within the team that sparked massive online backlash.
Later that evening, Takara and the president of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, a sponsor of the event, held an emergency press conference to address the situation. However, just hours before facing the media to offer a solemn apology, Takara was busy entertaining his mistress in a hotel room near Koshien Stadium.
According to a friend of the woman, Takara called her to his room that morning. Visibly exhausted, the federation president proceeded to leak highly confidential information regarding the school’s withdrawal and the upcoming press conference before it was made public.
“Initially, she was sitting on the bed and the chairman was in a chair,” the friend revealed. “But as they talked, he moved next to her on the bed, hugged her, and kissed her on the lips.”
For the love of the game
The pair had originally met about 10 years ago through their mutual love of baseball and began communicating frequently in December 2022. The woman, who knew Takara had children but was never told about a wife, assumed he was single and gradually developed feelings for him.
The illicit relationship continued until she eventually discovered Takara was married. She decided to end the affair, but when they met to discuss the breakup, Takara bizarrely begged her for a 500,000-yen loan.
When his repayments on the loan stalled, his furious and suspicious mistress drafted a letter to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which oversees the JHBF. In the document, she exposed their illicit affair and detailed the unpaid debt.
The explosive letter prompted the federation to issue Takara a severe warning, ultimately forcing him to quietly resign to cover up the scandal.
